Northwest Austin Edition | July 2025

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Northwest Austin Edition VOLUME 19, ISSUE 6 JULY 30AUG. 28, 2025

2025 Home Edition

The rise of ‘accidental landlords’ in Austin

Sellers turn to leasing as housing market slows

INSIDE

Also in this issue

Impacts Page 6 Read about changes happening at Juliet Italian Kitchen Page 8 Check out city of Austin’s proposed FY 2025-26 budget Government

2025 Home Edition

Page 14

Northwest Austin is one area among many experiencing the trend. (Courtesy Unlock MLS)

See more on renovations at Great Hills Country Club

Innovation meets expertise in scoliosis care

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NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION

Jared Fridley, MD Neurosurgeon, Spine and Nerve Center

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About Community Impact

Owners John and Jennifer Garrett launched Community Impact in 2005, and the company is still locally owned today with editions across Texas. Our mission is to provide trusted news and local information that everyone gets. Our vision is to build communities of informed citizens and thriving businesses through the collaboration of a passionate team. Our purpose is to be a light for our readers, customers, partners and each other by living out our core values of Faith, Passion, Quality, Innovation and Integrity.

Market leaders & metro team

Reporters Brittany Anderson Katlynn Fox Dacia Garcia Elisabeth Jimenez Anna Maness Haley McLeod Hannah Norton Brooke Sjoberg Ben Thompson Joel Valley Gracie Warhurst Chloe Young Graphic Designers Abbey Eckhardt Alissa Foss Abigail Jones Sabrina Musachia Karoline Pfeil Sam Schaer

Taylor Stover General Manager

Grace Dickens Editor

Minh Nguyen Joseph Veloz Managing Editor Darcy Sprague Product Manager Gloria Amareth Quality Desk Editor Adrian Gandara Austin Market President Travis Baker

Jill Futch Account Executive

Note to our readers: Beginning this month, you’ll no longer see Texas Monthly content featured in Community Impact . We’re grateful for the partnership and proud to continue focusing on original, impactful reporting from our own CI journalists across Texas. As always, thank you for trusting us to keep you informed about what matters most in your community.

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Impacts

4 Nyle Maxwell of Austin service center The dealership moved its quick service center from off- site back to its main location. The service center is used for simpler service needs like oil changes. The dealership also offers engine maintenance, repairs and body work. • Quick service center reopened April 1 5 Gold’s Gym The national fitness center opened its new flagship after closing at 9101 Research Blvd., Austin. The opening coincided with the company’s 60th anniversary. • Opened June 30 • 7301 Burnet Road, Austin • www.goldsgym.com • 13401 N. RM 620, Austin • www.nylemaxwellcdjr.com

45 TOLL

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6 Little Caesars The business sells pizza with a range of toppings and crusts. Customers can also find breadsticks, crazy puffs, wings and dessert options. • Opening in December • 10001 Research Blvd., Ste. 160, Austin • www.littlecaesars.com

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7 Lifted Trucks The truck shop is slated to open its first Austin location in far Northwest Austin, per a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing. The shop has an inventory of trucks and provides services for customized lifts, wheels, tires and other truck accessories.

including hormone therapy, medical weight loss services, hydrafacials and botox. • Opened May 21 • 10710 Research Blvd., Ste. 136, Austin • https://austin.relivehealth.com ANDERSON LN.

Now open

CAPITAL OF TEXAS HWY.

1 Whipped Bakery The bakery offers custom cakes, cupcakes, stuffed macarons, cake rolls and other pastry items, as well as coffee and tea drinks. • Opened May 15 • 10700 Anderson Mill Road, Ste. 109, Austin • www.whippedatx.com 2 Relive Health Clients can find a range of services at the business

• 12931 US 183, Austin • www.liftedtrucks.com

3 Hardy Windows The business offers window and door services with over 30 years of industry experience. Customers can find different window styles and doors. • Opened June 1 • 13240 Pond Springs Road, Austin • www.hardytexas.com

Relocations

8 Old Burger 58 The food truck relocated from Pink Flamingo Food Court to Anderson Mill Food Truck Court and serves Venezuelan

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cuisine such as empanadas, arepas, pepitos and more. • Relocated in June • 9817 Anderson Mill Road, Austin • Instagram: oldburger58 9 ATX Print Services The print shop offers personal and commercial vinyl printing, indoor and outdoor signage, architectural drawings printing, vehicle decals and wraps, stickers, banners, flags and window graphics. • Relocated in April • 13033 Pond Springs Road, Austin • www.atxprintservices.com 10 Precision Custom Tailors The business relocated a few doors down. The shop, which was previously located at 6816 N. RM 620, offers repair, restoration and alteration services for suits, dresses, pants, jackets and other clothes. • Relocated in June • 6812 N. RM 620, Austin • 512-620-4016

Relocation

In the news

14 World Market The business relocated from its previous spot at 9333 Research Blvd., Austin, to Great Hills Station shopping center. The store is known for selling home decor, furniture, housewares, gifts, jewelry and decor in addition to food and beverages from around the world. • Relocated in July • 10225 Research Blvd., Ste. 3500, Austin • www.worldmarket.com

17 Juliet Italian Kitchen The Austin-based Italian restaurant underwent new leadership in May with CEO Timothy Rucker. Starting July 14, new summer menus have been introduced at Juliet. Additionally, the restaurant is celebrating 10 years in Austin since its opening in 2015. • 10000 Research Blvd., Austin • www.juliet-austin.com

In the news

11 Viva Day Spa The company is celebrating 20 years since launching its first location in Central Austin with eight employees in 2005. The brand offers cosmetic injectables, laser treatments, skin care services and more. • 11601 Rock Rose Ave., Austin • www.vivadayspa.com 12 Zara The location is temporarily closing to expand from its current size of 11,000 square feet to 35,000 square feet. Zara sells clothing for women, men and children. • Closed June 15, reopening early 2026 • 3409 Esperanza Crossing, Ste. P-100, Austin • www.zara.com 13 Kerbey Lane Cafe The family-owned eatery celebrated its 45th anniversary in May. The first Kerbey Lane Cafe opened in 1980 in Central Austin and the business now operates 10 locations

throughout Austin, Round Rock and San Antonio. • 13435 US 183, Ste. 415, Austin • www.kerbeylanecafe.com 15 Genuine Joe Coffeehouse The coffee shop from owner Josh Brown celebrated 20 years of business in June. • 2525 W. Anderson Lane, Ste. 270, Austin • www.genuinejoecoffee.com

it will be closing after July. The bar opened on June 20, 2024. In a post, the business stated Bullseye Bakery will expand into the space starting in August. • Closing after July • 2007 Kramer Lane, Unit 105, Austin • Instagram: gimmicksbar 18 Factory Mattress The business filed for bankruptcy on June 7, according to previous Community Impact reporting. The storefront sells mattresses from various brands including Nextar, Lovett, Smartlife and more. • Closing TBD • A Northwest Austin: 13945 US 183, Ste. B-1, Austin B North Austin: 9607 Research Blvd., Ste. 450, Austin • www.factorymattresstexas.com

Closings

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Government

Austin proposes record budget, tax election likely

Austin leaders weigh new fee to fund parks Austinites may soon be charged a new utility fee to support parks maintenance. The setup Underinvestment in Austin’s hundreds of community parks has been a topic of con- cern among residents and elected officials for years. The parks department currently operates on a $180 million budget. Many officials are hoping to firm up added parks funding during the fiscal year 2025-26 budget process. Council member Paige Ellis proposed an added fee imposed on city utility users to support parks, which she said should be “strongly considered” given financial constraints the city’s facing. A new fee, if implemented, would add to resident costs as officials prepare to ask voters for a tax hike this fall.

City Manager T.C. Broadnax proposed a $6.3B fiscal year 2025-26 budget in July, including a $1.48 billion general fund for public-facing services. The big picture Broadnax’s budget is supported by a 10% tax rate increase. The city estimated the “typical” res- ident—with a median-valued home and standard service usage—can expect a combined 4.9% cost increase from taxes, utility charges and fees. However, city officials have signaled they’ll likely ask voters to raise taxes further this fall given projected future shortfalls, and the loss or expiration of various federal dollars. “Austin still needs investment to be successful. We still need high-quality services to have a high quality of life,” Mayor Kirk Watson said in a newsletter. City Council is now reviewing the spending plan and will approve a final budget with amendments aimed at their priorities mid-August.

Austin’s proposed general fund covers most city services used by residents. Public safety (police, forensics, fire, EMS) 65.6%

14.5% Parks, libraries

Public health, homelessness, social services 9.7%

Transfers/other 3.4% 2.5% Municipal court

1.8% Housing and planning

1.7% Animal services

0.8% Arts, culture, music, entertainment

SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTIN/COMMUNITY IMPACT

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BY HALEY MCLEOD & BEN THOMPSON

Flood recovery efforts continue for Travis County

Austin to leave sister city program Austin will be forced to exit its nearly three-decade-long cultural and economic partnership with a southern Chinese prefec- ture under a new state law passed this spring. The big picture Austin keeps up several international rela- tionships through its Sister and Friendship Cities Program, meant to support the city’s presence on the global stage. A new law signed by Gov. Greg Abbott on June 20 will require Austin to withdraw from its longtime partnership with Xish- uangbanna, China, this fall by Oct. 1. House Bill 128 from state Rep. Angelia Orr, R-Itasca, will ban Texas sister city programs involving “foreign adversary” nations, effective in September.

County commissioners extended a local disaster declaration in July after deadly flooding left uprooted trees, wrecked homes and washed up debris across parts of Northwest Travis County over the Fourth of July weekend. “This is going to be a long recovery,” commis- sioner Ann Howard said. The update Travis County Judge Andy Brown emphasized the critical role of emergency responders in saving lives during the floods after search and rescue teams were deployed July 8, after several deaths and missing persons were confirmed in the county. Recovery kits and other resources were made available to flood victims in the aftermath. Moving forward As floodwaters recede, Brown noted that work will begin shifting to long-term recovery. County executives from the Office of Emergency Management and other involved department

Floods damaged Sandy Creek Bridge in Leander, prompting a new temporary crossing.

SAM SCHAFFER/COMMUNITY IMPACT

heads highlighted several resources available for residents impacted. Commissioners approved an immediate transfer of $4 million from the emergency reserve to provide liquid funding for immediate needs in the area. Additionally, commissioners approved a motion that eliminates permitting fees for those seeking to rebuild.

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NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION

Education

BY GRANT CRAWFORD & CHLOE YOUNG

AISD approves plans for 3 school turnarounds Three Austin ISD middle schools—Burnet, Dobie and Webb—will receive new principals, teachers and curriculum next school year as the district works to improve student performance. The details In May, AISD announced it would offer up to $20,000 in stipends to incentivize high-perform- ing educators to teach at the schools. According to AISD data, 61% of Burnet teachers were invited to return, followed by 47% of Webb teachers and 16% of teachers at Dobie. AISD will track student progress at these campuses through additional testing, including an interim STAAR test in the fall. If testing shows performance has not improved, the district may consider partnering with a charter school to manage these schools beginning in the 2026-27 school year.

AISD adopts $1.58B operating budget Austin ISD has adopted a $1.58 billion operating budget with a $19.7 million shortfall for fiscal year 2025-26. The details The district reduced its initial shortfall projection of $127 million after proposing $44 million in budget reduction strategies, including $9 million in additional state fund- ing following the 2025 legislative session. AISD staff anticipated paying $715.5 million in property taxes back to the state through a process known as recapture and save $15.3 million in vacant positions. A home with an average taxable value of $576,644 would have $4,040 in property tax in FY 2025-26 based on a tax rate of $0.9253 per $100 valuation, according to AISD officials. This would be a $317 tax reduction.

The plan Each campus will receive the following $1.7 million in changes: Five 70-minute periods per school day instead of four 90-minute blocks Extended school days for students and staff with after-school enrichment Literacy and math taught every day instead of every other day Nine additional full-time employees, including teachers, assistant principals, counselors, instructional coaches and content interventionists

Additional professional development and training for teachers and administrators

SOURCE: AUSTIN ISD/COMMUNITY IMPACT

Quote of note “We can 1,000% do this,” AISD superintendent Matias Segura said regarding the plans. “We got to this plan... at these campuses with feedback we got [from] the community. This is not the easiest path to break the accountability chain. We feel strongly that this could be very successful.”

ACC board of trustees approve new $568M budget The ACC board of trustees approved a balanced budget of $568 million during a regular meeting July 7. The overview news release. The $10 million compensation package includes a 3% raise for all current ACC employees.

In-district tuition for one year Tuition rate for 30 hours

The University of Texas Austin Community College

$2,550

$10,858

Tuition and fees will also stay the same for the 12th year at ACC. Tuition for in-district students is $67 per credit hour, or $85 per credit hour factor- ing in fees, while the out-of-district rate remains at $201 per credit hour.

Texas A&M University Texas State University

The budget includes a pay raise for employees, maintains the college’s minimum wage, keeps tuition and fees unchanged, and factors in an increase to employee benefit rates, according to a

$11,500

$12,220

SOURCE: AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE/COMMUNITY IMPACT

COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM

Transportation

BY GRACE DICKENS & HALEY MCLEOD

East Braker Lane extension work continues in Austin A project aiming to reduce congestion and make roadways safer is still underway on East Braker Lane. The details 734 Extensions

CapMetro marks 40 years of service Capital Metro leaders and local officials gathered July 1 to recognize the 40th year of the transit agency’s operations in Central Texas. The big picture CapMetro was created in the mid-1980s after area voters approved a tax increase for the transit service, and the newly-formed agency soon took over bus service in Austin. Various bus, shuttle, trolley, rail and other transit options were rolled out across Central Texas in the decades since. Following the opening of a new Red Line station and recent launch of two MetroRapid bus routes on the east side under Project Connect, the system’s initial light rail com- ponent remains in development with service expected to begin in the early 2030s.

Known as the East Braker Lane Extension, the changes will add a four-lane roadway divided by a median with left-turn lanes at Taebaek Drive, with center turn lanes for vehicles turning on Taebaek Drive or Samsung Boulevard. Updates shared by the city of Austin’s Capital Delivery Services department on July 8 said that waterline installation from Austin Water has been completed, as well as the construction of a retaining wall, and work on a backfill and stormwater system. Upcoming work will include backfilling against the completed retaining walls to reach the proper level, base placement for the road, and curb and gutter installation. The project will additionally add sidewalks on both sides of the street within project limits and a pedestrian crossing at Taebaek Drive, which will also

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be extended to connect to the incoming East Braker Lane roadway, according to the project’s website. What’s next? Construction work is scheduled for Mon.-Fri., 7 a.m.-7 p.m., as well as Saturday from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. Costing $23.9 million, work initially began in February 2024 and is expected to be completed next spring, according to the city.

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Real estate

BY ELISABETH JIMENEZ

Home Edition

2025

Readers, welcome to your annual CI Home Edition! Our annual Home Edition explores the phenomenon of “accidental landlords” in Northwest Austin, the ever-evolving North Burnet/Gateway district, Great Hills Country Club renovations, and more home and real estate-related trends and stories that are shaping our community. We’re able to deliver this reporting thanks to the home service pros, remodelers, builders and Realtors who advertise with us. I want to give a huge shout out to Capitol Tree Care, our sponsor for this special issue. Please support our advertising partners—they help us keep Northwest Austin informed, inspired and connected. From all of us at Community Impact, we want to extend our deepest condolences to all of those in our community who lost loved ones in the recent oods. Our thoughts and prayers continue for you all, and we will keep providing coverage regarding resources for healing and recovery. The Christi Center in North Austin (and now Georgetown) is an incredible free resource in our community, helping kids, teens and adults navigate their grief journey. They also oer a multitude of volunteer opportunities for those of us who are looking to give back to the families in Central Texas experiencing tremendous loss. For more information, visit christicenter.org, or call 512-467-2600.

What's inside

Read more about Great Hills Country Club’s $22M renovations (Page 14)

Taylor Stover General Manager tstover@ communityimpact.com

See what changes are in store for the North Burnet/Gateway area (Page 17)

Find out more about the trend of ‘accidental landlords’ in Austin (Page 20)

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Locals turn to regenerative agriculture in times of drought

the space between them, Topiwala said. During rain events, water will rush through the swales and feed into the berms, hydrating the soil. Hays County resident and permaculturalist Annie Spade said incorporating native plant species can be benecial for the landscape. She encourages experi- menting with dierent plants to see what works best for an individual’s home. “That’s the beautiful thing about native plants— they will naturalize,” she said. “They will just live in the places that work for them.” The bigger picture Topiwala said an approach such as regenerative agriculture is one easy way to positively impact a stressed environment, connect with people and prepare for extreme weather events in the wake of a changing climate. “There’s things that we can do at home that will have amazing impacts on the microclimate of your local environment,” he said.

Despite recent rainfall, the U.S. Drought Monitor is projecting drought for the next three months as of July 21. Locals are working to rehydrate the land through practices such as regenerative agriculture. The background Regenerative agriculture focuses on restoring the environment by promoting biodiversity and rebuild- ing soil, said Kiran Topiwala, owner at Nurture Nature Regenerative Landscaping. Similar to xeriscaping—a landscaping approach focusing specically on water conservation through planting native, drought-tolerant species—regener- ative agriculture takes the practice a step further by “being proactive in the restoration of the environ- ment,” Topiwala said. How it works People can incorporate regenerative agriculture into their homes through “low tech” systems such as berms, or raised gardening mounds; and swales,

The setup

Regenerative agriculture can be done at home and helps rehydrate plants.

Berm: raised mound to improve drainage

SOURCE: NURTURE NATURE REGENERATIVE LANDSCAPING COMMUNITY IMPACT

Swale: collects runo to go back into the ground

Drought-tolerant plants

The following plants are perennial, drought- tolerant and deer-resistant. For sunlit areas For shaded areas

• Flame acanthus • Mistflower • Lantana • Skeleton-leaf goldeneye

• Turks cap • Chili pequin • Beautyberry

SOURCE: PERMACULTURALIST ANNIE SPADECOMMUNITY IMPACT

NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION

Real estate

BY BRITTANY ANDERSON

Great Hills Country Club tackling $22M golf course, facility renovations

Diving in deeper

What else?

Looking ahead

In addition to the irrigation system, some of the other golf course projects include a short-game practice area, bunker renovations and an improved driving range with covered bays. The country club is also set to renovate other facilities as part of its 2030 Master Plan. Some of the improvements include updates to its clubhouse and racket sports areas. These renovations are in the nal stages of development and have all been approved by club members as required by the club’s bylaws, Schoelkopf said. “Those aren’t as rm as the plan on the golf course, but we have ongoing meetings to deter- mine both exactly what we’re going to do and what the timeline is,” Schoelkopf said. The idea is for the clubhouse renovations to begin this summer and wrap up before the golf course renovations begin, Gist said. The racket sports facility upgrades would follow later in the overall project timeline, as completing

The golf course renovations are slated to begin this October. Holes 1–7 will remain open for the rst six to eight months while renovations begin on holes 8–18, then switch. The full course is expected to reopen in spring 2027.

The new irrigation system will allow for the club to control the water required to grow the turf on the golf course, GHCC General Manager Chip Gist said. The current system has been in place since the club’s inception over 50 years ago and is inecient, Gist said. “We’ll end up using somewhere between 25-30% less water on an annual basis once we put this in,” Gist said. “This will allow us to have new turf as well. There’s upgraded turf, just like there’s upgraded irrigation systems that are acclimated to the climate in this region.” This project will take place rst in the club’s renovation timeline so the new turf and greens can be watered and grown in properly. GHCC organized a sustainability team and hired experts to identify how this process would work and how much it would cost, Gist said. “We had to package that and promote it to the members as a long-term benet that we just couldn’t put o any longer,” he said.

The plan GHCC’s Master Plan includes various projects at its other facilities, including:

Great Hills Country Club in Northwest Austin’s Great Hills neighborhood is set undergo a $22 million renovation over the next few years to upgrade its golf course irrigation system and make other club improvements. The project was initiated nearly three years ago to address the golf course irrigation system, which is now over 50 years old, said GHCC board vice president Tom Schoelkopf. “If we didn’t address that, we would have signicant challenges keeping the golf course alive and well,” Schoelkopf said. The club also hired Chet Williams, a golf course architect, to renovate the golf course along with the irrigation system replacement, he said.

Tennis court expansion

Pickleball courts

Family dining and grab-and-go cafe

Children’s play area

MISTY HILL COVE

SOURCE: GREAT HILLS COUNTRY CLUBCOMMUNITY IMPACT

Great Hills Country Club

the golf course is the “number one project.” Some parts of the club will be shut down during con- struction, Gist said. “There is some pain, but there’s a lot of gain,” Gist said. “This membership is committed to having a quality facility that’s upgraded. Anytime you set out to do that there’s going to be a little bit of impact.”

Various renovations will be made on the golf course, including replacing its irrigation system.

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Real estate

BY BRITTANY ANDERSON

North Austin’s skyline is poised to get taller as city ocials work to transform the North Burnet/ Gateway district into Austin’s “second downtown.” The yearslong vision has been fueled by development momentum and zoning and land use amendments that have allowed developers to propose taller and denser projects in the district, bringing more mixed-use developments focused around multifamily units, oce space, retail space and transportation. The city’s NBG plan was adopted in 2009 and has had many updates since. These amendments have helped mixed-use development Uptown ATX o Burnet Road deliver 348,000 square feet of oce space at One Uptown and 341 multifamily units at Solaris House, with more oce, residential, retail and hospitality uses slated to deliver into 2028. City documents show other proposed NBG developments, such as tracts o Stonehollow Drive and Kramer Lane, could also bring hundreds of multifamily units to the district under the updated amendments. “This land that was once low-rise warehouse [and] industrial is being cleaned up and redeveloped,” said Jorge Rousselin, head of Austin Planning Department’s Urban Design Division. North Burnet area changes proposed

Developing North Burnet/Gateway

A variety of developments have been proposed within NBG’s subdistricts, which have undergone zoning changes to provide residential units, retail space, oces and more.

Approved rezonings* with outlined redevelopment plans NBG boundaries

STONEHOLLOW DR.

MOPAC

ESPERANZA CROSSING

183

DONLEY DR.

WEST RD.

360

BRIGHT VERDE WAY

MC KALLA PLACE

183

*SOME REZONING WERE APPROVED FOR OTHER AREAS BUT DID NOT MENTION SPECIFIC REDEVELOPMENT PLANS.

SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTINCOMMUNITY IMPACT

NBG 2035 Master Plan Although adopted in 2006, the district’s master plan continues to provide framework for development in the area and anticipates it could accommodate:

The features

Going forward

People are looking for additional opportunities to live, work and play, said former 10-year District 7 council member Leslie Pool, and city ocials are focused on ensuring NBG has enough residential space to accomplish this. “I expect to see more residential and commercial kind of ltering in the mile between [Broadmoor Station] and [McKalla Station],” Pool said. In some NBG subdistricts, a developer can only reach the increased building heights if they par- ticipate in Austin’s development bonus program, Rousselin said, which requires setting aside a certain number of aordable units—usually about 10%. “As urbanists, we tend to think aordable housing is important, but you also need the infrastructure system around the aordable housing to make a place livable,” Rousselin said. “Great sidewalks, trail connections, parks, open spaces.” CapMetro is working with city ocials and devel- opers on trail-to-rail and BikeShare connections

Areas like NBG tend to go through a long- term transformation that is often reactive to the peaks and lows of the real estate market, Rousselin said. “I believe you’re going to continue seeing a great interest in this area as it continues to transform over the next one or two decades,” Rousselin said. As the district develops, ocials say they are continuing community engagement eorts through stakeholder and town hall meetings, block walking and digital campaigns. Rousselin also said NBG’s regulating plan could see further amendments as the area continues to grow. “In the planning world, nothing is set in stone,” Rousselin said. “Every major city that enjoys the tremendous inux of residents has to stay current in some of these land-use and specic district regulations to be able to keep up with the demand.”

4-5M sq. ft. of retail space

3-4K hotel rooms 5-6M sq. ft. of industrial warehouse space 12-13M sq. ft. of oce and commercial space 40K residential units

SOURCE: CITY OF AUSTINCOMMUNITY IMPACT

within NBG, which has “moderate demand” in The Domain area but is anticipated to increase as Broadmoor Station and other developments come online, said Sharmila Mukherjee, executive vice president and chief strategic planning and develop- ment ocer at CapMetro. “We are very mindful of the fact that we have a unique moment in time ... to be able to impact change,” Mukherjee said.

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From the cover

The rise of ‘accidental landlords’ in Austin

The approach

The overview

Realtor Carol Dochen with Dochen Realty Group said the market remains a buyer’s market, with buyers holding more leverage as their options grow. Months of inventory measures how long it would take the amount of homes on the market to sell, with six representing a balanced market, according to the National Association of Realtors. In June, MOI in Northwest Austin was 5.5, its highest in over five years, Unlock MLS data shows. Even so, although home prices are generally lower, some areas have experienced median home sales price increases. Of the 28 homes sold in ZIP code 78750 in May, for example, the median home sales price was almost 75% higher this year com- pared to the previous year, according to Unlock MLS data. “[Inventory] has gone up across the board in all markets. ... That doesn’t necessarily mean the price will go down,” Neuren said.

original listing price to secure homes, Unlock MLS data shows. As the housing market has cooled off, homeowners are struggling to earn their money back, said Renee Livsey, Northwest Austin sales and leasing manager for JBGoodwin Realtors. “Anyone that bought in 2021-22 and that are trying to sell now, I’ve seen people losing money on it,” Livsey said. The amount of homes for lease is increasing, Katie Dochen said, resulting in a lot more variety for renters to choose from. “We’ve had several situations where we haven’t been able to get a good enough price for our sellers to sell, and then we put it on the rental market and we’ve leased it out very quickly,” said Realtor Lindsay Neuren with Compass Real Estate.

As the local real estate market shows signs of slowing, Unlock MLS data shows homes are generally spending more time on the market and home prices are coming back down in the Northwest Austin area on average. For homeowners looking to sell, however, this has created a new trend in Austin, with more sellers turning to leasing as they wait for the market to bounce back, Dochen Realty Group Realtor Katie Dochen said. “We have a lot of what we’re calling ‘accidental landlords’; people who have this minimum price they could possibly take and they can’t get that price,” Katie Dochen said. “If you can’t sell for less than that ... then you’re going to have to rent it out.” When the local market was at an all-time high in 2021, many homebuyers offered more than the

June closing prices

Median home prices in June

Closing price vs. original list price Closing prices have been lower than original listing prices in Northwest Austin since 2021.

The median home sales price in June reached a five-year low for Northwest Austin, data shows.

Months of inventory in Northwest Austin has increased in the past four years in June. Northwest Austin inventory in June

$800K

110% 120% 100%

110.1%

Months

$600K

5.5

99.1%

96% 95.8%

$400K

103.4%

3.8

4.5

99.1%

3.3

90% 80% 0%

94.9%

$200K

1.9

1.2 0.9

1.5

0.5

SOURCE: UNLOCK MLS/COMMUNITY IMPACT

Zooming out

The decline in the number of home sales is in line with national trends right now and is an impact of uncertainty in the market, Carol Dochen said. “No matter what price, no matter what location, I think people are just a little hesitant now,” Carol Dochen said. One reason behind this is interest rates, Livsey said. Data from Freddie Mac shows 30-year mort- gage interest rates rose from 3.82% in the first week of June 2019 to 6.85% the first week of this June. Other possible reasons are the current economic state of the U.S. and ongoing issues in Washington, multiple Realtors said.

Homes sold in June

300

10%

Across the Northwest Austin market, the number of homes sold in June was less than half those sold at the height of the market in 2021.

6.79% 6.85%

240

5.09%

180

6.99%

3.82%

Number of homes sold

3.18% 2.99%

120

30-year fixed mortgage interest rate (first week of June)

SOURCES: UNLOCK MLS, FREDDIE MAC/COMMUNITY IMPACT

COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM

BY GRACE DICKENS

What the experts say

Put in perspective

All four Realtors said homes that are priced and prepared correctly are the ones selling right now. “You can still sell, [the market] is still moving, you really just have to price it right,” Livsey said. Part of getting homes to sell is also staging the home correctly with furniture and having good-quality photos, Carol and Katie Dochen said, a process they do with almost every home now. “Right now, you’ve got to really show your value and have houses that if an appraiser looks at it, ... it will be able to justify the price that’s being asked,” Carol Dochen said. Ultimately, Neuren said she anticipates a lot of “opportunities for buyers” in the upcoming year.

One factor homeowners look at when selling their house is the average number of days a home spends on the market. While this information is valuable, it’s not representative of every home seller’s experience, Katie Dochen said. One example of this trend is ZIP code 78759 in June, which sold the most homes out of C ommunity Impact ’s five-ZIP-code coverage area of Northwest Austin. Although the average number of days spent on the market was 38, some homes spent up to an average of 177 days on the market. Others spent closer to 11 days, data shows. “If you don’t sell your house in the first week or two, it’s pretty much a sure thing that you’re probably not going to get the full price that you put on there,” Katie Dochen said. For this reason, Katie and Carol Dochen said it’s common after those first weeks to lower the price of a home, even if the time spent on the market is less than the average days on market for a given area.

78759, homes sold vs. days on market

Quantity sold*

Average days on market

Price point

$150,000-$199,999

177

$250,000-$299,999 2

$300,000-$349,999 2

$350,000-$399,999 1

$400,000-$449,999 3

$500,000-$549,999 5

$550,000-$599,999 3

$600,000-$699,999 3

$700,000-$799,999 3

$900,000-$999,999 4

$1,000,000 & over

Average DOM:

*PRICE POINTS NOT SHOWN HAD NO HOME SALES IN JUNE.

SOURCE: UNLOCK MLS/COMMUNITY IMPACT

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Real estate

The total number of closed sales across the market increased slightly in June compared to the previous year, according to Unlock MLS data. Residential market data

Homes sold

June 2024

June 2025

+25%

+5.26%

-18.18%

+20.69%

45 TOLL

78727

78729

78750

78758

78759

78729

620

MOPAC

183

Median home sales price

78727

78750

78759

June

2024

2025

78758

360

$494,950 $490,000 $816,500 $359,500 $763,000

$560,000 $455,000 $483,500 $378,000 $599,000

78727

2222

78729

78750

78758

MARKET DATA PROVIDED BY AUSTIN BOARD OF REALTORS AND UNLOCK MLS 512-454-7636 WWW.ABOR.COM

78759

Average days on market

Northwest Austin

-38.24%

-3.45%

+17.86%

-13.51%

+15.15%

June

2024

2025

105

222

New listings

106 109

Closed sales

78727

78729

78750

78758

78759

Homes under contract

112

Homes sold by price point in June

Months of inventory

3.8

5.5

78727

78729

78750

78758

78759

1 1

- -

$900,000+

Price per square foot

$700,000-$899,999

$319 $294

3 7 3

$500,000-$699,999

6 4

$300,000-$499,999

Active listings

361

572

<$299,999

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