About Austin

Austin is the most varied residential market in Texas. Within the city limits you'll find 1940s bungalows on tree-canopied streets in Tarrytown, new construction in master-planned communities in the southwest, walkable urban condos downtown, and Hill Country estates on multi-acre lots with Lake Austin frontage. Prices span from the $400,000s to well past $10 million, and the buying experience in one neighborhood bears almost no resemblance to the next.

That variation is why citywide statistics mislead more often than they inform. Austin proper carries a median well above the broader metro figure, a gap that regularly catches relocating buyers off guard — and within Austin, individual neighborhoods diverge from the city median by several hundred percent in either direction. Reading a single number and drawing a conclusion about your specific purchase is the most common mistake we see.

Spinelli Residential Group has represented buyers and sellers across Austin for more than two decades, with particular depth in the city's luxury and West Austin markets. Below is our current market read, a guide to Austin's major neighborhoods, and the school district and tax detail that shapes most purchase decisions.

Austin Real Estate Market Overview

Austin has settled into a post-correction plateau. After the extraordinary run-up through 2021 and into 2022, the market corrected substantially, and it has now stabilized rather than continued declining. Inventory has expanded well beyond the constrained conditions of the boom years, days on market have lengthened considerably, and the transaction norms that disappeared during the frenzy — inspection contingencies, option periods, seller contributions toward closing costs — are standard practice again.

The market is not uniform, and this is where most general reporting fails. Conditions vary sharply by price band and location:

• Under roughly $500,000 — the most competitive segment. Well-priced homes in desirable central neighborhoods still generate multiple offers and move quickly.
• Central and inner-loop neighborhoods — holding value better than the metro average, supported by genuine scarcity of land and housing stock.
• Outer suburbs — the softest conditions, where new construction has created real oversupply and builders are competing directly against resale with rate buydowns and incentive packages.
• Luxury above roughly $1.5 million — extended timelines and substantially elevated inventory. Sold volume has held up, but properties take considerably longer to transact and pricing discipline matters enormously.

For buyers, current conditions represent the strongest negotiating position Austin has offered since before the pandemic. For sellers, the strategy has fundamentally changed: pricing to recent comparable sales rather than to 2022 memory, preparing the home properly, and marketing it seriously. A correctly priced, well-presented Austin home still transacts well. An overpriced one accumulates days on market and typically closes below where accurate initial pricing would have landed it.

In the luxury segment specifically, the gap between a well-executed listing and a poorly executed one is now measured in months and hundreds of thousands of dollars. That is the market where representation matters most, and where we concentrate.

Austin Neighborhoods

Austin has more than 60 distinct residential neighborhoods. Below are the areas we're asked about most.

Central & West Austin

Tarrytown — Between MoPac and Lake Austin, with mature tree canopy, stately homes, and a five-minute drive to downtown. Housing stock runs largely from the 1940s through 1970s, with significant new construction on teardown lots pushing the upper end. Lady Bird Lake trail access and Zilker Park proximity are walkable from most addresses. Some western addresses border Eanes ISD — verify at the property level, because it materially affects price.

Pemberton Heights & Clarksville — Historic central neighborhoods within blocks of downtown. Among the most walkable addresses in the city, with restaurants and boutiques along West 6th. Limited inventory and strong architectural character.

Northwest Hills — Established, well-regarded, and quieter than the central neighborhoods, with strong Austin ISD campus assignments and Hill Country topography.

South Austin

Zilker — Barton Springs Pool, Zilker Park, and the Barton Creek Greenbelt at the doorstep, with South Lamar and South Congress dining within walking distance. Roughly five minutes from downtown without touching a highway.

Travis Heights & Bouldin Creek — South Congress-adjacent, with bungalows, modern builds, and renovated period homes. The neighborhoods most associated with Austin's character, and among the most walkable in the city.

Barton Hills — Mid-century homes on hillside lots with direct greenbelt access. Consistently one of the safer and more stable central neighborhoods.

Circle C Ranch — Southwest Austin master-planned community with established amenities and strong Austin ISD assignments. A leading choice for families who want space without leaving the city.

East & North Austin

Mueller — A planned community about three miles from downtown, built on the former airport site. Walkable streets, a weekly farmers market, integrated retail, and an Alamo Drafthouse. Note that AISD attendance zones have been adjusted as Mueller's population grew — verify current assignment.

East Austin (78702 and surrounding) — The fastest-evolving part of the city, with the most active restaurant and bar scene and bike access to downtown. A broad range of housing stock and price points.

Hyde Park — Historic homes on quiet streets north of UT, with a walkable commercial district and one of the more accessible entry points among central neighborhoods.

Luxury & Lakefront

Barton Creek — Gated Hill Country living around the Omni Barton Creek Resort, with golf, tennis, and trail amenities. Eanes ISD.

Lake Austin waterfront — The top of the Austin market. Properties range from cottages to multi-million-dollar estates with private docks. Scarcity here is absolute — there is a fixed amount of shoreline.

Westlake Hills & Rollingwood — Technically separate municipalities adjacent to Austin, but functionally part of the same luxury market. Eanes ISD, estate lots, and consistently the highest per-square-foot pricing in Central Texas.

Austin Schools and School Districts

An Austin address does not mean Austin ISD. This is the single most consequential thing relocating buyers misunderstand about the Austin market.

Homes with Austin mailing addresses are served by Austin ISD, Eanes ISD, Lake Travis ISD, Leander ISD, Round Rock ISD, Del Valle ISD, Pflugerville ISD, or Dripping Springs ISD, depending on the specific address. District boundaries were drawn long before the city expanded to its current footprint and follow none of its municipal lines.

Eanes ISD — serving Westlake Hills, Rollingwood, Barton Creek, and portions of western Tarrytown — is consistently the highest-rated district in the metro, and that assignment is priced into the market. The premium for an Eanes address versus an adjacent non-Eanes address is substantial and durable. Within Austin ISD, campus quality varies significantly by attendance zone, and several campuses are highly competitive in their own right.

Attendance zones also shift. Austin ISD has adjusted boundaries as neighborhoods like Mueller have grown, and a home that fed a particular campus three years ago may not today.

We verify the assigned district and specific campus by exact street address before you write an offer, and we'll tell you plainly when a school assignment is doing meaningful work in a home's price.

Getting Around Austin

Approximate drive times to major employment centers, outside of peak congestion:

• Downtown Austin — 5 to 15 minutes from central neighborhoods; 20 to 30 from the outer edges of the city
• The Domain / North Austin tech corridor — 15 to 30 minutes depending on origin
• Apple Parmer Lane campus — 20 to 35 minutes
• Tesla Gigafactory (southeast) — 15 to 30 minutes
• Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) — 15 to 30 minutes
• The University of Texas — 5 to 20 minutes

MoPac and I-35 are the constraints that shape daily life here, and the difference between a central address and an outer one can be 40 minutes each way during peak hours. Austin traffic patterns are also directional — a commute that's straightforward one way can be difficult in reverse.

If you commute to a fixed location, drive the route at your actual departure time before committing to a neighborhood. It's the cheapest due diligence available and it changes buyers' minds regularly.

Frequently Asked Questions About Austin Real Estate

Is now a good time to buy a house in Austin? Austin currently offers buyers the strongest negotiating position since before the pandemic. Inventory has expanded well beyond the 2021–2022 lows, days on market have lengthened, and inspection contingencies and seller closing-cost contributions are standard again. Conditions are most buyer-favorable above roughly $900,000 and in outer suburbs, while homes under $500,000 in desirable central neighborhoods remain competitive.

What is the average home price in Austin, TX? Austin proper carries a median meaningfully higher than the broader Austin metro figure, a gap that reflects years of suburban buildout pulling the metro number down. Within Austin, the range is enormous — central luxury neighborhoods like Tarrytown and Westlake routinely trade well above $1.5 million, while other areas of the city sit near or below the metro median. A citywide average is not a reliable guide to any specific neighborhood.

Are Austin home prices going up or down? Austin's correction phase from the 2022 peak has ended, and the market has stabilized into a plateau rather than continuing to decline. Most analysts project low-single-digit appreciation going forward rather than either further decline or a return to boom-era gains. Central neighborhoods have shown more resilience than outer suburbs, where new construction created oversupply.

What is the best neighborhood in Austin? It depends entirely on priorities. For families, Circle C Ranch, Mueller, and the Eanes ISD areas lead on schools and amenities. For walkable character, Tarrytown, Hyde Park, Zilker, and Travis Heights stand out. For luxury, Westlake Hills, Barton Creek, Tarrytown, and Lake Austin waterfront define the top of the market. For young professionals, East Austin, Zilker, Bouldin Creek, and South Lamar offer the most active dining and nightlife.

What school district is Austin, TX in? Austin addresses are served by multiple districts, not just Austin ISD. Depending on the specific address, a home may fall within Austin ISD, Eanes ISD, Lake Travis ISD, Leander ISD, Round Rock ISD, Del Valle ISD, Pflugerville ISD, or Dripping Springs ISD. Eanes ISD, serving Westlake Hills and Rollingwood, is consistently the highest-rated in the metro. Always verify assignment by exact street address.

What are property taxes in Austin, TX? Combined effective rates inside Austin city limits run around 2% of assessed value, with the broader metro spanning roughly 1.8% to 2.5% depending on jurisdiction. Bills combine school district, City of Austin, Travis County, Austin Community College, and Central Health levies. Texas has no state income tax. Filing a homestead exemption and protesting your appraisal are the two most effective ways to reduce the bill.

How much do you need to earn to buy a house in Austin? The answer varies dramatically by neighborhood and price point, and property taxes and homeowner's insurance are larger components of an Austin payment than buyers relocating from lower-tax states typically expect. A payment analysis that accounts for the actual tax rate at a specific address — including any MUD or PID overlay — gives a far more accurate picture than a general affordability calculator.

Is Austin's luxury market a good time to buy? The segment above roughly $1.5 million has substantially elevated inventory and extended timelines, which favors well-capitalized buyers. Properties are taking considerably longer to transact and sellers are more negotiable than in recent years. For sellers in this segment, pricing discipline and marketing execution now determine outcomes to a degree they did not during the boom.

How long does it take to sell a house in Austin? Timelines have lengthened considerably from the boom years and vary sharply by price band. Well-priced homes in competitive central neighborhoods still move quickly. Luxury properties above $1.5 million take substantially longer. Across every segment, accurate initial pricing is the single largest determinant — overpriced listings accumulate days on market and typically close below where correct pricing would have landed them.

Is Austin a good place to move to? Austin continues to draw residents for its job market, absence of state income tax, outdoor access, and cultural depth. The tradeoffs relocating buyers should weigh honestly are property tax rates well above most states, rising homeowner's insurance costs, summer heat, and traffic congestion along the I-35 and MoPac corridors. Most people who research those factors in advance adjust well; the ones who struggle are usually those who budgeted only for the purchase price.