Market Monday: June 8th
Before we get into this week's market news, a quick heads up: this Friday night, my flag football team the Onyx Dawgs is throwing a Sapphic Traffic Light Social and Fundraiser at Lefty's Bar. Pick your color at the door, green (single), yellow (complicated), red (taken), or blue (looking for friends), grab your glow stick, and come celebrate Pride with us. It's a fundraiser, it's a party, and it's going to be a good time. Details at the link in bio.
Now, onto what's happening in Austin real estate and around town.
A Big Expansion Is Coming to Jarrell
LGI Homes is growing its Colson Ranch development in Jarrell from 1,100 to 1,250 homes, and the product mix is getting more interesting. In addition to standard lot sizes, LGI is adding 50-foot lots to make room for its Courtyard Villa homes: clusters of four to six two-story houses, each with its own garage and yard, arranged around a shared private drive. It's a format that's been gaining traction across several LGI communities for its attainable pricing and contemporary design.
Phase 1, which covers about 150 homes, is already underway. Full buildout is projected between 2033 and 2035 across five to six phases. An $8 million amenity center is also planned for a 4.7-acre tract, with swimming pools and pickleball courts on the menu.
About five acres of commercial space will front the property, though LGI is waiting until the project hits 75% completion before locking in tenants.
Jarrell is a bit of a drive from central Austin, but it keeps showing up in conversations about where affordably priced new construction is actually happening in this region. If you're working with buyers who are open to north Williamson County, this one is worth knowing about.
The Market Is Still Shifting Toward Buyers
New data from Redfin puts the median U.S. down payment at 15% in March 2026, translating to about $64,000. That's down slightly from 16.1% a year ago, but still more than double the roughly $30,000 buyers were putting down before the pandemic.
The modest dip in down payments reflects a more buyer-friendly environment in parts of the country, with falling prices in some markets reducing the pressure to lead with a large down payment just to compete. Nationally, homes are sitting on the market a median of 66 days in 2026, up nine days from 57 in 2025. More inventory, longer days on market, and more negotiating room.
That said, affordability challenges haven't gone away. The typical household still needs to earn around $116,780 to afford the median U.S. home, against a national median household income of $88,000. Redfin economists expect gradual improvement through the rest of the year, with a potential return to normal affordability by 2030 if rates drop to around 5.5% and price growth stabilizes.
If you're a buyer sitting on the sidelines waiting for the right moment, the data is starting to make a case for paying attention.
Georgetown and Round Rock Are Among the Safest Cities in the Country
A new SmartAsset report ranked the safest midsize cities in America, and two Austin suburbs landed near the top. Georgetown came in at No. 1 in Texas and No. 27 nationally, with a violent crime rate of 1.91 per 1,000 residents and a property crime rate of 11.7 per 1,000, among the lowest of the 35 Texas cities in the study. Round Rock ranked 3rd in Texas and 53rd nationally, with an even lower violent crime rate of 1.31 per 1,000 residents.
Both cities carry a "relatively moderate" natural disaster risk per FEMA's National Risk Index for Williamson County, and both share the same auto fatality rate.
For clients asking about safety when comparing suburbs, this is a useful data point to have in your back pocket.
Georgetown Is Also the No. 1 Boomtown in America
The same SmartAsset that ranked Georgetown the safest midsize city in Texas also just named it the No. 1 newest boomtown in the country. The city saw a 34% increase in both housing units and labor force from 2019 to 2024. Williamson County posted the highest compound annual GDP growth of any county in the United States at 7.7%.
Leander came in at No. 4 nationally, with a 48% increase in housing over the same period. Cedar Park ranked 28th, Round Rock 43rd, and Pflugerville 60th. Austin itself came in at No. 37, with a 17% increase in housing units and 6% labor force growth since 2019.
Texas placed second nationally with 18 of the top 75 boomtowns, just behind Florida. The top 10 nationally: Georgetown, New Braunfels, Lehi (Utah), Leander, Lewisville, Palm Coast (Florida), Nampa (Idaho), McKinney, Conroe, and Frisco.
Fast growth brings trade-offs, and anyone who's driven through Georgetown on a Friday afternoon knows that. But the underlying demand signal is real, and it's worth factoring into conversations about long-term value in that corridor.
Emo's Is Closing. A New Venue Is Moving In.
Emo's at 2015 E. Riverside Drive is closing in December. AEG Presents, the Los Angeles-based events company, is taking over the space in January 2027 with a full rebrand, upgraded sound system, and renovated green room and amenities.
AEG is already building a separate 4,000-capacity venue about a mile away at 4700 E. Riverside, which means the same stretch of road is about to have two AEG-operated live music venues serving different audiences and artist tiers. Emo's posted on Instagram confirming a "new stage is coming soon" and inviting fans to stop by before the December close.
For what it's worth, Emo's loyalists have been mourning the venue since it left Red River in 2011. This is just the next chapter.
The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center Is Back
After nearly three years of construction, the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center at 600 River St. reopened on June 1 with a full day of performances, workshops, and community programming. The Phase 2 renovation added music rehearsal rooms, a teaching kitchen, upgraded classrooms and galleries, renovated offices, and a redesigned Zócalo Plaza with a shade structure built for year-round outdoor use.
The center sits between Lady Bird Lake and the Rainey Street high-rises and has served as a hub for Mexican American and Latino arts and culture since opening in 2007. The reopening also coincides with the return of neighboring Confluence Park as part of the Waterloo Greenway project. If you haven't been, it's worth a visit. Free and open to the public.
Texas Just Got a Massive New State Park
The Moody Foundation gifted its 87.5% ownership stake in Silver Lake Ranch to Texas Parks and Wildlife, with TPWD purchasing the remaining interest for $11.85 million. The 54,000-acre property spanning Edwards and Kinney counties will become Silver Lake State Park, the second largest state park in Texas behind Big Bend Ranch.
It's about 3 to 4 hours from Austin, named for a spring-fed 30-acre lake at its center. The land includes steep limestone canyons, rolling hills, live oaks, miles of West Nueces River frontage, several creeks, caves, and wildlife including white-tailed deer, turkey, javelina, and dove. Portions have been flagged as potential habitat for the endangered golden-cheeked warbler.
Development will happen in phases. Guided tours and limited day use come first, with trails, camping, and paddling access added over time. TPWD will share updates at TexasStateParks.org. No opening date yet, but it's coming.
New This Week
East End Ballroom just opened near Justine's in the Govalle neighborhood, serving coffee, cocktails, food, and live music all under one roof. Worth checking out if you're in East Austin.
