I’l start this post with a newsletter I distributed to my clients a few days ago:
That message includes a lot of details about market performance this year across the five counties that make up the Austin Metropolitan Area. It also includes a very broad summary:
“There are plenty of similarities across the counties, but a few meaningful differences [in August]. For instance, the number of Pending Sales was up in Williamson, Bastrop, and Caldwell counties, but down in Travis and Hays. Listing Inventory — the number of homes for sale — increased only in Hays and Caldwell counties. Along with those changes, Days on Market decreased in Travis county and was flat in Williamson county, but increased slightly in Hays, Bastrop, and Caldwel counties.”
I also noted that the Austin area ranks among the most affordable markets in Texas and in the United States. That’s great news, except for homeowners who want to sell now and find that current home prices are lower than they were during our market spike in 2022. You’ll see more about that situation in the newsletter linked at the beginning of this post.
The gist of all of that discussion is that the market for residential real estate in Central Texas remains mixed, often discouraging for home sellers and uncertain for home buyers. These comments from the Austin American-Statesman over the past couple of days add to that confusion:
Austin home prices are down. Here’s why monthly payments are still climbing
Austin-area home sales, prices fall as housing market cools in August
If you’re a Statesman subscriber, you can read those articles in full. If not, here are some key points from the first:
“Austin-area buyers put down a smaller share of a home’s purchase price last month than they did five years ago and higher mortgage rates continue to push estimated monthly payments higher ….”
“The typical Austin down payment fell from 16.7% in August 2021 to 13.9% last month, a 2.8-percentage-point decline …. “
“Over the same five-year period, the typical listing price fell 18%, but the estimated monthly principal-and-interest payment climbed 33%, the report found.”
And this summarizes the second article succinctly:
“Central Texas’ once-sizzling housing market cooled further in August, with home sales and prices both down from a year earlier as high borrowing costs and continued economic uncertainty kept would-be buyers cautious.”
“Home sales across the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metropolitan area slid 7.3% from August 2025, with 2,501 homes sold compared with about 2,700 a year earlier, according to the latest data from Unlock MLS. The median sales price fell 6.4% to $412,000, down from about $440,000 last August. “
You can follow my ongoing market observations at Central Texas Home Search or BillMorrisRealtor.com, and I’m available to discuss your particular situation when you need to know more about your specific home and competitive market area. Just let me know when I can help you.
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