Strong Home Sales, Renewed Buyer Confidence, and Steady Prices Mark a Healthy ATX Market: Chuck Farr’s October 2025 Newsletter
Hello again, homeowners, tenants, prospective buyers, and real-estate investors. A New England vacation and crashed laptop put me behind this month, even later than usual.
In the News: According to the September 2025 Central Texas Housing Report released by Unlock MLS, “closed sales rose 6.7% year over year to 2,416 sales in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos MSA, ending the third quarter with its strongest sales growth of 2025. Coupled with a 1.8% decrease in the median sales price to $420,000, the data reflects sustained activity through late summer and early fall, pointing to renewed buyer confidence and continued market balance as prices follow typical seasonality.
“Vaike O’Grady, research advisor at Unlock MLS, mentioned that September’s data reflects a stable market that continues to align with expectations.
“‘The numbers we’re seeing in September match the trends we expected to see this time of year. As we wrap up the third quarter, the market is mirroring typical seasonality trends, pointing to a sign of continued adjustment and balance. Buyer enthusiasm has picked up slightly as we saw the first interest rate cut in nine months, and steady pricing from sellers continues to support that confidence. What we’re seeing in the market now is a healthy level of stability. Homes may be taking a bit longer to sell, but they’re still selling, and buyers are meeting sellers where they are. This consistency shows that the market is functioning as it should—steady, sustainable and well-positioned heading into the end of the year.’
“Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos MSA [Entire Metro Area]
“September 2025 - For Sale
2,416 – Residential homes sold, 6.7% more than September 2024.
$420,000 – Median price for residential homes, 1.8% less than September 2024.
3,327 – New home listings on the market, 5.7% less than September 2024.
13,665 – Active home listings on the market, 10.0% more than September 2024.
2,445 – Pending sales, 0.3% more than September 2024.
5.7 – Months of inventory, 0.6 months more than September 2024.
$1,334,701,789 – Total dollar volume of homes sold, 5.6% more than September 2024.
91.6% – Average close to list price, compared to 92.8% in September 2024.
“September 2025 - For Lease
1,951 – Closed leases, 6.9% less than September 2024.
$2,200– Median price for rent, flat compared to September 2024.
2,723 – New lease listings on the market, 9.3% more than September 2024.
5,919 – Active lease listings on the market, 2.8% more than September 2024.
2,125 – Pending leases, 4.5% more than September 2024.
3.0 – Months of inventory, 0.4 months more than September 2024.
$4,949,723 – Total dollar volume of leases, 3.4% less than September 2024.
95.0% – Average close to list price, compared to 94.2% in September 2024.”
As a reminder 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 $420K, so you would have still done well investing in Central Texas real estate. Some say that regardless of the timing of when you enter and exit a real-estate market, it is always a good time to buy real estate. Check the latest Central Texas Housing Report for more details and data for the city of Austin and surrounding counties.
Fall Home Maintenance Tips: Fall is here--and has its own home maintenance checklist in Central Texas. Here are a few items to consider during October:
· Outdoor Tasks:
o Plant and fertilize. Fall is a great time to lay down some good fertilizer on the lawn, plant trees, bushes, and perennials; they will thank you for not planting them in the blaze of summer. Fall/Winter planting allows the plants and their roots to dig in before next year.
o Rake leaves and shred to use as mulch or dispose of them based on local guidelines.
o Clean gutters and downspouts after the raking season.
· Indoor Tasks:
o Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors when you set clocks back (Sunday, November 2, this year).
o Have your furnace professionally inspected. If you are on a semi-annual HVAC maintenance plan, have your system serviced in the next couple of months.
o We will remind you soon about switching the direction of your ceiling fans for the Winter.
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.
