Austin has the slowest housing market among the top 50 most populous U.S. cities, according to new data from Redfin.
Mikala Compton, Mikala Compton/American-Statesma
The Austin housing market was once among the hottest in the country. Now, new data suggests, it may be the slowest with nearby San Antonio a close second ranked by the length of time houses are on the market before selling.
A new report from online real estate brokerage Redfin found homes in Austin sat 106 days before going under contract in December, up from 91 days in the same month a year ago — a 16.5% increase. It’s the slowest rate Austin recorded since 2012, pushing the capital city to the top of the list for median days on market.
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Local data from Unlock MLS suggests a swifter sales pace, with the average listing spending 88 days on the market, up from 81 days a year earlier.
It could be a regional thing, according to Redfin’s data. San Antonio tied with Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for the nation’s second-slowest market among the nation’s 50 largest metros. Homes in the Alamo City spent a median of 99 days on the market.
Prices fall as buyer leverage grows
Austin ranked among the hottest markets between 2014 and 2016, dipped briefly, then revived itself in the pandemic as wealthy remote workers streamed into Texas. At one point, Austin boasted the fastest home-price growth in the nation.
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Now, sellers outnumber buyers by 128%, Redfin data says, giving buyers the bargaining power needed to negotiate lower prices and take their time making decisions.
“I have a buyer who just offered $560,000 for a home that was listed at $599,000 and a few years ago would’ve been worth $700,000,” said Andrew Vallejo, a Redfin Premier real estate agent working in Austin. “There’s a pretty good chance the seller will say yes given how slow the market is.”
According to Redfin, median home prices in Austin dropped 4.2% year-over-year in December, the third-largest decline among the top 50 cities on the nation.
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That’s a slightly steeper drop than local data suggests, with Unlock MLS reporting the median sales price fell 3.3% in December, to $435,000.
DECEMBER SALES: Central Texas housing market saw slight uptick at year’s end
The market isn’t just slowing down in Texas. Nationally, the median time on the market was 60 days in December 2025, as compared to 54 days in the same period the year before, representing an 11.1% increase.
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Redfin’s report shows the hottest area for sellers is currently San José, Calif., where homes are gone within a month of hitting the market.
Top 50 housing markets, ranked from slowest to fastest