Hays County Home Prices: Three Months of 2026 Data
By Kristin Allan ·
If you looked at one month of Hays County numbers this summer and made a plan around it, you may have made a different plan than if you had looked at the next month. The county median sales price was $367,700 in July, $355,000 in August and $399,900 in September, according to Unlock MLS. Those swings are a good reason to read three months together before you price a home or write an offer.
I covered the September report on its own in my September market post. This post steps back and lines up July, August and September so you can see what moved and what stayed put.
Key takeaways
- The Hays County median sales price was $367,700 (July), $355,000 (August) and $399,900 (September).
- Closed sales were 344, 396 and 294 in those same months, so the September median rests on the thinnest month of the three.
- Months of inventory read 5.0, 5.5 and 4.8. Supply has stayed in the range of roughly five months all quarter.
- In July and August, homes closed at an average of 93.4% and 93.0% of list price.
- A county median describes what sold that month. It does not describe your home.
The three months side by side
All figures below are for Hays County residential sales, from the Unlock MLS Central Texas Housing Reports for July, August and September.
| July 2026 | August 2026 | September 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median sales price | $367,700 | $355,000 | $399,900 |
| Closed sales | 344 | 396 | 294 |
| Active listings | 1,925 | 1,860 | 1,898 |
| New listings | 511 | 493 | 498 |
| Pending sales | 409 | 346 | 323 |
| Months of inventory | 5.0 | 5.5 | 4.8 |
Unlock MLS did not report average close-to-list price in the September summary I could open, so I can only compare that figure for July and August.
What stayed steady
Look at the active listings row. It sat between 1,860 and 1,925 for the whole quarter. New listings held in a tight range too, between 493 and 511 a month. In plain terms, the number of homes a buyer could choose from did not change much from July to September.
Months of inventory, which is how long it would take to sell the current listings at the recent pace of sales, ranged from 4.8 to 5.5. That is a market with real choices for buyers, and I would not describe it as a month-to-month story. The shape of the market was consistent even while the headline median was not.
What moved, and why I would not read too much into it
The median price moved around by roughly $45,000 between August and September. Before anyone reads that as homes suddenly becoming more valuable, look at the closed-sales row. September had 294 closings, down from 396 in August. Unlock MLS reported September closed sales down 30.5% from a year earlier.
A median is the middle sale of whatever closed. When the number of closings drops, which homes happened to close has a bigger effect on the middle number. A few more higher-priced closings, or a few fewer entry-level ones, can lift the median without any single home changing in value. The same logic works in reverse for August, when the median dipped to $355,000 on a busier month.
So I treat these medians as a description of each month's mix, not as a price trend. I would not tell a seller their home gained value because September's median was higher, and I would not tell a buyer that prices fell because August's was lower.
Pending sales slid through the quarter
The one row that moved in the same direction all quarter is pending sales: 409 in July, 346 in August, 323 in September. Pending sales are contracts that have been signed but have not closed yet, so they are an earlier read than closed sales.
For September, Unlock MLS attributed the slowdown in closings mainly to financing costs, and quoted its research advisor saying that many buyers focus on the monthly payment more than the price, especially first-time buyers. I am not going to speculate beyond what the report says. What I can say is that pending sales are worth watching in the October and November reports, because they show whether buyers are coming back before closings do.
What this means if you are selling
Price off recent sales near you, not the county number. The most useful comparison is homes similar to yours in your neighborhood that closed in the last 60 to 90 days. A county median that swung between $355,000 and $399,900 in two months cannot tell you that.
Plan for negotiation. In July and August, the average sold price was about 93% of the list price. That is an average across Hays County, and it includes every price point and every kind of home, so your result could be above or below it. It does tell you buyers were negotiating, and I would plan for that rather than hope it away. Pricing accurately at the start usually leaves less to negotiate later.
Know what you would give. With around 1,900 active listings, buyers have alternatives. Decide ahead of time whether you would rather help with closing costs, make a repair, or adjust the price. Our home selling timeline walks through where those decisions come up.
If you want a starting point for your own address, our home value tool is a first look, and I am always glad to walk your street with you in person.
What this means if you are buying
Use the supply. Nearly 1,900 active listings and about five months of inventory mean you can compare several homes instead of competing for one. That gives you room to ask for an inspection, ask about repairs, and take a little time.
Do not anchor on one month. A buyer who saw August's $355,000 median and expects to find that price on every street will be surprised, just as one who saw September's $399,900 may assume everything costs more. Look at actual sold homes in the areas you like, such as Kyle, Buda or San Marcos, and compare size, age and lot.
Run the payment early. Because Unlock MLS tied the September slowdown to monthly payments, I would look at the payment before falling in love with a house. Dustin is a licensed mortgage loan originator as well as an agent on our team, and he can walk through financing options with you separately from the home search. Our buyer page explains how we work together.
How Hays County compares to the metro
For comparison, the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metro median was $435,000 in July, $412,000 in August and $421,000 in September, with months of inventory of 4.7, 5.1 and 5.4. The Hays County median sat below the metro figure in all three months. The metro months of inventory crept up through the quarter while Hays County's bounced between 4.8 and 5.5, so I would not call either direction a trend yet.
What I will watch next
The October report should come out around mid-November, based on when the earlier ones were published. I will be looking at whether closed sales recover from September's low, whether pending sales stop sliding, and whether the median settles somewhere between the August and September readings. One more month will not settle it either, but a fourth data point helps. I keep our market update page current as new reports come out.
Talk it through with me
A county number is a starting point, not an answer. If you are thinking about buying or selling in Hays County and want to know what these months mean for your situation, call or text me at 512-820-3084, or reach out through our contact page.
Sources
- Unlock MLS, July 2026 Central Texas Housing Report (published Aug. 11, 2026)
- Unlock MLS, August 2026 Central Texas Housing Report (published Sept. 15, 2026)
- Unlock MLS, September 2026 Central Texas Housing Report (published Oct. 13, 2026)
Questions about buying or selling in Hays County?
Call or text Kristin at 512-820-3084, or send us a message.
