It's a Buyer's Market

14 Years. That's How Long It's Been.

The last time the Austin area was in a buyer's market was July 2011, right after the Great Recession. Before that? The dot-com bust in the early 2000s. From 2012 through 2023 — over a decade — Austin had 3 months of inventory or less. It was a seller's market the entire time.

That streak is over.

The Austin metro hit 4.2 months of inventory at the end of 2025. Some areas are even higher. Builders are sitting on finished homes. For the first time in 14 years, buyers have real leverage — and builders know it.

What This Means for You

If you tried to buy in 2021 or 2022, you know what it was like. Bidding wars. Homes selling $50K over asking. Waiving inspections just to get an offer accepted. That's done. Here's where we are now:

• No bidding wars. You're not fighting 10 other offers on the same house.
• Builder incentives are at their highest in over a decade. Rate buydowns, closing cost help, price reductions — builders are competing for your business.
• You have real choices. Enough inventory to actually compare communities and floor plans instead of scrambling for whatever's left.
• Move-in ready homes are available now. No waiting 6-9 months for a build. Many homes can close in as little as 3 weeks.

Buyers have been waiting for this. The question is whether you act on it before conditions shift back.

The Price Drop Trap

I hear this a lot: "I'm going to wait for prices to come down more."

I get it. But here's what most people don't think through: when prices drop, it's usually because incentives are what's driving the deals right now. Builders aren't just cutting prices — they're buying down your interest rate, covering closing costs, and stacking programs to make the monthly payment work.

So let's say you wait and a home drops $10K. Sounds great on paper. But if the rate buydown goes away and you're financing at 4.5% instead of 3.99%, your monthly payment actually goes up — not down. That $10K "savings" on the price costs you more every single month for 30 years.

The price on the listing matters less than what you're actually paying per month. And right now, the monthly numbers are as good as they've been in a long time.

Incentives Are the Real Story

This is the part most people miss. The sticker price gets all the attention, but the incentives are where the real value is right now:

• Rate buydowns to 3.99% on a 30-year fixed through DHI Mortgage — that's a permanent rate, not a teaser
• Closing cost assistance on select homes
• Down payment assistance programs that can stack on top of builder incentives

These incentives exist because builders have inventory to move. When the market tightens back up — and it will eventually — these are the first things to disappear. In 2021, buyers were lucky to get the home at all, let alone a rate buydown.

Your Monthly Payment Is What Matters

For most buyers, it comes down to what you're paying each month. And right now, between builder incentives and available programs, the monthly payment on a new home in Central Texas is competitive with rent in most areas.

A brand new 3-bedroom home starting in the low $200Ks. Estimated payments in the $1,500-1,900 range depending on the community. That's real. And unlike rent, your mortgage payment doesn't go up next year.

This Window Won't Stay Open

Buyer's markets don't last. The last one ended in 2011 and didn't come back for 14 years. When inventory tightens — and it will — the bidding wars come back, the incentives disappear, and buyers lose their leverage overnight.

The conditions right now are the best I've seen for buyers since I've been in this business. If you've been waiting for the right time — this is what the right time looks like.