Austin Housing Market Report: August 2026

Last Updated: September 2026

TL;DR: The Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metro is entering fall 2026 with sales climbing, inventory tightening, and prices essentially flat. The median sale price was $435,000 — up just 1.0% year over year — while closed sales rose 4.4% and active listings fell nearly 10%. Mortgage rates held between 6.65% and 6.69% through August. Buyers still have real negotiating power, but the market is drifting toward balance faster than most expected.

Photo by Mitchell Kmetz on Unsplash

Key Takeaways

• The metro median sale price was $435,000, up 1.0% year over year. The City of Austin median was $577,000, down 1.4%.
• Closed sales rose 4.4% to 2,739 homes, and pending sales rose 4.1% — clear signs demand is improving.
• Active listings fell 9.9% to 13,796 homes, pulling months of inventory down to 4.7, about 1.1 months lower than a year ago.
• The 30-year fixed mortgage rate stayed in a narrow 6.65%–6.69% band through August, versus roughly 6.56%–6.58% a year earlier (Freddie Mac PMMS).
• Texas sellers cut prices by a median of $12,000 — about 3.3% of the original list price — and homes are taking about two months to sell (Texas Real Estate Research Center).
• Buyers keep meaningful leverage (the average Austin-area sale closed at 93.7% of list price), but shrinking inventory means the window of negotiating room is narrowing, not widening.

Table of Contents

1. Where the Austin market stands in August 2026
2. Home prices: flat but firm
3. Sales and demand: momentum is building
4. Inventory: quietly shrinking
5. Days on market and negotiating room
6. Mortgage rates in August 2026
7. County-by-county: where prices moved
8. The rental market: tight and competitive
9. What this means for buyers
10. What this means for sellers
11. Looking ahead to fall 2026
12. FAQ

Where the Austin market stands in August 2026

A quick note on timing and sources, because precision matters. The most recent complete month of official MLS closing data for Central Texas is July 2026, released in the July 2026 Central Texas Housing Report by Unlock MLS (the MLS of the Austin Board of REALTORS®); August's closing statistics publish in mid-September. So this report pairs the freshest available MLS data with complete August mortgage rates from Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey® and the latest statewide insight from the Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M. Every number below comes from one of those sources.

Here is the metro at a glance:

Metric (Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos MSA)	July 2026	Year-over-year
Median sale price	$435,000	+1.0%
Closed sales	2,739	+4.4%
Active listings	13,796	−9.9%
New listings	4,280	−2.8%
Pending sales	2,833	+4.1%
Months of inventory	4.7	−1.1 months
Total sales dollar volume	$1.60 billion	+6.9%
Average close-to-list ratio	93.7%	vs. 93.0%

The short version: more deals are happening, prices are holding, and the supply cushion that gave buyers the upper hand for the past two years is thinning. Unlock MLS market research advisor Vaike O'Grady put it this way: "We continued to see positive momentum in July's year-over-year numbers. Deals are happening, prices are holding and buyers and sellers are finding opportunities equally. Mortgage rates remain elevated, but what sets Austin apart are the major economic investments recently announced across the region."

Home prices: flat but firm

The MSA median sale price of $435,000 in July was up a modest 1.0% year over year. That continues the defining theme of 2026 so far: price stability. Since spring, the metro median has moved within a narrow band — roughly $415,000 to $440,000 from the March report through midsummer — a far cry from the double-digit swings of 2021–2022 or the sharp correction that followed.

Underneath the headline number, the region is moving in two directions at once:

• The urban core is still adjusting. The City of Austin median was $577,000, down 1.4% year over year, even as city sales jumped 11.0%. Travis County's median of $520,000 was essentially flat (−0.3%).
• The suburban ring is steadier — and cheaper. Williamson County's median held at $415,000 (−1.2%), Hays County rose 1.0% to $367,700, and Bastrop County gained 2.3% to $346,140.

For buyers, that spread is the most important number in this report. The gap between the City of Austin median ($577,000) and the MSA median ($435,000) is about $142,000 — the price of moving your search 20 to 40 minutes down the road. Our guide to affordable homes in Austin breaks down which suburban submarkets give you the most house for that trade-off.

Sales and demand: momentum is building

Closed sales across the MSA rose 4.4% year over year to 2,739 homes, and total sales dollar volume climbed 6.9% to just over $1.6 billion. Pending sales — contracts signed but not yet closed — rose another 4.1% to 2,833, the best forward indicator in the dataset: those are September and October closings in the pipeline today.

The demand story is strongest inside the city limits. City of Austin sales were up 11.0% year over year, and Travis County sales rose 11.4% — with dollar volume up more than 11% in both. Buyers who spent 2023–2025 on the sidelines, waiting for rates or prices to fall, have started coming back to the core market, where inventory has dropped the fastest.

Inventory: quietly shrinking

This is the sleeper story of the summer. Active listings across the MSA fell 9.9% year over year to 13,796 homes — and the declines are steepest exactly where demand is strongest:

Area	Active listings	Year-over-year change	Months of inventory
City of Austin	4,718	−18.2%	4.5
Travis County	6,586	−13.0%	4.8
Williamson County	4,258	−10.1%	4.3
Hays County	1,925	−5.4%	5.0
Bastrop County	758	−6.2%	6.3
Caldwell County	269	+59.2%	7.7

Months of inventory across the metro now sits at 4.7 — about 1.1 months lower than July 2025 — and new listings fell 2.8% year over year, so the supply pipeline is not refilling. Six months of inventory is the classic definition of a balanced market; at 4.7, Austin is still on the buyer-friendly side of that line, but the trend is unmistakable. A market that spent two years loosening is now tightening — exactly the kind of shift that shows up in prices three to six months later.

Days on market and negotiating room

Pace and negotiation data confirm that buyers still hold leverage — just less than before. According to the Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M, homes sold statewide in June spent an average of 62 days on market, slightly above 60 days a year earlier, though the center notes the gap is narrowing as 2026 progresses. Austin tracks right in line with that statewide pace: the typical local home takes roughly two months to go under contract.

Sellers are also still conceding on price. TRESC's August 2026 Housing Insight reports a median seller price cut of $12,000 statewide — about 3.3% of the original list price — down slightly from $13,000 a year ago. In the Austin MSA, the average sale closed at 93.7% of list price, up from 93.0% a year earlier but still meaning the typical seller leaves roughly 6 cents on the dollar relative to asking.

Translated into practice: a buyer in today's market routinely negotiates list price, and often wins repairs or rate-buydown concessions on top. But at 93.7% close-to-list and falling inventory, the "lowball and see what happens" era is fading. Well-priced homes in desirable neighborhoods are drawing offers within a couple of weeks.

Photo by Carlos Delgado on Unsplash

Mortgage rates in August 2026

The financing side of the equation barely moved in August — which, in this rate cycle, counts as good news. Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey showed the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage holding inside a four-basis-point band all month:

Week of 2026	30-year FRM	15-year FRM
August 6	6.69%	—
August 13	6.67%	5.96%
August 20	6.65%	5.95%
August 27	6.66%	5.98%

For context, a year earlier (August 2025) the 30-year averaged roughly 6.56%–6.58% — so rates are about 10 basis points higher than last year, while metro prices are up only 1.0%. In early September, the survey ticked up to 6.71%, a reminder that rate relief shouldn't be assumed in any budget.

What does that mean in dollars? At 6.65%–6.69%, a 20% down payment on the $435,000 metro median means borrowing about $348,000, for a principal-and-interest payment near $2,240–$2,250 per month. That math is why affordability — not inventory — is now the binding constraint for most Central Texas buyers, and why every basis point of rate movement matters more than most headlines suggest. If you're weighing your options, our down payment guide for Austin buyers walks through how loan structure changes that monthly number.

County-by-county: where prices moved

Area	Median price	Year-over-year	Closed sales	Sales change
City of Austin	$577,000	−1.4%	1,005	+11.0%
Travis County	$520,000	−0.3%	1,290	+11.4%
Williamson County	$415,000	−1.2%	957	+6.0%
Hays County	$367,700	+1.0%	344	−12.0%
Bastrop County	$346,140	+2.3%	110	−16.0%
Caldwell County	$254,000	−16.4%	38	−7.3%

A few patterns stand out. The core market (Austin and Travis County) is seeing the strongest sales growth and the softest prices — a combination that only makes sense when inventory is being absorbed. Williamson County moved more homes than anywhere outside Travis while prices held nearly flat. Hays and Bastrop saw sales contract even as prices edged up, and tiny Caldwell County's median swung on a base of just 38 sales — its year-over-year figures are volatile by definition.

The rental market: tight and competitive

The rental side tightened noticeably this summer. Closed leases across the MSA fell 6.5% year over year to 3,230, while active lease listings dropped 26.2% to 4,342 — leaving just 1.7 months of lease inventory. The median lease price held at $2,195 (−0.2%).

That combination — fewer signed leases, a big drop in available units, flat rents — is what a supply squeeze looks like. Austin's rental market is no longer the soft, negotiable market of 2024; renewal-time leverage has shifted back toward landlords. That quietly strengthens the buy-versus-rent math for households planning to stay put more than two or three years. Our first-time buyer guide for Austin covers the full transition path.

What this means for buyers

If you are shopping this fall, the data argues for acting deliberately rather than waiting for a better deal to appear:

• Negotiating power is real but shrinking. Homes are selling at 93.7% of list, sellers are cutting prices statewide, and homes sit about two months. You can ask for price adjustments, closing costs, or rate buydowns. But inventory has fallen for a year, so the leverage curve is bending away from you month by month.
• Get fully underwritten before you offer. In a market where well-priced homes attract competition from relocated buyers, a financing-ready offer is worth real money. Our Texas home-buying checklist walks through the documents.
• Budget for carrying costs, not just the payment. Unlock MLS's Homeowner Affordability Index found that every additional $100 per month in carrying costs — property taxes, utilities, insurance — pushes roughly 9,800 Central Texas households across the line where housing becomes a genuine financial strain. Underwrite the property taxes, not just the mortgage.
• Watch the suburban spread. The $142,000 gap between the city median and the metro median is your biggest lever. Round Rock, Hutto, Georgetown, and San Marcos-area searches consistently produce more house per dollar — see our Round Rock buyer's guide.

What this means for sellers

Sellers are closing deals in a market that rewards preparation over aspiration:

• Price at market, not at memory. The median statewide price cut of $12,000 (3.3% of list) mostly happens to homes priced above what the comps support. The correction happens either before listing (fast sale) or after 60+ days on market (stale listing). Choose the first one.
• Days on market are the enemy. At roughly two months average time to contract, a listing that misses its window in the first three weekends will likely need a price cut to recover attention.
• Expect to negotiate, and decide your floor in advance. At a 93.7% close-to-list ratio, plan for concessions — buyer closing costs, repairs, or a rate buydown — and know which ones you'll trade and which you won't. Our complete seller's guide for Austin includes a concession-decision framework.
• The bright side: dollar volume is up 6.9% year over year and pending sales are climbing. There are more buyers in the market than last summer — the ones who meet the market at the right price are the ones who sell.

Looking ahead to fall 2026

Three things to watch as the year closes out. First, the August 2026 Central Texas Housing Report lands in mid-September — it will confirm whether July's inventory declines were a seasonal blip or the start of a genuine supply shift. Second, ABoR hosts its annual Central Texas Housing Summit on September 9, where affordability and supply policy take center stage — John Crowe, 2026 Unlock MLS and ABoR president, has been explicit that keeping homeownership attainable "long after closing day" is the industry's top regional priority. Third, the economic investment wave O'Grady cites tends to show up in housing demand with a lag, supporting the volume already building in the pending-sales pipeline.

The base case for the rest of 2026: prices stay flat, sales keep improving, inventory keeps tightening, and rates stay stuck in the mid-6s. That's not a dramatic market — it's a healthy one. For both buyers and sellers, the winners this fall will be the ones who move on well-prepared terms rather than waiting for the market to hand them a gift.

Photo by MJ Tangonan on Unsplash

FAQ

Is Austin a buyer's or seller's market right now? It's closer to balanced than at any point since 2021. At 4.7 months of inventory, supply sits below the six-month balance line, but homes take about two months to sell and close at 93.7% of list — so buyers still negotiate meaningfully on price and terms. Practically: buyer-friendly conditions that are slowly tightening. Talk to a licensed local agent (we do this every day — Sully Ruiz).

What is the median home price in Austin in 2026? The MSA median was $435,000 in July 2026; the City of Austin median was $577,000, Travis County $520,000, Williamson County $415,000, and Hays County $367,700 (all per Unlock MLS).

When will August 2026 Austin housing data be released? Unlock MLS publishes the Central Texas Housing Report in the middle of the following month, so August closing statistics arrive in mid-September. This report uses the latest complete month (July 2026) plus August mortgage-rate data from Freddie Mac.

Should I wait for mortgage rates to drop before buying in Austin? Waiting is a bet, not a plan. Rates ended August at 6.66% and moved up to 6.71% in early September, while inventory has fallen nearly 10% year over year. A sound alternative many buyers use: buy when the monthly math works, and if rates fall meaningfully later, explore refinancing with our 2026 Texas refinance guide.

Where are the most affordable places to buy near Austin? Caldwell County ($254,000 median) and Bastrop County ($346,140) posted the lowest medians, though with small sales volumes and longer market times. Williamson County's $415,000 median with 4.3 months of inventory remains the strongest value-for-demand balance in the metro.

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About the Author

Sully Ruiz is a licensed Texas REALTOR® (TREC #0742907) with Sully Realty Group / Keller Williams Austin NW. A bilingual real estate professional serving the Austin metro, Sully has helped 46+ families purchase homes using ITIN loans and has secured up to $30K in grants for qualifying buyers. She is a member of NAR, Texas REALTORS®, ABOR, and NAHREP.

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TREC Data Disclaimer

"Market data is for informational purposes only and is subject to change. Sources are believed to be reliable but are not guaranteed. Contact Sully Ruiz for a personalized market analysis."

Sources

• July 2026 Central Texas Housing Report — Unlock MLS / Austin Board of REALTORS®
• Texas Housing Insight, August 2026 — Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M
• Primary Mortgage Market Survey® — Freddie Mac
• Central Texas Housing Summit — Unlock MLS
• 2026 Central Texas Homeowner Affordability Report — Unlock MLS
• Unlock MLS Market Research & Statistics

Median prices and figures reflect the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos MSA unless otherwise noted. All MLS data from the July 2026 Central Texas Housing Report (the most recent complete month); August closing statistics publish mid-September.