Austin Real Estate Sale Stats by MLS Area – Sept 2009 YTD

Austin’s real estate market is a “market of markets”, and thus the overall news reported about real estate activity in the Austin Metro area may or may not be reflective of conditions in the specific area in which you live, or the home you own, or the home you want to buy. Each quarter I break down the Austin Real Estate market year-to-date stats into MLS area-specific comparisons of the year before so we can take a look at the variations among different pockets of Austin.

If you follow these quarterly Austin MLS breakdowns, you know that there is always variation among different MLS areas and price ranges, for better or worse. This Year-to-Date report through Sept 2009 is a head scratcher for me though, mainly because the number of Austin MLS areas that normally outperform the overall market has dwindled substantially. Based on what Sylvia and I are experiencing in the field, I would have guessed the opposite to be true. And the market overall is holding up.

But here’s what I’m talking about …

Of the 44 Austin Metro MLS areas tracked below…
5 Austin MLS areas had an increase in average sold prices (3 months ago it was 11)
7 Austin MLS areas had an increase in median sold prices (3 months ago it was 11)
1 Austin MLS area had an increase in average sold price per square foot (3 months ago it was 7).
4 of the Austin MLS areas saw a decrease in average days on market (same as 3 months ago)
7 of the Austin MLS areas saw a decrease in median days on market (3 months ago it was 6).
1 (only 1) Austin MLS area saw an increase in the three main pricing metrics – avg and median sold, and price per square foot. Three areas were in this clug at mid-year.

So does this mean the Austin real estate market is getting worse? As usual, it depends. From a statistical standpoint, more areas are trending down than up. But if you ask Sylvia and I if we’re busy, yes we are. We had 4 closings in October and three on the board already for November, which is unusual for the slow season. On the other hand, if you ask an agent who specializes in luxury homes in Lakeway, they will probably say things are dismal. And I do in fact have a listing on 10 acres in Dripping Springs that isn’t getting any showings even though we think it’s under priced.

Add in the government interference/intervention in normal real estate market activity with the tax credit incentives, the nervous jitters of the stock market, artificially low interest rates, appraisal issues, and what we have is a number of variables pulling and tugging with and against one another. Bottom line, overall, at 3% down for the year on average sold price and about even on medial sold price, Austin’s market is doing about what we think it should, as a whole. It’s just interesting to see all the underlying cross currents.

That said, below is the breakdown summary, then you can study the chart yourself and see how your areas of interest are doing. As usual, questions and comments are welcome.


Austin Real Estate Sales by MLS Area – YTD Sept 2009

Houses only – Condos, Duplexes, etc not included









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
All Areas 2009 13928 $245,616 $192,000 2,184 $112.46 75 48

2008 16317 $253,320 $193,000 2,142 $118.26 65 43

Change -14.64% -3.04% -0.52% 1.96% -4.91% 15.38% 11.63%









MLS Area YTD-Apr # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
1A 2009 131 $477,754 $432,000 2,779 $171.92 80 47

2008 161 $500,373 $469,000 2,707 $184.84 59 36

Change -18.63% -4.52% -7.89% 2.66% -6.99% 35.59% 30.56%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
1B 2009 177 $620,504 $540,000 2,471 $251.11 107 79

2008 196 $705,289 $557,498 2,382 $296.09 52 37

Change -9.69% -12.02% -3.14% 3.74% -15.19% 105.77% 113.51%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
1N 2009 323 $298,164 $262,000 2,188 $136.27 50 32

2008 346 $292,265 $263,000 2,101 $139.11 39 22

Change -6.65% 2.02% -0.38% 4.14% -2.04% 28.21% 45.45%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
2 2009 244 $252,058 $249,000 1,403 $179.66 53 32

2008 258 $267,376 $257,000 1,439 $185.81 51 33

Change -5.43% -5.73% -3.11% -2.50% -3.31% 3.92% -3.03%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
2N 2009 194 $151,973 $144,750 1,558 $97.54 54 34

2008 227 $155,527 $150,000 1,439 $108.08 51 33

Change -14.54% -2.29% -3.50% 8.27% -9.75% 5.88% 3.03%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
3 2009 239 $221,094 $208,000 1,580 $139.93 80 54

2008 233 $223,216 $206,000 1,522 $146.66 60 41

Change 2.58% -0.95% 0.97% 3.81% -4.59% 33.33% 31.71%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
3E 2009 95 $144,189 $125,000 1,523 $94.67 87 49

2008 114 $155,202 $146,725 1,596 $97.24 69 52

Change -16.67% -7.10% -14.81% -4.57% -2.64% 26.09% -5.77%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
4 2009 187 $356,178 $325,000 1,559 $228.47 71 47

2008 234 $367,404 $335,000 1,543 $238.11 58 43

Change -20.09% -3.06% -2.99% 1.04% -4.05% 22.41% 9.30%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
5 2009 159 $179,345 $157,200 1,242 $144.40 68 51

2008 230 $187,117 $170,000 1,216 $153.88 66 49

Change -30.87% -4.15% -7.53% 2.14% -6.16% 3.03% 4.08%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
5E 2009 78 $105,785 $106,934 1,421 $74.44 54 43

2008 65 $113,467 $110,000 1,651 $68.73 51 36

Change 20.00% -6.77% -2.79% -13.93% 8.32% 5.88% 19.44%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
6 2009 130 $366,213 $320,000 1,573 $232.81 79 49

2008 157 $368,887 $326,700 1,498 $246.25 60 39

Change -17.20% -0.72% -2.05% 5.01% -5.46% 31.67% 25.64%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
7 2009 53 $429,826 $390,000 1,773 $242.43 76 51

2008 89 $426,637 $371,500 1,744 $244.63 53 32

Change -40.45% 0.75% 4.98% 1.66% -0.90% 43.40% 59%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
8E 2009 138 $828,166 $625,500 3,589 $230.75 91 53

2008 146 $863,337 $730,250 3,327 $259.49 70 42

Change -5.48% -4.07% -14.34% 7.87% -11.08% 30.00% 26%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
8W 2009 171 $623,611 $490,000 3,353 $185.99 85 53

2008 190 $626,800 $465,500 3,202 $195.75 75 48

Change -10.00% -0.51% 5.26% 4.72% -4.99% 13.33% 10%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
9 2009 39 $151,388 $144,300 1,455 $104.05 71 44

2008 40 $188,769 $172,101 1,523 $123.95 52 44

Change -2.50% -19.80% -16.15% -4.46% -16.05% 36.54% 0%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
10N 2009 196 $183,624 $172,000 1,402 $130.97 50 23

2008 215 $194,601 $175,000 1,441 $135.05 45 23

Change -8.84% -5.64% -1.71% -2.71% -3.02% 11.11% 0%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
10S 2009 462 $179,339 $175,000 1,659 $108.10 47 25

2008 510 $180,213 $174,000 1,634 $110.29 40 25

Change -9.41% -0.48% 0.57% 1.53% -1.98% 17.50% 0%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
11 2009 152 $109,601 $109,250 1,445 $75.85 54 44

2008 172 $119,005 $113,605 1,414 $84.16 50 34

Change -11.63% -7.90% -3.83% 2.19% -9.88% 8.00% 29%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
BA 2009 179 $149,659 $136,000 1,784 $83.89 71 43

2008 215 $156,100 $148,206 1,819 $85.82 75 47

Change -16.74% -4.13% -8.24% -1.92% -2.25% -5.33% -9%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
BW 2009 78 $202,815 $174,945 2,197 $92.31 81 57

2008 102 $216,134 $190,750 2,210 $97.80 67 55

Change -23.53% -6.16% -8.29% -0.59% -5.61% 20.90% 4%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
CLN 2009 705 $184,146 $155,000 2,115 $87.07 67 41

2008 873 $178,014 $156,500 2,017 $88.26 57 36

Change -19.24% 3.44% -0.96% 4.86% -1.35% 17.54% 14%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
CLS 2009 746 $239,825 $216,313 2,436 $98.45 70 50

2008 831 $240,601 $217,800 2,382 $101.01 67 48

Change -10.23% -0.32% -0.68% 2.27% -2.53% 4.48% 4%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
EL 2009 147 $115,700 $97,850 1,842 $62.81 58 41

2008 187 $124,215 $118,000 1,771 $70.14 64 47

Change -21.39% -6.86% -17.08% 4.01% -10.45% -9.38% -13%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
GTE 2009 163 $162,128 $146,000 1,912 $84.79 74 35

2008 235 $163,301 $153,225 1,853 $88.13 66 43

Change -30.64% -0.72% -4.72% 3.18% -3.78% 12.12% -19%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
GTW 2009 535 $249,324 $215,000 2,327 $107.14 112 82

2008 621 $247,025 $213,950 2,218 $111.37 89 64

Change -13.85% 0.93% 0.49% 4.91% -3.80% 25.84% 28%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
HD 2009 267 $335,106 $310,000 2,905 $115.35 110 77

2008 316 $360,345 $345,495 2,896 $124.43 102 77

Change -15.51% -7.00% -10.27% 0.31% -7.29% 7.84% 0%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
HH 2009 622 $166,668 $149,900 2,029 $82.14 71 45

2008 769 $180,966 $156,483 2,101 $86.13 64 44

Change -19.12% -7.90% -4.21% -3.43% -4.63% 10.94% 2%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
HU 2009 333 $149,721 $136,000 1,986 $75.39 67 48

2008 373 $154,442 $143,490 1,985 $77.80 59 38

Change -10.72% -3.06% -5.22% 0.05% -3.11% 13.56% 26%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
LN 2009 129 $266,867 $195,000 2,092 $127.57 119 79

2008 160 $293,980 $222,000 2,114 $139.06 81 59

Change -19.38% -9.22% -12.16% -1.04% -8.27% 46.91% 34%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
LS 2009 520 $426,690 $348,200 2,945 $144.89 116 81

2008 567 $487,974 $365,000 2,873 $169.85 103 74

Change -8.29% -12.56% -4.60% 2.51% -14.70% 12.62% 9%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
MA 2009 181 $119,592 $107,000 1,684 $71.02 67 37

2008 215 $146,815 $133,000 1,974 $74.37 73 44

Change -15.81% -18.54% -19.55% -14.69% -4.51% -8.22% -16%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
N 2009 260 $186,044 $183,000 1,935 $96.15 39 24

2008 298 $191,580 $185,000 1,842 $104.01 38 22

Change -12.75% -2.89% -1.08% 5.05% -7.56% 2.63% 9%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
NE 2009 235 $150,056 $150,215 1,824 $82.27 59 41

2008 259 $154,840 $154,168 1,812 $85.45 53 35

Change -9.27% -3.09% -2.56% 0.66% -3.73% 11.32% 17%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
NW 2009 478 $246,332 $214,250 2,244 $109.77 51 28

2008 466 $255,267 $211,000 2,248 $113.55 40 20

Change 2.58% -3.50% 1.54% -0.18% -3.33% 27.50% 40%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
PF 2009 849 $165,319 $156,000 2,123 $77.87 63 39

2008 995 $166,183 $156,500 2,007 $82.80 61 41

Change -14.67% -0.52% -0.32% 5.78% -5.96% 3.28% -5%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
RN 2009 313 $483,611 $400,000 3,490 $138.57 100 77

2008 354 $529,716 $412,500 3,327 $159.22 98 75

Change -11.58% -8.70% -3.03% 4.90% -12.97% 2.04% 3%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
RRE 2009 833 $187,815 $164,000 2,303 $81.55 79 50

2008 1082 $188,380 $163,000 2,222 $84.78 65 42

Change -23.01% -0.30% 0.61% 3.65% -3.81% 21.54% 19%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
RRW 2009 810 $231,932 $221,250 2,553 $90.85 76 54

2008 1004 $244,905 $229,000 2,563 $95.55 66 47

Change -19.32% -5.30% -3.38% -0.39% -4.93% 15.15% 15%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
SC 2009 118 $175,037 $148,869 2,029 $86.27 62 38

2008 133 $189,828 $163,740 2,166 $87.64 52 37

Change -11.28% -7.79% -9.08% -6.33% -1.57% 19.23% 3%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
SE 2009 96 $111,697 $108,200 1,791 $62.37 57 39

2008 141 $127,430 $128,000 1,847 $68.99 59 41

Change -31.91% -12.35% -15.47% -3.03% -9.61% -3.39% -5%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
SWE 2009 479 $227,999 $210,000 2,188 $104.20 67 42

2008 547 $235,192 $219,000 2,154 $109.19 50 34

Change -12.43% -3.06% -4.11% 1.58% -4.56% 34.00% 24%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
SWW 2009 437 $292,965 $275,000 2,548 $114.98 62 37

2008 547 $310,213 $285,000 2,523 $122.95 51 32

Change -20.11% -5.56% -3.51% 0.99% -6.49% 21.57% 16%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
UT 2009 26 $459,141 $427,500 1,936 $237.16 91 76

2008 40 $473,759 $419,750 1,855 $255.40 56 39

Change -35.00% -3.09% 1.85% 4.37% -7.14% 62.50% 95%









MLS Area Year # Sold Avg Sold Med Sold Avg SQFT Avg PSF Avg Days Med Days
W 2009 209 $481,490 $335,000 2,963 $162.50 83 50

2008 208 $441,902 $335,000 2,796 $158.05 68 47

Change 0.48% 8.96% 0.00% 5.97% 2.82% 22.06% 6%
Yes, shame on Pearson for expressing himself on his Web site.

Austin MLS Map

7 thoughts on “Austin Real Estate Sale Stats by MLS Area – Sept 2009 YTD”

  1. i see you did not include condos. if you did, what the stats wouldn’t show are the abundant off-market transactions. This is especially prevalent in downtown and east austin, where developers control a chunk of the inventory and only put a handful of units on the MLS. For instance, there are at least 100 sales in downtown this year from The Shore and 360 that aren’t reflected in the MLS numbers.

    Just an additional perspective on a small portion of the market. Thanks for a great blog – consistently high quality info.

    -Jude

    Reply
  2. Hi New Austinite,

    Yes, 1B looks like it’s correcting a bit. Doesn’t mean individual homes have dropped that much (though the upper end homes may have dropped even more), but the demand has settled back down.

    Steve

    Reply
  3. How many of these MLS deals were actually ‘sold’ by buyers agents – with a listing agent privileged by their broker affiliation to just ‘go fishing’ from the comfort of their easy chair for a quick and easy $10,000+ with nothing more than MLS access, mark down price, a recycled sign and a couple of 10 minute internet listings, waiting for the phone to ring with an offer? In this market mood the emphasis being placed on quick commission. Is that a free and effective market place that puts the needs of clients ahead of those for a commission? What are the FSBO stats for Austin?

    Reply
  4. Steve, I was looking at houses in the almost completed Rancho Alto subdivision at Frate Barker/Manchacha and had concerns. Zillow shows existing houses for sale in the $80-$100/sf range. There are also “groups” of houses that appear to be offered by the builder; only renderings are available, but they are built nonetheless. These are priced at a whopping $130-$140/sf range across the board. What does this say about the neighborhood? Although I would be living in this house, is this a wise purchase from an investment standpoint?

    Thanks

    Johan

    Reply
  5. Hi Jonah,

    I don’t really like Rancho Alto. Sorry. I think you’d find better value in a resale in Olympic Heights across Frate Barker. If you really must have a new home, I’d stick with a basic stock home in Rancho Alto and make sure you plan to remain at least 5 years. If doing that, it should work out ok based just on the strength of the geographic location.

    Steve

    Reply

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