Find your next home
in Austin, Texas
Comps · pulled & filed
Austin's real estate market moves fast. Whether you're relocating, upgrading, or buying your first home, this is the honest research file — real neighborhoods, real prices, real talk. No listings pitch, just the working notes.
SEC. 1 Austin Neighborhoods
Nine parcels surveyed. Median figures are typical ranges, not appraisals.
South Congress (SoCo)
MEDIAN $750K–1.2MThe iconic Austin strip. Walking distance to restaurants, boutiques, live music. Older bungalows and new construction. High demand, premium prices. The quintessential Austin neighborhood.
East Austin
MEDIAN $500K–800KThe 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.
Mueller
MEDIAN $450K–700KMaster-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.
Circle C / Shady Hollow
MEDIAN $500K–700KSouthwest Austin suburbs. Excellent schools (AISD), pools, tennis, trails. Quiet, family-oriented. Close to Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. The reliable family choice.
Tarrytown
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.
Cedar Park / Leander
MEDIAN $380K–500KNorthwest 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.
Pflugerville
MEDIAN $350K–450KNortheast suburb. Diverse, affordable, family-friendly. Lake Pflugerville, Stone Hill Town Center. Pflugerville ISD is solid. Best bang for the buck in the Austin metro.
Bee Cave / Lakeway
MEDIAN $600K–1MHill Country west of Austin. Lake Travis access, wineries, upscale shopping (Hill Country Galleria). Beautiful terrain. Lake Travis ISD. The premium suburban option.
Georgetown
MEDIAN $350K–500K30 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.
SEC. 2 Market Snapshot 2025–2026
Median Home Price
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.
Inventory
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.
Mortgage Rates
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.
Property Taxes
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.
SEC. 3 School Districts
District notes from the field. Always research the individual campus, not just the district.
Eanes ISD
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.
Lake Travis ISD
Lakeway / Bee Cave. Excellent and growing. Lake Travis High School has strong academics and athletics. Newer facilities. Growing enrollment as the area booms.
Leander ISD
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 ISD
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.
Austin ISD
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.
SEC. 4 Buyer Tips
Get Pre-Approved First
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.
Budget for Property Tax
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.
Consider New Construction
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.
Drive the Commute
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.
SEC. 5 The Buying Process — Texas Timeline
Texas closes differently than most states. The big one newcomers miss: the option period.
Pre-Approval & Agent
Get a lender pre-approval letter (not just pre-qualified) so your offer is taken seriously, and line up a buyer's agent. In Texas the buyer's agent is typically paid through the transaction — confirm representation terms up front.
Offer on the TREC Contract
Texas uses the standard TREC One-to-Four Family Residential Contract. Your offer specifies price, financing, closing date, earnest money (~1%, held by the title company), and the option fee and option-period length.
The Option Period
The Texas difference: for a small option fee ($100–500) you buy an unrestricted right to terminate for a negotiated 5–10 days. This is your window to inspect and renegotiate or walk away and only lose the option fee. Use it — schedule the inspection day one.
Inspection, Appraisal & Survey
A licensed inspector ($400–600) checks the home; your lender orders the appraisal; the seller usually provides an existing survey with a T-47 affidavit (or you buy a new one). Negotiate repairs before the option period ends, not after.
Closing at the Title Company
Texas closes through a title company, not an attorney. They run title, issue title insurance, and host the signing. Bring a cashier's check or wire for cash-to-close. There is no state real-estate transfer tax in Texas — one cost newcomers from other states don't face.
File Your Homestead Exemption
After closing on your primary residence, file the homestead exemption with the county appraisal district (Travis, Williamson, or Hays CAD). It lowers your taxable value and caps annual assessment increases. It's free — don't skip it.
SEC. 6 Cash to Close — What You'll Actually Pay
Down Payment Options
Conventional loans go as low as 3–5% down; FHA is 3.5%; VA and USDA can be 0% for those who qualify. You don't need 20% — but under 20% adds private mortgage insurance (PMI) until you build equity.
What's in Closing Costs
Lender origination, title insurance and title-company fees, appraisal, survey, recording, and prepaids — the upfront escrow for property taxes and homeowner's insurance. Texas property-tax escrow is the big line newcomers underestimate.
Down-Payment Help
First-time and moderate-income buyers should check TDHCA (My First Texas Home, TSAHC) and the Austin Housing Finance Corporation for down-payment assistance and bond programs. Builder and lender credits can also offset closing costs.
Wire-Fraud Warning
Closing wire fraud is real and rampant. Title companies will never email you new wiring instructions at the last minute. Always call the title company at a known number to verify before sending a dime. Mistaken wires are rarely recovered.
Go Deeper in the File
Pull the 2026 market analysis, the family neighborhood guide, ranked market-watch videos, and the annotated research sources (MLS data, county records, school ratings).