Source content updated: October 8, 2026. General education, not individual legal, tax, lending, or insurance advice. Check the dates and status notes before making a decision.
01
September report: July conditions differed across markets
This page uses the Texas Real Estate Research Center’s September 2026 Texas Housing Insight, published September 18. It includes revised full July data and preliminary August information. The figures here are for July, not October conditions or finalized August results. DFW residential sales were down 1.5% from a year earlier.
Statewide July sales totaled 32,306, up 2.2% year over year. The Texas median sale price was $339,000, unchanged from the prior year, and inventory was about 5.5 months. These statewide figures are not Dallas or Fort Worth city prices and cannot value a particular property. Market composition and local supply can produce different outcomes.
02
Read four indicators together
A median price can change because the mix of sold homes changes. More higher-priced sales can raise the median without every property appreciating. Compare similar cities, price bands, ages, and property types rather than treating one metro number as the answer.
Read prices with months of inventory, days on market, and sale-to-list price. Check whether a ratio uses the original or most recent asking price. Pending listings, active competition, recent comparable sales, property condition, and concessions add context that an average cannot capture.
03
For buyers: start with costs and a specific search
A more balanced market does not mean every home offers a large discount. Well-priced homes with desirable features and limited nearby competition may attract buyers quickly. Longer marketing time, more competing listings, or repair needs can create a different negotiating situation.
Set a comfortable monthly budget that includes taxes, insurance, HOA dues, maintenance, and special assessments. When comparing new construction with resale, put builder incentives, upgrades, preferred-lender terms, timing, and expected ownership costs on the same basis. Design an offer around price and other relevant terms, not a headline prediction.
04
For sellers: price against the competition
Use genuinely comparable sold homes, current listings, condition, and expected buyer alternatives. A broad market headline does not determine your home’s price. Buyers may compare a resale home with a nearby builder’s financing promotion, and that comparison can affect positioning even when the homes differ.
Prepare disclosures and major maintenance information, choose repairs that address actual buyer concerns, and review inquiries, showings, and feedback after launch. If response is weak, reconsider presentation, price, and competition together. Neither an asking price nor an automated estimate is proof of achievable proceeds.
05
Keep market data in its proper role
Market figures provide background for a decision; they are not a short-term forecast or a promise of appreciation. Your own goals, time horizon, financing, reserves, and the property’s details still determine whether a transaction is sensible.
Reports arrive after their data period and may be revised. Check the publication date, covered month, full versus preliminary status, and geography before comparing. Reassess a specific property using recent transactions and current competition instead of presenting a historical monthly snapshot as today’s quote.
Your checklist
- Exact city, price range, and property type
- Recent comparable sales and active competition
- Price, inventory, time on market, and concessions
- Address-specific total monthly costs
- New construction and resale on equal terms
- Personal timeline and ownership horizon
Frequently asked questions
Will Dallas prices fall in 2026?
The July data in the September report does not establish one price direction for all cities or homes. Review the specific segment and property.
Is now a good time to buy?
That depends on your housing needs, planned ownership period, cash reserves, financing, and comfortable total monthly costs.
Is new construction always a better deal?
No. Compare price, lot premiums, upgrades, incentives, financing, taxes, insurance, HOA dues, maintenance, and timing together.
Official sources
- TRERC: September 2026 Texas Housing Insight (published September 18; July full / August preliminary)
- TRERC: DFW housing activity
Follow the linked official source for current rules and property-specific confirmation.
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