Market Monday: October 19th, 2026
Fewer homes closed in September, but prices held their ground. Here's what moved in Austin this week.
🦥 What's happening with Austin home prices
Unlock MLS released its September report on Oct. 13. Across the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metro, 2,223 homes closed, down 14.8% from last September. The median price still rose 1.4% to $421,000. Sellers averaged 92.7% of their list price, and the metro sits at 5.4 months of inventory. That's a market where buyers can negotiate and well-priced homes still sell.
Inside Austin city limits, the median price hit $570,958, up 4.2%. Active listings in the city fell 10.3% to 4,502, so there's a little less to choose from than a year ago.
🌶️ County by county
Hays County had the biggest swing. Sales dropped 30.5%, but the median jumped 10.8% to $399,900. Travis County's median rose 2.6% to $497,400. Williamson County's median dipped 2.5% to $395,000, while new listings there rose 7.7%.
🧊 Mortgage rates
Freddie Mac's 30-year fixed average held at 7.40% on Oct. 15 for a second straight week. A year ago it was 6.27%. The 15-year average slipped to 6.71%. If you're shopping, ask your lender about rate locks and seller-paid buydowns.
🪑 The national picture
Redfin counted 62.6% more sellers than buyers nationwide in September, up from 56.9% in August. Many owners have low rates and plenty of equity, so most are adjusting prices or waiting rather than rushing to sell.
🧱 New neighborhoods and builders
Colony Park in East Austin is getting closer. Infrastructure work should start next spring, and builder outreach starts within the next 30 to 60 days. The first 230 lots come in two phases, with home sales expected to begin in spring 2029. At buildout, the 208-acre site could hold up to 3,000 homes plus retail, office space and 42 acres of parks and trails.
🔌 Jobs and big projects
Samsung plans to break ground on its second Taylor fab early next month. It will be about 1.5 times the size of the first and is expected to be finished by 2030. Roughly 6,000 workers are on the Taylor site each day.
In Round Rock, Mark IV Capital broke ground on a nearly 41,000-square-foot restaurant and retail plaza at The District, across from Dell. It has room for 9 to 14 concepts and should deliver in 2028.
Up I-35, Jarrell's council approved a master plan for its historic Old Town. The town grew from about 1,800 people in 2020 to nearly 6,000 in 2025.
Closer to home, the city and UT announced they're close to a deal that would give Austin ownership of Lions Municipal Golf Course. City Council is set to vote Nov. 19.
🍣 New openings and food news
Little Nishi traded its South Congress trailer for a real dining room. Nishi opened Oct. 15 at 2000 Southern Oaks Dr. with sashimi, handrolls and roasted chili edamame.
Nightcap at 1401 W. 6th St. closes Oct. 22. Bar Peached, which lost its building to a fire in May, takes over the space and plans to reopen in early March 2027 with small plates, charcoal skewers and vinyl listening.
The Charles Oyster House, a Charleston-style oyster bar from the team behind Bill's Oyster and Van Horn's, is headed to 78 Rainey St. in spring 2027.
🏎️ This week
F1 is back at Circuit of the Americas Oct. 23 to 25. Fan zones are already up downtown, so give yourself extra time on Congress.
Early voting opens today and runs through Oct. 30, with Election Day on Nov. 3. Travis County polling sites are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Austin's ballot includes library and parks bond propositions plus several city charter amendments. I'm putting together a plain-English breakdown of the props, so keep an eye out for that post.
🗝️ What this means if you're buying or selling in Austin
Sales slowed, but prices held steady. Buyers have time, inventory and negotiating power. Sellers who price right from day one are still getting deals done. If you want to know what this looks like for your neighborhood or your budget, reach out anytime.
