real estate report

Austin housing prices fell to their lowest level since March 2021

Austin housing prices are receding from their high-water mark.

Austin's housing market continued cooling off in March, with prices reaching their lowest level since 2021, a new local real estate report recorded.

The newest Central Texas Housing Report from Unlock MLS found median home prices in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metro fell to $426,220 last month. The consistent decline has created a better environment for homebuyers after several years of price hikes.

Additionally, Austin-area median prices during the first quarter of 2026 dipped to $415,300, or 3.4 percent less than the first quarter of 2025. Combined with a 4.5 percent increase in active listings, these conditions are bringing buyers more flexibility while sellers "adjust to a more deliberate pace of demand," the report said.

Here is the housing summary for the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos MSA from Q1 2026 and its comparison to the previous year:

Residential homes sold: 6,186, a 1.8 percent decrease from Q1 2025
New home listings on the market: 12,322 homes, a 2.3 percent decrease from Q1 2025
Active home listings on the market: 33,751 homes, a 4.5 percent increase from Q1 2025
Pending sales: 8,110, a 10.9 percent increase from Q1 2025
Months of inventory: 5.5 months, a 0.3-month increase from Q1 2025
Total dollar volume of homes sold: $3,410,000,000, a 3.9 percent decrease from Q1 2025
Average close to list price: 92.6 percent, down from 93.3 percent in Q1 2025

The Central Texas housing market is "recalibrating in real time" to manage the shifting needs between buyers and sellers, even as the market is influenced by fluctuating interest rates and the "uncertainty of the global geopolitcal environment," according to Unlock MLS market research advisor Vaike O'Grady.

"Double-digit month-over-month increases in pending and closed sales indicate that buyers are out there and making moves when the price is right," O'Grady said. "At the same time, we’re seeing a window open for buyers who have been priced out in previous years, especially first-time homebuyers, as more attainable pricing creates new opportunities to enter the market with greater confidence."

County-wide Central Texas housing trends in March 2026

Travis County
Home sales increased by four percent year-over-year with 1,210 homes sold last month, and median prices fell four percent from last year to just under $500,000. There were 5,162 active listings on the market in March, and 2,549 new listings. Pending sales grew nearly 16 percent from March 2025 to 1,483 transactions.

Williamson County
Home sales only grew 1.2 percent year-over-year, with 859 homes sold in March. Median prices fell nearly two percent to $410,000. There were 1,153 pending sales last month, 3,244 active listings, and 1,531 new listings on the market.

Hays County
Hays was the only Central Texas county to see home prices rise in March in contrast to the four remaining counties where prices fell. Median prices increased by 0.8 percent year-over-year to $381,250, and sales fell 6.1 percent to 368 homes last month. There were 648 new listings added on the market last month, and 1,565 active home listings. Pending sales grew 12.6 percent to 511 transactions.

Bastrop County
A total 114 homes sold last month in a 15.6 percent decline from the previous year. Median prices fell 8.3 percent to $330,000. Active listings in the area totaled 708 homes, an increase of 10.6 percent from 2025, and 212 new listings were added on the market. Pending sales increased by 16.7 percent to 154 transactions.

Caldwell County
Only 42 homes were sold in March, which is five percent more than last year. Median prices stood at $277,500, or 15.5 percent lower than they were a year ago. There were 69 new home listings put on the market last month, and 188 total active listings. There were only 56 pending sales in Caldwell County last month.

real estate austin housing market real estate report travis county

Barbecue Buyout

Report: Black's Barbecue buys Trudy's space for permanent Austin home

Black's BBQ/Facebook

Black's Barbecue is transitioning from paying rent to operating in a self-owned space.

Lockhart-based Black’s Barbecue, founded in 1932, has announced a permanent home in Austin, even though it may be a couple of years before the doors open.

Black's, which calls itself Texas' oldest BBQ joint, has purchased the former Trudy’s Tex-Mex flagship at 409 W. 30th St., according to a report by the Austin Business Journal. The move, landing just west of the University of Texas campus, would shift Black’s from its longtime leased space off Guadalupe Street into a larger, owned property a couple of blocks away.

The Trudy's site, which has been closed for four years now, is boarded up and covered with graffiti. An opening timeline for the Black's relocation has yet to be finalized, but reports indicate the project could take a couple of years to complete.

Black's purchase extends beyond the Trudy’s site alone. Public records maintained by the Travis Central Appraisal District show the acquisition includes adjacent parcels at 400, 402, and 404 W. 30th St., along with 3004 Hemphill Park. All are tied to KBCB Investments LLC, an entity owned by pitmaster Kent Black, suggesting a broader redevelopment footprint. Black’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The move comes as the Guadalupe Street corridor near the University of Texas enters a new phase of change tied to Austin’s light rail project, which has cleared key approvals and is expected to begin construction in 2027. Plans call for trains to run along Guadalupe near campus, reshaping the corridor in the years ahead, possibly with limited vehicle traffic.

A rendering of the new BBQ and hotel compound being proposed by Terry Black's BBQ in San Antonio. Rendering by Gensler

Black’s and Terry Black’s Barbecue share a surname and Lockhart roots but operate as separate businesses following a family split more than a decade ago. Both opened Austin locations in 2014. CultureMap Austin documented the divide at the time, including a dispute over the family name, as the two brands established competing footholds in the city. The rivalry has continued to draw attention, most recently in the 2025 documentary Family Beef, which explores tensions among Lockhart’s barbecue families.

The new location takes over the former home of Trudy’s Tex-Mex, a longtime Austin staple that had operated near UT since 1977 before a kitchen fire and bankruptcy shuttered the restaurant. The chain filed for bankruptcy in 2020, and the damaged UT-area property has been sitting vacant for years. Trudy’s Tex-Mex, which operated locations in both North and South Austin, ultimately closed its final location in South Austin in early 2025, ending its presence in the city after nearly five decades.

Black’s has operated its Austin outpost on Guadalupe Street since 2014 and still has several years remaining on its lease, according to the San Antonio Express-News. It also has locations in San Marcos and New Braunfels. The existing location is expected to remain open while work on the new site moves forward.

openings barbecue

real estate report

Austin housing prices fell to their lowest level since March 2021

Barbecue Buyout

Report: Black's Barbecue buys Trudy's space for permanent Austin home

Texas holds steady among 15 most innovative states in the U.S.

Latest Austin restaurant openings and closings lead our top 5 stories

Austin approves ad-supported kiosks for directions, local business info