Market Monday: April 20, 2026
Austin Real Estate Market Update: New Listing, First-Time Buyer Window, and What's Happening This Week
Just Listed: 303 W Browning St, Manor TX
303 W Browning Street in Manor is officially on the market and it is a standout. This 2021-built 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home comes with NO HOA, meaning no fees, no restrictions, and no board telling you what to do with your own property. The home is loaded with smart home upgrades and a whole-home water softener, and sits just 12 miles from downtown Austin with direct access to US-290 and SH-130. Manor is one of the fastest-growing suburbs in the Austin metro with new restaurants and shops continuing to open, and this home puts you right in the middle of all of it. Contact me for more details.
Austin Q1 2026 Market Update
The numbers are in for the first quarter of 2026 and there is a lot to unpack. A total of 6,186 homes sold across the Austin metro, down just 1.8% year-over-year, but the real story is in pending sales, which surged 10.9% to 8,110 transactions. That is the strongest forward-looking signal the market has produced in years, suggesting the second quarter is shaping up to be significantly more active. The metro median home price fell 3% to $426,220, the lowest March median since 2021, and the average close-to-list price ratio came in at 92.6%. Buyers who are engaged and ready are closing deals. The ones sitting on the sidelines may find themselves in a different market by summer.
Breaking it down by county, Travis County saw home sales increase 4% year-over-year with 1,210 homes sold and a median price just under $500,000. Williamson County median sits at $410,000, Hays County at $381,250, and Bastrop County at $330,000. Pending sales grew nearly 16% in Travis County and 12.6% in Hays County, signaling that buyer activity is picking back up across the region.
This Is the First-Time Buyer Window
If you have been waiting for the right moment to buy your first home in Austin, this is it. March sales in the $200,000 to $250,000 price range doubled year-over-year, a clear sign that more attainably priced inventory is moving and that first-time buyers are gaining confidence. Mortgage rates are sitting at 6.32% on a 30-year fixed, and while that is not the historic low many were hoping for, sellers across the metro are cutting prices and offering incentives to get deals done. As one Austin agent put it, first-time buyers hold the reins right now, and they are not going to hold them forever. The combination of softened prices, motivated sellers, and rising pending sales creates a window that likely will not stay open indefinitely.
Austin Is One of the Strongest Buyer's Markets in the Country
According to a new Redfin report, Austin currently ranks as the 3rd strongest buyer's market in the entire United States, with sellers outnumbering buyers by 112%. Only Miami at 148% and Nashville at 119% rank higher. Nationally, sellers outnumber buyers by 43%, which is near an all-time record dating back to 2013. When sellers outnumber buyers by that margin, negotiating power shifts dramatically toward buyers. More inventory, longer days on market, and sellers eager to close means buyers in Austin right now have options and leverage that simply did not exist a few years ago.
817 New Homes Coming to Bastrop
Bastrop continues to build momentum as one of Central Texas's most compelling growth corridors. Developer The 360 Co. has final entitlements underway for Stonebrush, a 253-acre master-planned community just north of downtown Bastrop. The development will bring 817 homes to market across six phases, with lots priced in the mid-$300,000s to mid-$400,000s. Planned amenities include a pool, bathhouse, and hiking trail system. First lots are expected to deliver 12 to 14 months after final approvals, with first homes likely arriving in 2028. The timing is intentional. With SpaceX continuing to expand its 1.1 million square foot Bastrop County campus and a jet engine manufacturing facility expected to break ground before year end, demand in this corridor is only expected to grow. Bastrop County median home prices currently sit at $330,000, down 8.3% year-over-year, which means buyers getting in now could be positioned well ahead of the next wave of demand.
ACC Invests $130.5 Million in SE Austin Workforce Training
Austin Community College made a major move this week, closing on the purchase of the Bergstrom Tech Center at 6800 Burleson Road in Southeast Austin for $130.5 million. The 560,000 square foot complex spanning two buildings will be used to expand ACC workforce training programs including welding, building construction, and automotive repair. The decision to purchase rather than build new is estimated to have saved the college $100 million. Once fully built out, the new campus will be ACC's second largest in the system. For Southeast Austin residents and homeowners, this kind of institutional investment in the area is a long-term signal of neighborhood growth and stability.
Black's BBQ Is Coming Home to a New Permanent Location
Texas' oldest barbecue joint just made a big move in Austin. Black's BBQ, founded in Lockhart in 1932, has purchased the former Trudy's Tex-Mex flagship at 409 West 30th Street near the University of Texas campus. The acquisition includes several adjacent parcels, suggesting a broader redevelopment footprint is in the works. The project is expected to take a couple of years to complete, but the existing Guadalupe Street location will remain open throughout the process. The move comes as the Guadalupe corridor near UT enters a new phase of change tied to Austin's light rail project, which is expected to begin construction in 2027. Black's has operated in Austin since 2014, and this purchase signals a long-term commitment to growing its presence in the city.
New This Week in Austin Food and Drink
Modern Bar opened April 10 inside the new Modern Austin Residences tower at 610 Davis Street on Rainey Street. The craft cocktail program features inventive drinks like a Taqueria Margarita made with mezcal, avocado, serrano, queso fresco, and tamarind, alongside upscale bar snacks. The Grille opened April 14 in Lakeway, taking over the former Canyon Grille at Rough Hollow with a completely reimagined concept built around rotating seasonal Texas ingredients and Gulf Coast seafood sourced multiple times per week. And Haji Moto, Chef Jerry Thompson's ramen concept in Georgetown, celebrated its grand opening this week, serving house-made noodles, beef tallow-fried karaage, and a strong sake selection.
Have questions about buying, selling, or what the Austin market means for you? Reach out anytime. I would love to help.
