The Austin metro median sat 18.8% below its April 2022 peak in May 2026, at $459,000. The 30-year fixed averaged 6.44% that month. Homes took a median of 57 days to sell. That made it a buyer's market.
Austin market statistics, May 2026
| Metric | May 2026 |
|---|---|
| Median sale price | $459,000 (+0.9% YoY) |
| Median price per sq ft | $214 (-2.1% YoY) |
| Homes sold | 2,651 (-4.1% YoY) |
| New listings | 4,162 |
| Active inventory | 12,789 (-9.5% YoY) |
| Months of supply | 4.8 |
| Median days on market | 57 |
| Sale-to-list ratio | 97.7% |
| Sold above asking | 15.2% |
| Listings with a price cut | 37.1% |
| 30-year fixed rate (avg) | 6.44% |
The First Positive Print of the Cycle
The median came in at $459,000, up 0.9% year over year. The first positive annual print since the correction began, on a Redfin single-family basis. Days on market fell to 57 from 108 in January. Whether this is a bottom or a pause, the direction of travel changed in the first half of this year.
What changed since April 2026
The median rose $14,000 from April 2026, a 3.1% move. Time on market shortened by 3 days, to 57. Active inventory grew by 447 listings, to 12,789. The share of homes selling over asking gave up 1.3 points, to 15.2%.
One month is noise. The reason to read it anyway is that direction shows up in inventory and days on market well before it shows up in price, so the months where those two disagree with the headline number are the interesting ones.
Where this month sits in the cycle
| May 2026 | April 2026 | May 2025 | Since Oct 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | $459,000 | $445,000 | $455,000 | range $255,626–$565,000 |
| Median days on market | 57 | 60 | 55 | range 16–108 |
| Active inventory | 12,789 | 12,342 | 14,138 | range 2,660–14,231 |
| Months of supply | 4.8 | 4.6 | 5.1 | range 0.9–6.5 |
| Sold above asking | 15% | 17% | 15% | range 9%–75% |
| 30-year fixed rate | 6.44% | 6.33% | 6.82% | range 2.68%–7.62% |
The right-hand column is the range this series has covered since October 2016. No forecast in it, just where May 2026 falls against every month that came before it.
If you are buying in Austin right now
At 4.8 months of supply this is a buyer's market, and 57 median days on market is the negotiating position. A listing that is ninety days old belongs to a seller whose plan is not working. That is worth more than any clever offer strategy.
The average home sold for 97.7% of asking, so roughly 2.3% under list was the normal outcome, not an insulting one.
The payment math. At $459,000 with 20% down at 6.44%, principal and interest runs about $2,306 a month. Add roughly $765 for property taxes and $306 for insurance and you are near $3,377 a month all in. Texas has no state income tax and this is where the state collects instead, budget the tax line from day one, not as an afterthought.
If you are selling: with 12,789 active listings and 57 median days on market, you are competing against a lot of houses and a patient buyer. Price ahead of the market rather than chasing it down, and consider funding a rate buydown, at these rates it moves a buyer's monthly payment more than an equivalent price cut does.
Neighborhood in focus
East Austin (78702). Holly, Rosewood. Known for creative, eclectic, strong appreciation. It fits buyers who want character and culture.
The metro numbers above are an average of a very unequal city, East Austin does not move in lockstep with Kyle or Leander, and the gap between ZIPs widens in exactly the months the metro looks calm. There is a longer, more honest write-up at /neighborhoods/east-austin/, including what is wrong with it.
On in Austin, May 2026
| When | What | Why it matters to a listing |
|---|---|---|
| May 2–3 | Pecan Street Festival (Spring), Sixth Street Historic District | Sixth Street closes to traffic for the weekend. Downtown and the eastern edge of 78701 are slow; everywhere else is unaffected. |
What is coming next
Summer inventory, and the question of whether sellers read this as permission to raise prices again.
Common questions
Is Austin a buyer's market or a seller's market?
In May 2026, a buyer's market, 4.8 months of supply, with 15% of homes selling above asking. The rough convention: under about 3 months favors sellers, 4 to 6 is balanced, and above 6 favors buyers. Since October 2016 this metro has ranged from 0.9 months in December 2020 to 6.5 in January 2026.
When is the best time of year to buy a house in Austin?
October through January, consistently. Austin's listing calendar runs about six weeks ahead of the national one. The best selection appears in March and April, and so does the most competition. By late fall, spring listings are six months old, sellers have adjusted their expectations, and days on market runs 30 to 50 days longer than it did in April. You get less to choose from and far more leverage over what is left.
What is the average home price in Austin?
The median single-family sale across the Austin metro in May 2026 was $459,000. Median is the more useful number than average here. A handful of Westlake and Tarrytown sales pull an average upward in a way that tells you nothing about what you will pay. Note also that the metro figure covers Travis, Williamson, Hays, Bastrop and Caldwell counties; the City of Austin proper runs meaningfully higher, and the suburbs meaningfully lower.
Part of a retrospective series on the Austin market, one post per month since 2016, compiled from the historical record. This edition covers May 2026; every figure is as reported for that month, and nothing in it looks past it.
Source: Redfin Data Center metro market tracker: single-family, Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metro, not seasonally adjusted. Mortgage rates are the monthly average of the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey 30-year fixed rate. Payment, tax and insurance figures are estimates for illustration and are not a quote. Median sale price is not a guarantee of value for any specific property.
Written by Mike Vilece, a licensed Texas real estate agent with Compass in Austin. If you want the version of this that applies to your street and your budget, ask me directly.