Market Monday: September 28th, 2026
Best Week to Buy a Home in Austin Is Here, Plus Everything Else Happening Around the City This Week!
Realtor.com just named the best week of 2026 to buy a home in the Austin metro, and it is this one. The window runs September 27 through October 3. It is not a deadline, but it lines up with what I am seeing on the ground this fall: more homes to choose from, a steadier pace, and homes that are moving faster than they were a year ago.
ð¯ Why this week is the best time to buy a home in Austin
According to Realtor.com, Austin-area buyers can expect about 22.1 percent more active listings this week than an average week, with buyer demand running close to 43 percent below the annual peak. Prices are projected to sit about 6.6 percent below their seasonal high. On a median-priced home of $549,000 inside Austin city limits, that works out to more than $36,000.
Realtor.com's senior economist pointed out that shopping earlier in the fall usually brings the most fresh listings, while later in the season can bring more price flexibility. Either way, the buyers who get the most out of a window like this already know their monthly payment and have a pre-approval in hand.
ð¡ What the latest Austin home numbers show
Redfin's August data shows the Austin market holding steady. The median sale price in Austin was about $550,000, within 1 percent of where it was a year ago, and the median price per square foot was flat at $306. Over the three months ending in August, homes sold in about 57 days on average, down from 65 days a year earlier. In August alone, 2,725 homes sold, up from 2,472 last August. That is roughly 10 percent more sales year over year.
For buyers, that means real selection and time to make a thoughtful decision. For sellers, it means buyers are out there and homes that are priced and prepped well are going under contract faster than last year.
ðïž Rezoning decisions that could add thousands of homes
Austin City Council approved rezoning for the former Rosedale Elementary site near 49th Street and Burnet Road. The 4.6-acre property can now hold up to a 435-unit multifamily project with a 75-foot height limit. Austin ISD plans to sell the site to OHT Partners for $26 million once a few remaining legal steps are settled. The district council member called it a high opportunity area with access to transit, parks, and walkable shops.
Council also rezoned a 67.4-acre property along MoPac south of Slaughter Lane from office to residential. Filings show a multifamily project there could reach 1,000 units, with up to 10 percent set aside at affordable levels. The site sits in the Edwards Aquifer Recharge Zone, so development will be limited to about 16.4 acres of the land.
ð« Airport, roads, and big projects on the way
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport breaks ground September 29 on Concourse M, a six-gate passenger concourse on the west side of the airfield. Passengers will reach it by shuttle from the Barbara Jordan Terminal, and it is expected to open by spring 2028. It is part of the airport's $5 billion expansion to keep up with more than 21 million passengers a year.
TxDOT's 2027 Unified Transportation Program sets aside more than $1.5 billion for Austin-area roadway projects over the next 10 years, including I-35 in Travis County and SH 71 in Bastrop County.
In Leander, the city approved a letter of intent to convey city-owned land on Heritage Grove Road for Game Changers, a 40-acre indoor and outdoor sports and entertainment campus with an investment topping $100 million. The first phase includes a 150,000-square-foot indoor sports complex, a covered track, beach volleyball courts, and soccer fields, with construction set to start by the end of 2027. For families looking at Leander and Cedar Park, it is one more reason to look north.
ð New restaurants and local businesses around Austin
El Tigre Coffee Roasters opened its brick-and-mortar shop at 2909 E. 12th St. on September 25. The coffee trailer that started in 2019 now has a permanent home in a small East Austin compound.
Tumble 22 named a new CEO and announced two new Austin locations. The first opens November 7 at 9761 Great Hills Trail near The Arboretum in the former Hissy Fit space. A second location follows in early 2027 at 2929 S. Lamar Blvd.
Emmer & Rye Hospitality, Daybreak Hospitality (the group behind Paperboy and Loudmouth), and Topo Development are teaming up on new concepts in the former Olive & June space at 3411 Glenview Ave. in Bryker Woods, with an opening planned for 2027.
Over in Hyde Park, KÅbÅ is coming to the former Uncle Nicky's space on Duval Street. The sushi bar comes from Ryan and Wade McElroy, whose projects include Bird Bird Biscuit, Rocco's, and Kinsho, with former Soto head chef Moto Seto running the kitchen. No opening date yet.
ð Things to do in Austin this week
Austin Opera opened its new Sarah and Ernest Butler Performance Center in southeast Austin, a 189-seat venue. Its first commissioned opera, "Ofrenda," sung in English and Spanish, runs there October 1 through 11. Austin City Limits Music Festival also kicks off at Zilker Park on October 2, so plan around the traffic if you are anywhere near Barton Springs Road.
ð± What this means if you are buying or selling in Austin
Austin is in a steady, balanced spot right now. Homes are selling faster than last year, more of them are selling, and the city keeps investing in housing, roads, and the airport. Buyers get choices and breathing room. Sellers get serious, pre-approved buyers who are ready to move this fall.
If you are thinking about buying this fall, selling before the holidays, or moving to Austin from out of state, call or text me at 940.765.9196. I can pull the numbers for your exact neighborhood and price range so you know where you stand.
