Austin's real estate market moves fast. Whether you're relocating, upgrading, or buying your first home, this is the honest guide — real neighborhoods, real prices, real talk.
Median: $750K-1.2M. The iconic Austin strip. Walking distance to restaurants, boutiques, live music. Older bungalows and new construction. High demand, premium prices. The quintessential Austin neighborhood.
Median: $500K-800K. The hottest market in Austin for a decade. Converted warehouses, new condos, historic homes. Best food and bar scene. Gentrified but still has character. Prices vary wildly block to block.
Median: $450K-700K. Master-planned community on the old airport site. New construction, walkable, parks, Thinkery children's museum, H-E-B, Alamo Drafthouse. Great for families. Modern Austin living.
Median: $500K-700K. Southwest Austin suburbs. Excellent schools (AISD), pools, tennis, trails. Quiet, family-oriented. Close to Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The reliable family choice.
Median: $1M-2M+. Old Austin money. Tree-lined streets, Deep Eddy Pool, close to downtown. Historic homes and teardown-rebuilds. Top elementary schools. The most established prestigious neighborhood in Austin.
Median: $380K-500K. Northwest suburbs. Best value for families. Excellent Leander ISD schools. New construction. H-E-B Plus, 1890 Ranch shopping. 25 min to downtown. Where most young families are buying.
Median: $350K-450K. Northeast suburb. Diverse, affordable, family-friendly. Lake Pflugerville, Stone Hill Town Center. Pflugerville ISD is solid. Best bang for the buck in the Austin metro.
Median: $600K-1M. Hill Country west of Austin. Lake Travis access, wineries, upscale shopping (Hill Country Galleria). Beautiful terrain. Lake Travis ISD. The premium suburban option.
Median: $350K-500K. 30 min north. Historic town square, Sun City 55+ community. Charming downtown. Growing fast. Great for retirees and families who want small-town feel with Austin access.
Austin metro: ~$450K. Down from the 2022 peak of $550K. Prices stabilized through 2024-2025. Still well below comparable cities like Denver, Portland, or any California market. Buyers have more negotiating power than 2021-2022.
Active listings up significantly from the 2021 lows. Months of inventory: 4-5 months (balanced market). Sellers still price competitively but bidding wars are rare. New construction providing relief especially in suburbs.
Rates have fluctuated between 6-7% through 2024-2025. Many builders offer rate buydowns. Adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) making a comeback. First-time buyer programs available through TDHCA (Texas state) and Austin Housing Finance Corp.
The catch: Texas has no income tax but property taxes run 1.8-2.2%. On a $450K home = $8,100-9,900/yr. Homestead exemption saves ~$1,000-2,000. Over-65 gets a school tax freeze. Budget for it.
West Austin / Bee Cave. Consistently the top-rated district in the Austin metro. Westlake High School is a football powerhouse and academic leader. Highest property values correlate. The gold standard.
Lakeway / Bee Cave. Excellent and growing. Lake Travis High School has strong academics and athletics. Newer facilities. Growing enrollment as the area booms.
Cedar Park / Leander. Large and well-funded. Multiple high schools, most rated well. Rapid growth means new schools and facilities. Best value: good schools at lower home prices than Eanes or LTISD.
Round Rock / North Austin. One of the largest and best districts in Texas. Strong STEM programs, diverse student body, consistently high ratings. Westwood High School is a perennial top school.
Central Austin. Mixed results — some outstanding schools (LASA, Kealing, Casis, Barton Hills) and some struggling campuses. Magnet programs are excellent. Research individual campuses, not just the district.
Austin moves fast even in a cooler market. Have your pre-approval letter ready. Local lenders (UFCU, Amplify, Independent Financial) often beat national banks on rates and close faster.
Add your estimated property tax to your monthly payment. A $450K home with 2% tax = $750/mo on top of mortgage. Many newcomers from low-tax states get surprised. Use the Travis CAD website to check any property's tax history.
Builders are hungry and offering incentives: rate buydowns, closing cost credits, upgrades. DR Horton, Lennar, KB Home, Taylor Morrison all active in Austin suburbs. New builds often cheaper per sq ft than resale in the same area.
Austin traffic is real. I-35, Mopac (Loop 1), and 183 are congested at peak hours. Drive your potential commute at 8 AM and 5 PM before buying. Remote work changes the equation — if you WFH, suburban value is hard to beat.