Is Austin a Buyer’s Market? What I’m Seeing From One Home to the Next
Austin-area buyers can have room to negotiate, especially on some new builds and listings that have been sitting. How much leverage you have depends on the specific home, its competition, and the seller’s plans.
On a recent property tour, we walked through 14 listings. Most of the agents I spoke with said their listings hadn’t had a showing in the past 60 days. One of my listings had about five showings in three weeks. It’s a single-story home in a neighborhood buyers like, and it has an assumable mortgage. I think the loan helped it stand out. The layout and location mattered, too.
Are Austin home prices still falling?
In October 2026, the Austin metro’s median sale price was $404,802, down 6.9% from a year earlier. The City of Austin median was flat at $550,000. Unlock MLS also noted that lower-priced homes accounted for a larger share of metro sales. If you’re making an offer or deciding where to price your home, I’d start with what similar homes nearby actually sold for.
Where do buyers have leverage right now?
New construction is one of the first places I’d look. Some builders are offering price reductions or mortgage rate buydowns. If you’re comparing a new build with a resale, get the numbers side by side. How much cash will you need at closing? What will your monthly payment be after any temporary buydown ends? Include property taxes, insurance, and HOA dues in both estimates.
A resale can have a financing advantage of its own. On my listing, an eligible buyer may be able to take over the existing mortgage at its current rate. I’d ask the lender or servicer about eligibility and check the gap between the purchase price and the remaining loan balance early. The buyer still has to cover that difference.
When do buyers have less room to negotiate?
I recently had buyers make an offer well below asking on an off-market home in the Austin area. The sellers didn’t respond. A slower market can give buyers more choices, but it doesn’t tell you how motivated a particular seller is. I still see well-priced homes in good condition get attention in their first weekend.
Before I advise a buyer on an offer, I want to know what else they could buy nearby, how long the home has been available, and how hard it would be to find another one they like as much. Those are the questions I’d ask in Southwest Austin, Dripping Springs, or anywhere along the 290 corridor.
Frequently asked questions
Can I offer below asking price on an Austin home?
A below-asking offer can make sense when recent comparable sales support it or a listing has been sitting with little activity. Ask your agent to review the price history, nearby competition, and what you know about the seller’s timeline before picking a number.
How do I compare a builder rate buydown with a resale offer?
Ask your lender to compare cash to close and the full monthly payment on each home, including taxes, insurance, and HOA dues. If a buydown is temporary, compare the payment after the incentive expires as well.
What should I check before assuming a mortgage?
Ask the loan servicer whether the loan can be assumed and what approval requires. Verify the interest rate, remaining balance, and term, then work out how you would cover the difference between the loan balance and the purchase price.
How can I tell what my Austin-area home is worth today?
Start with recent sales of similar homes in the same neighborhood. Look at condition, updates, lot, and floor plan, then see what buyers could choose from among active listings.
Talk through your next move
If you’re deciding what to offer or wondering how your home would compete, send me the address or neighborhood. We can look at what’s sold, what’s sitting, and what that means for your next move.
Contact Crystal