A drone photo shows the Avaña subdivision in the Circle C neighborhood in Austin. July housing data showed rising sales across the metro area as housing inventory declined from a year earlier.
Rising sales and tightening supply across the region defined the Austin-area housing market in July, according to new data from Unlock MLS. Those trends continued from June’s numbers, when the metro area and the city saw inventory decline amid cooling prices.
Across the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metro area, 2,739 homes sold in July, up 4.4% from a year earlier, while the median price rose 1% to $435,000. Active listings fell 9.9% to 13,796 and new listings declined 2.8% to 4,280. The metro area had 4.7 months of inventory, down from 5.8 months in July 2025.
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“A healthy housing market depends on creating opportunities for Central Texans to both buy a home and remain in the communities they call home,” said John Crowe, 2026 Unlock MLS and Austin Board of Realtors president. “As local communities finalize their budgets, tax rates and fees for next year, we encourage elected officials to weigh the cumulative impact taxes, fees, bonds and utility rates have on households.”
A recent Unlock MLS report found that rising insurance costs, property taxes, utility bills and mortgage payments are putting increasing pressure on homeowners. Every $100 increase in monthly homeownership costs pushes about 9,800 Central Texas households across the federal cost-burden threshold, meaning they spend more than 30% of their household income on housing.
The city of Austin is currently developing its new budget — the first draft of which could increase combined utility costs and property taxes by nearly $346 annually for the average homeowner. Meanwhile, the nationwide average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage rose to 6.69% in early August, its highest level in just over a year, according to Freddie Mac.
In the city, prices cooled slightly from last year’s $585,000 to $577,000, but sales jumped 11% from 905 in July 2025 to 1,005 this year. Active listings dropped more than 18% to 4,718 from 5,769. Inventory was down to 4.5 months and homes sold on average two days faster than in July last year.
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It’s a similar story for Travis County overall. The median price crept down 0.3% to $520,000, while sales jumped 11.4% to 1,290. Inventory dropped to 4.8 months from 6.5 months a year ago.
Williamson County also saw lower home prices in July, with the median falling 1.2% to $415,000. Closed sales rose 6% to 957. Williamson County’s inventory dipped to 4.3 months, compared with 5.2 months last year.
Bastrop County was one of the few counties where prices increased — up 2.3% to $346,140. Inventory remained high in Travis County’s neighbor to the southeast at 6.3 months. However, sales slowed in July to 110, down 16%. Houses, on average, were on the market three days longer this July than a year earlier.
In Caldwell County, the median price fell 16.4% to $254,000. Closed sales dropped 7.3% to 38, while inventory increased to 7.7 months from 4.2 months last year.
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Rounding out the region, Hays County saw fewer sales this July than a year earlier, dropping 12% to 344. Active listings also dropped to 1,925 — a 5.4% decrease. However, inventory barely moved, decreasing from 5.2 months in July 2025 to 5 months in July.
“We continued to see positive momentum in July’s year-over-year numbers,” Vaike O’Grady, market research advisor at Unlock MLS, said. “Deals are happening, prices are holding and buyers and sellers are finding opportunities equally.”