Sticker Shock

Austin metro area’s median home price climbs to all-time high of $500,000

Austin home prices are through the roof.

Photo by Phillip Spears/Getty Images

It’s a benchmark that is sure to make many homebuyers cringe: The median sale price of a home in the Austin area officially sits just $5 short of $500,000.

In a report released Tuesday, March 15, the Austin Board of Realtors divulged that the metro area’s median home price in February jumped to an all-time high of $499,995. That’s 27.9 percent above the median price ($391,000) in February 2021 and 5 percent above the median price ($476,000) in January 2022.

“February was a very active month for our housing market as sales price records continue to be broken,” Cord Shiflet, 2022 president of ABoR, says in a news release. “We’re hearing from economists that last month’s numbers are a potential harbinger of a big year ahead, even as our market continues to deal with insufficient supply compared to demand, resulting in the steady cycle of home price increases.”

What follows is a breakdown of last month’s median home prices throughout the metro area.

City of Austin
The median sale price of a home within the city limits rose to $565,000, a record for the month of February. This was 15.1 percent above February 2021 ($491,000) and 2.7 percent above the previous month ($550,000).

Travis County
The median price of a home in Travis County increased to $541,050. That’s 15.1 percent higher than it was in February 2021 ($470,000) and 2.1 percent higher than was it was the previous month ($530,000).

Williamson County
Williamson County recorded a median home price of $479,000 in February, up 32.7 percent from the same time a year earlier ($361,000) and up 4.1 percent from this January ($460,000).

Hays County
The median price of a home in Hays County soared to $427,350 in February, up 42.5 percent from the same time a year earlier ($300,000) and up 9.9 percent from the previous month ($389,000).

Bastrop County
In just one year, the median home price of a home in Bastrop County shot up by 61.4 percent. The median price this February stood at $443,835 compared with $274,946 in February 2021. The price in January 2022 was $398,000 — 11.5 percent below where it was a month earlier.

Caldwell County
Caldwell County remains the most affordable homebuying market in the five-county metro area. The median home price last month was $314,695, up 57.4 percent from February 2021 ($199,900) but down less than 1 percent from January 2022 ($315,000).

home-for-sale reports trends

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Homebuyers can afford to be picky as Austin housing inventory rises

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Housing economist Clare Losey said the most significant factor affecting home sales in Austin is high mortgage rates.

The latest real estate report from Unlock MLS and the Austin Board of Realtors (ABoR) has revealed housing inventory is still on a steady rise in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos MSA, creating more choices for potential homebuyers as they navigate a high interest rate market.

Residential home sales dipped by a mere 1.5 percent year-over-year from October 2023, amounting to 2,248 closed sales in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos MSA. Median prices have also dropped to $430,000, or 3.2 percent less than this time last year. More than 3,300 new home listings were added on the market — a 7.4 percent increase from 2023 — bringing the total number of active home listings to 11,599.

According to Unlock MLS and ABoR housing economist Clare Losey, Ph.D., October's mortgage rates stood at 6.4 percent and are showing no signs of a significant drop in the near future. Even heading into 2025, Losey says potential homebuyers who are biding their time in the hopes of seeing rates plummet "may be in for a long wait."

"In the meantime, sellers must recognize that bringing buyers to the table requires a more aggressive pricing approach," Losey said. "Even in a more balanced market, buyers with limited purchasing power are struggling to meet current price expectations."

As for the overall health of the Central Texas housing market, 2024 Unlock MLS and ABoR president Kent Redding labeled recent news reports that called Austin "ground zero" for a downturn as an "extreme over-exaggeration."

"Austin led the state and nation in record-breaking home price growth and sales activity during the pandemic," Redding said. "For three years, near-zero housing inventory, numerous offers above list price and a rapid-paced market raised home prices and left little negotiating power for buyers. During this record-setting growth, ABoR and Unlock MLS consistently emphasized the unsustainability of the rapid growth, and now, our market is working to balance those extremes."

Central Texas housing trends in October 2024

In Travis County, 979 homes were sold last month — a slight 2.5 percent increase from last year. Median prices remained flat year-over-year at $510,000. Active home listings continued growing to 5,702 homes, which is 9.4 percent more year-over-year.

In Williamson County, 807 homes were sold in October, with median prices steadily dropping to $420,000. There were 1,028 new home listings on the market, showing a 4.5 percent increase from October 2023, bringing the total number of active home listings to 3,369.

Residential home sales dropped by nearly eight percent in Hays County in October, totaling 315 sales. Median prices also fell 5.5 percent year-over-year to $359,000. Active listings rose 6.6 percent year-over-year to 1,740 homes with the addition of 534 new listings on the market.

Meanwhile, 114 homes were sold in Bastrop County last month, which is 4.4 percent more than this time last year. Median prices dropped by a single percentage point year-over-year to $355,000. There were 654 active listings on the market in October, and 152 new home listings, representing a 1.3 percent slip in new inventory when compared to last year.

Only 33 homes were sold in Caldwell County in October to reflect a near 14 percent decline year-over-year from October 2023. Median prices fell to $262,990, which was a 13.5 percent decrease from last year. There were 136 active homes on the market last month, and 40 new homes added on the market.

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