The latest data from Unlock MLS shows signs that the housing market is ticking up in Central Texas, with higher year-over-year home sales and homes selling closer to their original listing price.
The details
Representing the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metropolitan statistical area, or MSA, the data released May 12 shows residential home sales increased 2% year over year in April for the MSA, reaching 2,648. That's the highest number of monthly home sales so far this year, up from a 0.5% year-over-year increase in March and decreases in both January and February.
Additionally, the number of pending home sales increased 15.4% year over year in April to 3,411.
These changes are a response to market shifts that happened earlier this spring, said Vaike O’Grady, market research advisor at Unlock MLS. Toward the end of February, 30-year fixed-rate mortgages dipped below 6% for the first time since 2022, according to federal mortgage-buying organization Freddie Mac. Additionally, in mid-February, 15-year fixed-rate mortgages decreased to 5.35%, the lowest rate since 2024 when it reached 5.16%.
“What stands out in April’s data is the shift in buyer psychology and overall market momentum," O'Grady said in a news release. "Many buyers who had been delaying their home search took advantage of the temporary dip in mortgage rates we saw earlier this year and moved quickly once conditions became more manageable."
Diving in deeper
Alongside rising year-over-year home sales, data shows that the final selling price of homes is inching closer to the price homes were originally listed for, known as the average close to list price.
While this number slipped down to 91% in January, it has consistently risen since, and is now sitting at 94.8%. Despite the increase, this growth is still falling short of the close to list prices seen in 2025 for January-March.
The median price for homes sold in April was $440,000, marking a 1.9% decline year over year and the latest entry in a series of declining median prices over the past four months.
Looking ahead
Increasing pending and closed sales point to a market where buyers are "stepping into the market with more urgency," O'Grady said, emphasizing the importance of correctly-priced homes in the equation.
"April’s numbers show that confidence is building despite higher borrowing costs and ongoing economic uncertainty," O'Grady said.
