Home sellers outnumber buyers by 63%, a record gap

Plus: 69% of Texas buyers face no competition

October 15, 2026

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1. Home sellers outnumber buyers by 63%, a record gap

Home sellers outnumbered buyers by 62.6% in September, the widest gap since Redfin began tracking records in 2013. The imbalance widened from 56.9% in August as the number of buyers fell 2.4% to a record-low 928,892, while sellers rose 1.2% to 1.51 million, the highest level since March 2020.

Overall, 41 of the 50 largest U.S. metros were buyer’s markets, the most on record. Texas stood out, with Houston recording the nation’s third-largest seller surplus at 134.6%.

Other major Texas metros followed closely:

  • Austin: 130.9%

  • San Antonio: 125.6%

  • Dallas: 121.9%

  • Fort Worth: 108.3%

All five Texas metros had more than twice as many sellers as buyers. The growing supply gives buyers more options and room to negotiate, but high home prices, mortgage rates, and economic uncertainty continue to keep many prospective buyers on the sidelines.

Source: Redfin

2. Texas bidding wars fade as 69% of buyers face no competing offers

Nearly 7 in 10 Texas agents said their buyers faced no competing offers in 2026, up from 57% in 2025, according to a Texas Realtors’ survey. Growing inventory is giving buyers greater negotiating power, including opportunities to secure seller-paid closing costs, mortgage rate concessions, and repairs.

The shift is especially evident in San Antonio, where agents report offers being accepted without competition. Statewide, 32% of agents said buyers had plenty of homes to choose from, up from 25% last year, while only 6% of buyers who paused their searches cited a lack of available homes.

The Texas median listing price stood at $359,990, down 2.4% year over year, with homes spending a median of 64 days on the market.

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3. Catch up quick

📈 CPI inflation rose to 3.7% year over year in September. (BLS.gov)

💸 Luxury list prices hit a 3-year low after 30 months of declines. (Realtor.com)

🏗️ Hines buys 1,476 acres in west Fort Worth for 3,800 homes. (Hines)

💬 Compass CEO defends private listings, says MLSs make homes look “damaged”. (CNBC)

📣 George Foreman’s $6 million Texas estate hits the market. (Realtor.com)

4. Cedar Park named No. 1 best small city in Texas

Cedar Park ranked No. 58 nationally and first among Texas cities in WalletHub’s 2026 Best Small Cities to Live In study. The study evaluated 1,318 cities with populations between 25,000 and 100,000 across 45 metrics covering affordability, economic health, education, health, quality of life, and safety.

The Austin suburb scored 66.22 out of 100, placing it in the 96th percentile nationally. Dallas-area suburb Allen followed at No. 59, while Leander ranked No. 93.

Cedar Park had about 79,000 residents in 2025, according to Census Bureau data. WalletHub’s analysis highlights how smaller cities can offer a balance of affordability and economic opportunity, though amenities and transit options are often more limited than in major urban centers.

5. Existing-home sales rise 1.5% as inventory grows

Existing-home sales rose 1.5% in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.99 million, but remained 2.2% below year-ago levels, according to the NAR.

Inventory increased 4.6% annually to 1.60 million homes, equivalent to a 4.8-month supply, giving buyers more negotiating power as homes took a median of 33 days to sell.

The median existing-home price climbed 1.3% year over year to $417,500, marking 39 consecutive months of annual price gains.

“Despite the small monthly gain on a seasonally adjusted basis, August and September marked the two slowest months for home sales this year,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “Further increases in mortgage rates in recent weeks mean fewer buyers can qualify to purchase a home.”

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