How Much Over Asking
How Much Over Asking Should You Offer in Austin? What Buyers Actually Paid
Updated November 4, 2026
Reviewed by:
Head of Growth at TurboHome
Agent, Texas · Texas Realtor® License #674075
The median home in Austin closed 3.0% below list price between August and October 2026, and 7.3% of the 1,298 closings in our MLS feed sold above the asking price. When buyers did pay over asking, the typical winning offer was 1.5% over list, about $7,500 on a median $530,000 home, while 80.4% of buyers paid less than asking. Whether you should offer over list in Austin depends on the neighborhood, the price tier and how long the home has been listed, and the sections below give the numbers for each.
TurboHome Market Analysis · Austin, TX · Closings August through October 2026 · Published November 2026
Key findings
- Median close: 97.0% of list (3.0% below list price), and 8.5% below original asking.
- Over, at or under: 7.3% of homes sold above list, 12.2% exactly at list and 80.4% below list.
- Size of the premium: when buyers paid over asking, the median premium was 1.5% over list ($7,500), and the 90th percentile closing was 100.0% of list.
- Neighborhoods paying the most: Southwest Austin (median 98.4% of list), South Manchaca (98.2%) and Sweetwater (98.2%).
- Most competitive price tier: the $1.5M to $2M tier, where 8.9% of 56 closings sold above list at a median 95.8% of list.
- Price cuts: 72.7% of closings had at least one price cut before the sale, so a below-list offer is a normal opening move on a listing that has sat.
Austin offers vs asking: the numbers
Closings in Austin in our MLS feed, August through October 2026, all home types.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Closings analyzed | 1,298 |
| Median close vs list | 97.0% of list (3.0% below list price) |
| Median close vs original asking | 8.5% below original asking |
| Share sold above list | 7.3% |
| Share sold at list | 12.2% |
| Share sold below list | 80.4% |
| Median premium when sold over list | 1.5% over list ($7,500) |
| Median discount when sold under list | $21,500 under list |
| 75th percentile close vs list | 99.1% of list |
| 90th percentile close vs list | 100.0% of list |
| Median days on market | 80 |
| Share with a price cut before closing | 72.7% |
"Close vs list" compares the sale price with the asking price at the time the offer was accepted, so price cuts made earlier are already baked into the list price. The 90th percentile (100.0% of list in Austin) shows what the most competitive one in ten offers looked like. A high share of price cuts means list prices are being negotiated down before the sale; in Austin, 72.7% of closings had at least one cut.
What a winning offer looked like by price tier
| Price tier | Closings | Median close as % of list | Share sold above list |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under $500k | 597 | 97.3% | 8.2% |
| $500k to $750k | 303 | 97.6% | 8.6% |
| $750k to $1M | 157 | 97.0% | 4.5% |
| $1M to $1.5M | 121 | 95.8% | 4.1% |
| $1.5M to $2M | 56 | 95.8% | 8.9% |
| $2M to $3M | 42 | 95.3% | 7.1% |
| $3M and up | 22 | 94.8% | 0.0% |
No Austin price tier was truly competitive: the share sold above list topped out at 8.9% in the $1.5M to $2M tier (56 closings), which still closed at a median 95.8% of list. The $500k to $750k tier closed closest to list, at a median 97.6% with 8.6% above asking, and homes at $3M and up were the softest, with 0.0% of 22 closings above list at a median 94.8%.
Houses vs condos: where the bidding is
| Home type | Closings | Median close as % of list | Share sold above list |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single family | 1,027 | 97.1% | 8.2% |
| Condos and townhomes | 268 | 96.6% | 4.1% |
Single family homes in Austin closed at a median 97.1% of list, and 8.2% sold above asking. Condos and townhomes closed at a median 96.6% of list with 4.1% above asking, so the bidding is heaviest on single family homes.
Austin neighborhoods where buyers pay the most over asking (and the least)
Neighborhoods with at least 10 closings in our feed, August through October 2026.
| Neighborhood | Closings | Median close as % of list | Share sold above list | Median sale price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Austin | 32 | 98.4% | 12.5% | $435,000 |
| South Manchaca | 15 | 98.2% | 20.0% | $690,000 |
| Sweetwater | 11 | 98.2% | 9.1% | $688,829 |
| Circle C | 22 | 97.9% | 4.5% | $730,000 |
| Neighborhood | Closings | Median close as % of list | Share sold above list | Median sale price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeway | 15 | 93.6% | 0.0% | $730,000 |
| Parker Lane | 12 | 93.3% | 0.0% | $155,500 |
| Tarrytown | 17 | 92.5% | 0.0% | $1,685,000 |
The firmest Austin area was Southwest Austin, where 32 closings went for a median 98.4% of list and 12.5% sold above asking; South Manchaca had the highest share above asking, at 20.0%. At the other end, Tarrytown closed at a median 92.5% of list, with 0.0% above asking. Neighborhood figures rest on far fewer closings than the citywide numbers, so read them as direction rather than a price quote.
Days on market changes the answer
In Austin, 8.6% of closings went under contract within 14 days, and those homes closed at a median 98.9% of list with 20.5% above asking. Homes that took more than 30 days closed at a median 96.9% of list, and 5.7% sold above asking.
| Time to go under contract | Median close as % of list | Share sold above list |
|---|---|---|
| Within 14 days | 98.9% | 20.5% |
| More than 30 days | 96.9% | 5.7% |
A home still active after 30 days in Austin is where below-list offers succeed, because the seller has watched the market pass the home by. A new listing in a hot neighborhood is where the premium is paid, because that is where the competing offers land in the first two weeks.
Is Austin getting more or less competitive?
Month by month in our feed, May 2026 to Oct 2026.
| Month | Share sold above list | Median close as % of list |
|---|---|---|
| May 2026 | 12% | 97.9% |
| Jun 2026 | 14% | 97.7% |
| Jul 2026 | 12% | 97.4% |
| Aug 2026 | 7% | 96.9% |
| Sep 2026 | 7% | 97.0% |
| Oct 2026 | 8% | 97.2% |
The share of homes sold over asking was 12% in May 2026 (median close 97.9% of list) and 8% in October 2026 (median close 97.2% of list), with a six-month peak of 14% in June 2026. Our MLS feed for Austin begins in late 2025, so there is no year-ago comparison, and months before May 2026 have too few closings to show. Over the months shown, the share sold above list went from 12% in May 2026 to 8% in Oct 2026.
Why Austin buyers can offer under asking
Austin is the deepest discount market in our feed: the median closing was 3.0% below list and 8.5% below the original asking price, 80.4% of homes closed under list, 72.7% of sellers cut the price at least once before the sale, and the median home took 80 days to go under contract. Only 7.3% of closings went over asking, and the 90th percentile closing was exactly at list, so a full-price offer already puts a buyer in the top tenth of outcomes. Southwest Austin, South Manchaca, Sweetwater and Circle C were the firmest areas at 1.6% to 2.1% below list, while Tarrytown closed 7.5% below list at a $1,685,000 median, Lakeway 6.4% below and Parker Lane 6.7% below. Every price tier above $1,000,000 closed 4.2% to 5.2% below list, and condos and townhomes closed 3.4% below with 4.1% above asking. Our Austin feed begins in late 2025, so there is no year-over-year comparison for this city.
The national picture
Nationally, Redfin's housing market update published October 29, 2026 (four weeks ending October 25, 2026) reported that 23.2% of U.S. homes sold above list price, the average sale-to-list ratio was 98.3%, 21.5% of listings had a price drop, pending sales were at the lowest level in Redfin's records and the median sale price fell 0.1% year over year, the first decline in more than three years.
In Austin, 7.3% of homes sold above list and the median closing was 3.0% below list price, so Austin is softer than the national market.
How to decide what to offer in Austin
- Start from the neighborhood table, not the citywide median. The median Austin home closed at 97.0% of list, but neighborhoods ranged from a median 98.4% of list in Southwest Austin to 92.5% in Tarrytown.
- Check the days on market and the price-cut history of the listing. 72.7% of Austin closings had a price cut before the sale, and a cut signals room below list. Homes that took more than 30 days closed at a median 96.9% of list.
- Size the offer to the home. On a hot listing, the 75th percentile (99.1% of list) and the 90th percentile (100.0%) show what a competitive offer looked like. On a stale one, the median discount on below-list sales ($21,500 under list) is a sensible place to open.
- Ask the listing agent how many offers are in and whether there is an offer date. An offer date means the seller is planning for competing bids, so your first offer should be your best one.
- Have your agent pull the last five closings on the same street before you name a number. Recent sales next door beat any citywide figure, including the ones on this page.
Methodology
We looked at closings of single family homes, condos and townhouses in Austin from our MLS feed, closed August through October 2026. "Close vs list" is the closing price divided by the list price in effect when the offer was accepted; "close vs original asking" uses the first list price. "Sold above list" means the closing price exceeded the list price by any amount. Neighborhood tables require at least 10 closings. Sales under $50,000 are excluded. Figures are medians unless stated. Published November 2026. Austin has no year-over-year comparison because our Austin feed begins in late 2025, and its monthly trend starts in May 2026 because earlier months have too few closings to show.
Frequently asked questions
How much over asking do you need to offer in Austin?
The median Austin home closed 3.0% below list price (97.0% of list) between August and October 2026. When buyers paid over asking, the median premium was 1.5% over list, or $7,500. A quarter of homes closed at 99.1% of list or higher, and the most competitive one in ten closed at 100.0% of list or higher.
Do homes in Austin sell over asking price?
Fewer than a third do. 7.3% of Austin homes in our feed sold above list between August and October 2026, 12.2% sold exactly at list and 80.4% sold below.
Which Austin neighborhoods get the most offers over asking?
No Austin neighborhood closed above list at the median in our feed. The firmest were Southwest Austin (median 98.4% of list, 12.5% sold above asking), South Manchaca (median 98.2% of list, 20.0% sold above asking) and Sweetwater (median 98.2% of list, 9.1% sold above asking). Buyers paid the least relative to asking in Tarrytown, at a median 92.5% of list.
Can you offer under asking in Austin?
Yes, often. 80.4% of Austin homes sold below list, at a median $21,500 under list, and 72.7% of closings had at least one price cut before the sale. Homes that took more than 30 days to go under contract closed at a median 96.9% of list, with 5.7% selling above asking.
Is Austin more competitive than last year?
Our MLS feed for Austin begins in late 2025, so there is no year-ago comparison yet. The share of homes sold over asking was 12% in May 2026 (median close 97.9% of list) and 8% in October 2026 (median close 97.2% of list), with a six-month peak of 14% in June 2026.
Related TurboHome guides
- How much over asking to offer, by city
- Greater Austin home buying guides
- New construction vs resale homes in Austin
- Best time to buy a house in Austin
- Down payment on a house in Austin
- How long it takes to close in Austin
- HOA fees in Austin
- Best Austin neighborhoods for first-time buyers
- Income needed to buy a home in Austin
- Texas home buying guides
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About the Author
Vinura Abeysundara
Vinura Abeysundara is a real estate and growth professional with experience scaling homebuying platforms across Canada and the United States. Formerly Head of Growth at Zown, he now works with TurboHome and writes about homebuyer savings, flat-fee real estate, commissions, and technology in real estate.
View Vinura on LinkedInAbout Jake Shuler
Agent, Texas
Jake Shuler is a Texas REALTOR® with more than 10 years of real estate experience and over 200 successful transactions. As an agent at TurboHome, he helps buyers navigate the Texas housing market and writes about homebuying, negotiations, local market trends, and ways buyers can save throughout the process.
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