Austin Area Housing Market Gains Momentum as Selling Season Approaches: Chuck Farr’s March 2026 Newsletter
Spring is here--homeowners, tenants, sellers, prospective buyers, and real-estate investors! The redbud trees, mountain laurels, and green shoots are popping everywhere. It is a beautiful thing. I gave y’all a break from the newsletters for a couple of months; it is time for a quick update…
In the News: According to the Austin Board of REALTORS® and their service, Unlock MLS, the latest Central Texas Housing Report says “the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos MSA is showing renewed momentum heading into the spring homebuying season. Pending sales reached 2,690 transactions in February, up 13.9% year over year. At the same time, the close-to-list price ratio improved from 90.6% in December to 92.0% in February, signaling that buyers and sellers are more aligned.
“Vaike O’Grady, market research advisor at Unlock MLS, noted that the recent data shows a clear shift in market activity from recent trends.
“‘The inventory count average was around 12,076 for the past two years, but in February, we saw active listings fall to 10,000 across the MSA, down 4.8% from a year ago. This tells us that sellers are returning to the market at roughly the same pace as last year, but buyers are coming back faster. These balanced market conditions have given buyers a chance to catch up. It’s a good sign that healthy momentum is fueling the market.’
“Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos MSA [the Entire Metro Area]
“February 2026 - For Sale
1,887 – Residential homes sold, 3.6% less than February 2025.
$412,000 – Median price for residential homes, 3.6% less than February 2025.
3,861 – New home listings on the market, 0.8% less than February 2025.
10,000 – Active home listings on the market, 4.8% less than February 2025.
2,690 – Pending sales, 13.9% more than February 2025.
6.5 – Months of inventory, 1.1 more than February 2025.
$1,022,593,378 – Total dollar volume of homes sold, 7.1% less than February 2025.
91.9% – Average close to list price, compared to 93.2% in February 2025.
“February 2026 - For Lease
2,304 – Closed leases, 4.2% more than February 2025.
$2,000 – Median price for rent, 4.8% less than February 2025.
2,913 – New lease listings on the market, 18.1% more than February 2025.
6,447 – Active lease listings on the market, 59.6% more than February 2025.
2,639 – Pending sales, 16.9% more than February 2025.
2.8 – Months of inventory, 0.7 months more than February 2025.
$5,224,059 – Total dollar volume of leases, 0.4% less than February 2025.
96.2% – Average close to list price, flat compared to February 2025.”
For folks in the Austin MSA area, if you had bought a house in 2018 at the median price of $305K, its value would have increased to $502K by the May 2022 peak. Median price for the MSA is now nearly $412K, so you would have still done well investing in Central Texas real estate. Check the latest Central Texas Housing Report for more details and data for the city of Austin (Travis) and surrounding counties. You will see a wide range across the area, so check where you live.
Spring Home Maintenance Tips: Spring is here--and has its own home maintenance checklist in Central Texas. Here are a few items to consider during March:
· Termites are no reason to panic, but these tiny subterranean critters simply move in the soil until they hit wood. Wood-destroying insects do just that; if unchecked, they can cause slow but devastating damage to your homestead and investment. Consider having your property inspected for termites every year or two; perhaps set up an annual plan with a pest control pro. March and April are the annual termite swarming season.
· It is almost property tax assessed-value protest time. Keep an eye out for a letter from your county soon if you are a property owner.
· Get your HVAC serviced no later than May. I usually do my Spring service in March or April because the May temperatures often have HVAC vendors very busy. Consider setting up a Spring-and-Fall annual contract to protect your investment in energy survival.
When considering your real-estate needs and situation in the context of macro-level data, remember that your potential sale or purchase will always be hyperlocal. Let us know if we can help. Issues of this and previous newsletters are located on the Blog tab of my website at www.chuckfarr.com. Please DM or email me if you want your email added to my newsletter list.
