Buyers still have leverage. More deals are getting done.
July still leaned buyer: 4.7 months of inventory, 63 average days on market, and a 93.7% average close-to-list ratio. At the same time, closed sales and pending sales both increased year over year. Buyers have room to negotiate, but stronger listings are still getting taken.
Based on July 2026 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos MSA data · Unlock MLS / ABoR
01 · Market Pulse
Who has leverage right now
The sale market still leans buyer overall. The renter score is separate and should be read as a directional leasing signal, not compared one-for-one with Buyer or Seller.
62
Buyer Advantage
4.7 months of inventory + 63 average days on market still give prepared buyers room to negotiate.
38
Seller Advantage
Closed sales rose 4.4% YoY and pending sales rose 4.1%. Well-positioned homes still have real demand behind them.
23
Renter Advantage · directional
Median rent was nearly flat, while new lease listings fell 7.8% and active lease inventory fell 26.2%. Less choice is the main renter signal this month.
The August read: buyers still have the edge, but July also brought higher sales, higher pending activity, and less active inventory than a year ago.
$435KMedian sale price+1.0% YoY
4.7Months inventory−1.1 months YoY
2,833Pending sales+4.1% YoY
93.7%Close-to-listvs. 93.0% last year
02 · Key Metrics
Five numbers that matter
Tap a number for the part that actually matters.
$435K+1.0% YoY
Median Sale Price
Price is basically holding while transaction activity improves.
+
July's median was $435,000, up 1.0% from July 2025. That matters because sales also increased. We are not looking at a price surge; we are looking at a market where more deals can happen without prices needing to collapse.
13,796−9.9% YoY
Active Listings
Still plenty of choice, just less excess than last summer.
+
Active listings fell 9.9% year over year, while months of inventory came in at 4.7. Buyers still have options, but the supply pile is not expanding the way it was earlier in the correction.
63+1 day YoY
Average Days on Market
The market is not fast. Good strategy still has time to work.
+
The MSA averaged 63 days on market. That gives buyers time to compare, inspect, and negotiate, but it does not mean every well-priced listing will sit.
93.7%+0.7 pts YoY
Average Close-to-List
There is still a gap between asking and closing.
+
Homes closed at an average of 93.7% of original list price. That does not mean every buyer gets 6.3% off. It does mean pricing and negotiation still matter, especially on listings that have been sitting.
2,739+4.4% YoY
Closed Sales
More deals are actually getting across the finish line.
+
Closed sales increased 4.4% year over year and pending sales increased 4.1%. That is the counterweight to the buyer-leverage story: buyers have room, but they are using it rather than simply waiting.
03 · What The Numbers Say
Three things worth knowing
The numbers are more useful when they tell you what changed.
+4.4%
More deals are getting done
Closed sales increased and pending contracts increased. Buyer leverage is not the same thing as buyer inactivity.
93.7%
There is still room between list and close
The average deal is still closing below original list. Price is only one negotiation lever. Credits, repairs, and timing can matter too.
−26.2%
Renters have fewer choices
Active lease inventory fell much faster than closed leasing activity. Rents are nearly flat, but the available menu is smaller.
04 · County View
The metro is not one market
Tap a county. Same month, very different leverage.
Travis County: more sales, less inventory, slightly softer median price.
$520KMedian · −0.3% YoY
4.8Months inventory
+11.4%Closed sales YoY
93.7%Close-to-list
Haus take: activity improved while inventory contracted 13.0%. Buyers still have negotiating room, but Travis is absorbing supply faster than the broader buyer-market narrative suggests.
Williamson County: the tightest of the four major counties in this view.
$415KMedian · −1.2% YoY
4.3Months inventory
+6.0%Closed sales YoY
93.9%Close-to-list
Haus take: resale buyers still have options, but lease inventory is especially tight here. Active lease listings were down 38.4% YoY.
Hays County: more buyer-friendly, but demand softened too.
$367.7KMedian · +1.0% YoY
5.0Months inventory
−12.0%Closed sales YoY
93.4%Close-to-list
Haus take: Hays offers more time and flexibility than the tighter parts of the metro. Pending sales were also down 7.9%, so buyers should negotiate from the actual local comp set, not the metro headline.
Bastrop County: the deepest buyer leverage of these four.
$346.1KMedian · +2.3% YoY
6.3Months inventory
−16.0%Closed sales YoY
92.7%Close-to-list
Haus take: more inventory and a wider close-to-list gap create negotiating room, even as pending sales increased 16.4% YoY. This is exactly why county-level context matters.
05 · What Brings You Here
Pick your situation
Same July market. Different decision.
You still have room to negotiate. Use the listing to decide how much.
The market is giving buyers time, selection, and a meaningful gap between original list and closing price. But demand is improving too, so the strongest asks are tied to the actual listing.
Compare stale vs. fresh listingsTime on market changes what is realistic to ask for.
Negotiate the whole dealPrice, repairs, credits and timing all matter.
Use county-level context4.3 months in Williamson is not 6.3 months in Bastrop.
The market is moving, but overpricing still costs sellers time.
July sales improved, but buyers still have choices and the average close remained below original list. Sellers do not need panic pricing; they need accurate positioning from day one.
Price against today's alternativesNot the comp you liked from two years ago.
Watch your first 14 daysThe market tells you quickly when positioning is off.
Know your countyDemand is behaving differently across the metro.
Rent is not spiking. Choice is the thing to watch.
MSA median rent was almost flat year over year, but active lease listings fell 26.2%. A renter waiting for lower prices may still find fewer comparable options when the right move appears.
Compare renewal vs. movingUse the actual total cost, not just sticker rent.
Watch submarket supplyWilliamson lease inventory is much tighter than a year ago.
Do not force the buy decisionRenting can still be the right strategic move.
July gave us higher sales, higher pending activity and less active inventory. One month does not make a trend, but that combination is more useful to watch than a headline about prices being up or down 1%.
Next monthWatch inventory and pending activity together.
RatesThey still affect payment more than tiny price changes do.
Local divergenceCounty and ZIP data will keep telling a different story than the MSA.
Because the Haus Index is named for the month it is published. The most current complete monthly Unlock MLS report available in August covers July. That keeps the publication cadence current without pretending partial August activity is final.
What does a 62 Buyer Advantage score mean?
It is a 0-100 leverage index, not a percentage of buyers and not a forecast. A score above 50 means the current sale-market inputs lean more favorable to buyers than sellers.
Is the renter score calculated the same way?
No. Renter is a separate directional 0-100 leasing read. It is not the same model as Buyer/Seller, so 23 should not be compared directly with 62 or 38.
Does the MSA number tell me what my neighborhood is doing?
No. It tells you the regional backdrop. County, ZIP, price band, property type, and condition can behave very differently, which is why the county view matters.
Data: July 2026 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos MSA sales and leasing data from Unlock MLS / Austin Board of REALTORS®. Average days on market is from the July 2026 UnlockStats Austin MSA Sales & Leasing Market Report.
About the scores: Buyer/Seller is a Realty Haus 0-100 sale-market leverage index derived from published market inputs. Renter is a separate directional leasing score. These scores are Realty Haus analysis, not Unlock MLS metrics, and they are not probabilities or forecasts.
