The negotiating window is still open. Demand is starting to use it.
July gave Austin buyers real leverage without giving them a free pass. Inventory is healthy, homes still take time to sell, and deals are closing below asking : but sales and pending activity both moved higher.
July 2026 MSA data · Unlock MLS · published Aug. 11, 2026
01 : Market Pulse
Who has leverage right now
A directional read on the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos MSA. Buyer/Seller uses the locked Haus Index formula. Renter is shown as directional while that methodology is being tightened.
62%
Buyer Advantage
4.7 months of inventory + 63 average days on market still give prepared buyers room to negotiate.
38%
Seller Advantage
Sales rose 4.4% YoY and pending sales rose 4.1%. Demand is moving : selectively.
23%
Renter Advantage · directional
Median rent was nearly flat, while new lease listings fell 7.8% and active lease inventory fell 26.2%. Score uses the objective-only renter method. No month-over-month renter delta is shown.
The August read: buyers still have leverage, but July looks less like a market getting softer and more like a market learning how to transact inside the new normal.
$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 is enough time for inspection, negotiation, and comparison : but not an excuse to assume every good listing will wait around.
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 discipline 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%
Demand is participating again
Sales increased and pending contracts increased. Buyers are not disappearing; they are transacting with conditions.
93.7¢
The terms still matter
The average deal is still closing below original list. Price is only one negotiation lever : credits, repairs and timing can matter just as much.
−26.2%
Rental choice is shrinking
Active lease inventory fell much faster than closed leasing activity. Rents are not surging, but renters have fewer options to choose from.
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.
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05 : What Brings You Here
Pick your situation
Same July market. Different decision.
You still have leverage. Use it before assuming you need to wait.
The market is giving buyers time, selection and a meaningful ask-to-close gap : while transaction volume is improving. That combination rewards preparation more than prediction.
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. It is just not forgiving lazy pricing.
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.
The signal to watch is whether demand keeps absorbing shrinking inventory.
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 directional leverage score, not a forecast. Above 50 means the current mix of inventory, pricing, market time, close-to-list behavior, pending activity and sales pace leans more favorable to buyers than sellers.
Is the renter score calculated the same way?
Not exactly. The renter score is 23% and is labeled directional. It uses only the three objective renter inputs. The two former judgment inputs are excluded rather than guessed, and no month-over-month renter delta is shown.
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 page lets you move from the MSA view into local context.
Data: July 2026 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos MSA sales and leasing data from Unlock MLS / Austin Board of REALTORS®. Public monthly release published August 11, 2026. Average days on market is from the July 2026 UnlockStats Austin MSA Sales & Leasing Market Report.
