With Texas Homebuyers Now Firmly in Control, Here Are The Lonestar State’s Buyer’s Markets, Ranked

• Houston is Texas’s strongest buyer’s market, followed by San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Fort Worth. 
• Buyers have negotiating power, but well-priced, move-in-ready homes are attracting multiple offers, Redfin agents say. 
• Sellers are cutting prices and offering concessions to compete with new construction.
• Rising insurance costs are making buyers more sensitive to high prices and mortgage rates. 
• Now through late September is the best time for buyers to find a deal in Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Fort Worth.

Even though Ella Langley’s hit song “Choosin’ Texas,” has spent the summer at the top of the music charts, homebuyers aren’t choosing the Lone Star State. Home sellers far outnumber buyers across Texas.

Here are Texas’s top five buyer’s markets, as of July, ranked in order based on how much home sellers outnumber buyers:

Rank	Texas metro area	Percent by which sellers outnumber buyers	Median Sale Price (July 2026)	Median Sale Price (YoY July 2026)
1.	Houston	129.8%	$343,929	1.2%
2.	San Antonio	116.3%	$320,243	3.3%
3.	Austin	111.9%	$438,634	1.8%
4.	Dallas	99%	$416,702	-0.8%
5.	Fort Worth	85.7%	$359,199	-0.2%

Houston is Texas’s Strongest Buyer’s Market

Celeste Taylor-Velasco, a Redfin principal agent in Houston, said sellers are making concessions to keep transactions together.

In one recent transaction, her seller dropped the price by $20,000 on this four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bathroom house. Even after the price drop, a buyer asked the seller to cover closing costs and help pay for a new roof. The seller ultimately only agreed to pay for half of the roof replacement, with the stipulation it would happen after closing. 

“We were able to find a solution that worked for both sides and kept the sale together,” she said. 

With Houston being such a strong buyer’s market, Celeste’s biggest advice for buyers is to not be afraid to ask. 

“I tell my buyers, if you don’t ask, the answer is always no,” Celeste said. “Right now, nothing’s off the table.”

The best time for buyers to get a deal in Houston is late September. 

Celeste is telling sellers to price competitively and expect buyers to request concessions. Houston sellers are also competing with new construction, where builders are offering a lot of incentives like lower rates and home warranties, she said.  

Another client of Celeste’s was considering putting their new construction home in Lago Mar, a master-planned community in Texas City, on the market. Celeste suggested renting it out for now, giving them an opportunity to generate income while waiting for a better time to sell. 

“Because so many new homes are being built, home sellers will likely be competing with new construction for years to come,” she said. “I advise homeowners thinking of selling in this area to make sure they are in the best position possible to compete with builders when the time comes to sell. That means giving yourself some time to build up equity, and be prepared to offer concessions like builders do.” 

Jamie Derouen, another Redfin principal agent in Houston, is helping her client sell a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home. The buyers initially offered $20,000 below asking. Rather than counter, her sellers said they needed a higher price to take the offer seriously. The buyers returned with a higher offer, but asked for a $5,000 closing credit, and the seller accepted. 

“In some cases, buyers are overplaying their hands, and the sellers are not willing to participate,” she said.

Rising insurance costs are also affecting how buyers are willing to spend, particularly in coastal markets such as Houston and nearby Galveston. It is prone to natural disasters like floods and hurricanes, Jamie added. 

“Buyers are dealing with significantly higher insurance costs and interest rates since 2019,” Celeste said. “When you combine those higher carrying costs with elevated interest rates and a large amount of available inventory, sellers are having to be much more patient, or much more flexible on price and terms. Transactions are happening, but they often require more negotiation.” 

San Antonio Sellers Offer Concessions to Compete with Builders Selling New Homes

Buyers are getting many of the concessions they request, including help with closing costs and upgrades, Jessica Uralde, a Redfin principal agent in San Antonio, said 

She recently represented a seller who agreed to pay $18,000 in closing costs on a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home that sold for $399,900.

“Builders are going to give you the sun, moon and the stars right now, which is especially great for first-time homebuyers,” she said. “Still, buyers need to be selective because homes that are priced well and turnkey can sell quickly.” 

In San Antonio, the best time for buyers to get a deal is mid-September. 

In some cases, sellers are putting their homes on the market with concessions already in place, Jim Seifert, a San Antonio Redfin principal agent, said. 

A $439,000 four-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom house in San Antonio is on the market with the seller already offering the concession of a buyer assuming a VA loan on the property that has a 2.5% interest rate. 

“Since interest rates are currently higher, this allows a qualified buyer to take over the seller’s existing low-rate mortgage, which can offer significant monthly savings,” Derrell Skillman, Redfin principal and listing agent, said. “Since we are a military city, assumptions are very attractive to our military personnel.” 

Austin Sellers Are Coming to Terms with Post-Pandemic Buyer’s Market Reality

Austin shifted from a blazing hot seller’s market during the pandemic to an all-out buyer’s market almost overnight, Monica DiSchiano, a Redfin principal agent in Austin, said.

“Sellers are pricing competitively and letting go of home prices from 2021. Buyers are reciprocating and responding by house hunting and making offers again,” she added.

Now is the best time for buyers looking to get a deal in Austin.  

New construction is giving Austin buyers even more options. Builders are offering incentives, which is why Monica advises sellers to price their homes below comparable new construction.

In Austin, sellers are quick to make price drops when necessary, Barb Cooper, another Redfin principal agent in Austin, said. 

“Most sellers now understand it’s a buyer’s market and are pricing accordingly,” she added. 

Austin home sellers may find Redfin Early Access, which allows them to start marketing their home as “coming soon” before its official market debut, helpful in determining the right price, especially for unique homes for which there aren’t many comparable recent sales. 

Bidding Wars in Dallas and a Trade in Fort Worth Give Sellers a Say in a Buyer’s Market

Even in a buyer’s market, some neighborhoods still favor sellers.

Abby Keyes, a Redfin principal agent in Dallas, is seeing substantial inventory across the area. Despite that, she recently helped two different buyers purchase homes that went into bidding wars in nearby Plano, which remains relatively hot. 

One three-bedroom, two-bathroom house sold just above its $350,000 list price and the other four-bedroom, three-and-a-half bathroom house sold for its $650,000 asking price. Both homes were meticulously maintained and move-in ready, Abby said. 

“There are some hot pockets like Plano,” she added. “If the house is priced correctly and doesn’t need any repairs, we’re seeing multiple offers.”

Amanda Peterson, a Redfin principal agent in Fort Worth, recently helped her clients negotiate a trade of their four-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bathroom house for a recently built four-bedroom, five-bathroom house. 

“It’s a total unicorn type of transaction,” she said. “The only way my clients would agree to purchase was if the seller agreed to buy their home. This illustrates the leverage buyers have in this market. We came to a compromise that felt like a win-win for everyone.”

In Dallas and Fort Worth, the best time for buyers to find a deal is mid-September.

Methodology 

Redfin defines a market where there are over 10% more sellers than buyers as a buyer’s market and a market where there are over 10% fewer sellers than buyers as a seller’s market. A market where the gap is plus or minus 10% is considered a balanced market. 

We estimated the number of buyers using proprietary Redfin data on the typical time from a buyer’s first tour to close of purchase, and MLS data on active listings and pending sales. The estimated number of sellers in the market is simply the number of active listings in the MLS. These estimates are seasonally adjusted and subject to revision. See a more detailed methodology here and view an interactive dashboard here.

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