AUSTIN, Texas— Moving to Austin? As the summer real estate market season comes to a close, the Austin Board of REALTORS® (ABoR) latest Central Texas Housing Market Report indicates the Austin-area housing market continues to exhibit strength, despite economic setbacks amid the ongoing pandemic. The Austin-Round Rock MSA posted robust gains this August, as home sales experienced a double-digit increase of 12.9% year over year to 4,019 sales.

In addition to an increase in home sales across the five-county MSA, sales dollar volume jumped 35.3% to $1,889,382,006, and the median price rose 11.3% to $355,000. New listings slightly increased 1% to 3,862 listings, and pending sales soared 40.1% to 4,533. At the same time, active listings dropped 44.9% to 4,257 listings.

“The pandemic has put our market in a unique situation. As more people are working from home and have the opportunity to relocate, Austin-area homes are selling faster now than ever before,” Romeo Manzanilla, 2020 ABoR president, said. “Austin’s popularity has left the market with critically low levels of housing supply, which continues to drive home prices up. While home prices are rising, historically low-interest rates are giving buyers increased power to meet the increases. Buyers should be aware of just how competitive this market has become, and would benefit enlisting the help of a REALTOR® who can help every step of the way during the homebuying process.”

City of Austin Real Estate Market Update

In the city of Austin, critically low levels of inventory drove the median home price up 14.9% year over year to $435,000—an all-time high for any month on record. Residential sales barely increased 2.4% to 1,240 sales, as sales dollar volume jumped 19.9% to $682,748,453. During the same period, new listings increased 4.8% to 1,318 listings, active listings decreased 26.6% to 1,468 listings, and pending sales increased 20.6% to 1,314 pending sales. Monthly housing inventory decreased 0.5 months year over year to 1.5 months of inventory.

Real Estate Update for Travis County

At the county level, residential sales increased 9.2% to 2,015 sales, while sales dollar volume spiked 39.9% to $1,182,976,984. The median price for residential homes increased 19.2% year over year to $430,000. During the same period, new listings slightly increased 1% to 2,046 listings, while active listings declined 41% to 2,253 listings. At the same time, pending sales rose 34.6% to 2,229 pending sales. Monthly housing inventory decreased 1.1 months year over year to 1.4 months of inventory.

Hay County Real Estate Market Statistics

In Hays County, August home sales spiked 31.7% to 499 sales, and sales dollar volume increased 45% to $192,109,298. The median price for homes increased by 16.9% to $308,500. During the same period, new listings increased 12.6% to 475 listings, and active listings tumbled 46.4% to 556 listings. At the same time, pending sales skyrocketed 69.7% to 577 pending sales. Housing inventory decreased by 1.7 months to 1.5 months of inventory.

For more information, and to download the entire August 2020 Central Texas Housing Market Report, click here.