Published October 25, 2026 in Market Update

Part of Austin is moving slower, with more room to negotiate

By Rica Greenwood

Real estate, Austin

The number that matters most right now: the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 59 median days on market in ZIP 78717 for the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is 10 days longer than the same period a year ago. Sellers need to plan for a longer wait. Buyers have more time to think.

Redfin reported that Austin metro homes spend 74 days on market as of October 21, 2026. ZIP 78717 is moving a bit faster than that metro average. Still, both numbers tell the same story: this is not a market where homes fly off the shelf.

More homes, fewer buyers

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 119 homes for sale in ZIP 78717 during those three months. That is up 24% from a year before. New listings rose 4.5% to 115. But homes sold fell 15.9%, to just 69 closed sales. More supply and fewer closings means buyers have real choices.

What sellers are actually getting

The Real Estate Data Aggregator put the average sale-to-list ratio at 97.2% in ZIP 78717 for those three months. That is down 0.2 points from a year ago. Sellers are getting close to their asking price, but not all of it. Pricing carefully from the start matters more now than it did last year.

Only 7.3% of homes sold above list price, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. That is down 2.5 points from a year ago. Redfin reported that 11% of Austin metro homes sold above list price as of October 21, 2026. ZIP 78717 is running below that metro figure.

Prices are still holding in this ZIP

The Real Estate Data Aggregator put the median sale price in ZIP 78717 at $612,500 for the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 4.3% from the same period in 2025. Redfin reported the Austin metro median at $415,000 as of October 21, 2026, down 6% year over year. ZIP 78717 is running well above the metro median, and moving in the opposite direction on price.

Pending sales are softer too

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 81 pending sales in ZIP 78717 for those three months. That is down 6.9% from a year ago. Just 27.2% of homes went under contract within two weeks of listing, down 5 points from last year. Homes that are priced right still move. But the quick-contract days are less common.

Zillow reported that newly pending existing home sales dropped 12.8% year over year on a rolling weekly basis as of October 23, 2026. That national softness lines up with what the Real Estate Data Aggregator shows in ZIP 78717.

The bigger picture on affordability

CNBC reported on October 23, 2026 that a monthly payment on a 30-year fixed mortgage on a median-priced home took up roughly 33% of a median family's income in 2025. That same share was 26% in 2022, also per CNBC. More of a paycheck going to housing is part of why fewer buyers are moving fast. The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported U.S. house prices rose 2.6% from July 2025 to July 2026, and 0.3% from the prior month in July alone, as of September 29, 2026.

One more thing: these are ZIP code numbers for the three months ending August 31, 2026. One street can read very differently from the whole ZIP. A home near a park or a top school may move faster. A home on a busy road may sit longer. The ZIP number is the starting point, not the whole story.