Fewer homes sold in Pflugerville and Hutto this October than a year earlier, according to data from the Austin Board of Realtors and Unlock MLS. At the same time, the number of homes on the market jumped 43%.

Diving in deeper: Active listings rose to 809 in October, up from 566 a year prior. The median home price across Community Impact’s Pflugerville and Hutto coverage area dipped from $390,000 to $370,000. On the whole, sales also slowed, with 153 homes sold compared to 180 last year. However, trends diverged between the two cities: Hutto saw fewer homes sold, while Pflugerville saw a minor uptick.

Inventory grew from three to five months, nearing the six-month benchmark the National Association of Realtors associates with a more balanced market where home values may increase gradually rather than rapidly.

The history: Kathryn Krystine Burleson has always loved plants, even as a child. Carrying her interest into adulthood, she decided to trade her corporate job and hours-long commute for a home-based plant nursery and never looked back. 

“I wanted to work at a nursery for so many years and every one I would apply to [said] it just didn't make sense for them since my background was [in] accounting,” Burleson said. “So, I just do [it on] my own.”

The options: Burleson opened Pflugerville Pfoliage and Plants in January 2021, offering a range of medium and low-sun plants. She carries everything from common house plants to hoyas, succulents, bromeliads, lantana, agave, herbs and rare houseplants. Burleson also sells plant-related goods such as hangers, flower earrings, succulent candles, and soil that she makes herself.

Thanksgiving week is expected to be one of the busiest U.S. travel periods in history, according to projections from AAA. A record 5.8 million Texans are projected to travel at least 50 miles from home Nov. 25-Dec. 1.

Zooming in: About 5.3 million Texans are expected to drive to their Thanksgiving destinations, according to a Nov. 17 news release, while about 328,000 people will fly and 140,000 will use other forms of transportation.

The impact: Texans should give themselves extra time to reach their destinations during Thanksgiving week, with the most congestion expected Nov. 25-26. Traffic is also expected to be heavy as Texans return home Nov. 30, according to INRIX, a transportation data company.

Minimal traffic is expected on Thanksgiving Day.

More details: Texas drivers will pay about the same for gas as they did last Thanksgiving, according to AAA Texas. One gallon of regular unleaded gas cost about $2.65 in Texas as of Nov. 13, down from $2.69 last year.