Real Estate Rumblings

Austin real estate market continues to shatter records with best March ever

East Austin house home 1131 Poquito Street 78702 exterior front

Austin's real estate market continues to shatter records in 2018.

Photo by Vivid Image Real Estate Photography

Just when you thought it couldn't get hotter, Austin's real estate market continues to shatter records. According to the Austin Board of Realtors March 2018 Market Report, Austin home prices are on the rise while the time properties actually spend on the market falls.

The Austin-Round Rock housing market saw a 10.5 percent increase in sales compared to 2017, which translates to a total of 2,714 single-family homes sold in Central Texas — the most ever on record. “This type of growth early in the year indicates a strong summer selling season ahead," says Steve Crorey, 2018 president of ABoR, in a release.

Also continuing its upward trend are prices for single-family homes, which jumped 3.5 percent to $305,233 in the metro area. Good news for residents within the city limits, though. While area prices continued to rise, in Austin proper they remained flat, with only a 0.1 percent year-over-year increase.

In spite of flatlining prices within the city, the amount of time single-family homes are spending on the market is declining. In the metro area, housing inventory levels decreased year-over-year to 2.2 months of inventory. When it comes to homes priced between $150,000-250,000, that shortened to less than 50 days spent on the market.

“Historically, it’s common for some homes to be on the market for 50 days or more, even in markets with strong housing demand,” Crorey says. “Within the city of Austin and other local markets with limited inventory, homes are spending a fraction of time on the market — as little as two weeks in some areas. This is an indicator of just how competitive it’s become to purchase a home in and around Austin.”

As ABoR points out, this increase in demand for home in the $150-250K region has led to the rise of smaller submarkets in suburbs like Del Valle, Manor, and Buda. And speaking of Buda, while the number of home sales sharply declined in March 2018, prices skyrocketed more than 7.4 percent to $280,000, thanks to a decline in available inventory.

All of this points to a very interesting trend: the emergence of Kyle as Austin's next in-demand suburb, despite being 26 miles from the capital's city center. This has led to an increase in sales to 19.7 percent and a median price increase of 8.4 percent to $225,000.

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Homebuyers can afford to be picky as Austin housing inventory rises

Photo by Avinash Kumar on Unsplash

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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