AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Realtors, a professional association representing Texas’ real estate agents, on Wednesday released its “first-ever” report on the trends in home buying in the state.
The report, titled “Texas Homebuying Experience Report,” was built from a survey of Texas Realtors members. The survey asked randomly selected members about their work with clients.
Texas Realtors’ 2025 Chairman Christy Gessler said, in a press release announcing the report’s publication, realtors are the best source for insights into how prospective home buyers feel about the state’s housing market.
“Realtors see it all in the homebuying process—the ups, the downs, the pain points, and the shifts in mood. And no one has a better on-the-ground understanding of homebuyers and their experiences than the Texas Realtors who are there helping them every step of the way,” Gessler said.
According to the report, responding realtors said buyers “felt comfortable” with the amount of available listings and that they had enough time to search.
While time and listings were not major barriers for most clients, they did cause delays and decision paralysis, according to one respondent.
“Buyers seem less excited this year. While house hunting is fun, the number of homes available causes a delay in making a decision,” they said. Another realtor said, “Buyers felt like they didn’t have to rush. It helped ease stress for the buyers, not feeling that time constraint.”
Listing prices are still a primary factor. Half of the respondents said their clients felt a need to either raise the price range of their search or pause their home hunt. However, 31% had clients lower their price range.
“Buyers know it’s their market. Sellers haven’t quite figured that out yet,” said one realtor in their survey.
“Most of my buyers don’t know what to do. They see interest rates are higher than when they started their search. They also see the home prices coming down. They don’t know whether to wait or purchase now,” reads the report, quoting an unnamed realtor.
“Many of my buyers are still waiting on the fence for either prices or rates to drop, not wanting to actually go through with an offer yet,” said another.
Some prospective buyers are still waiting for a major shift in mortgage rates, according to the report. Of those who stopped their home search, the report said 42% believed available listings were too expensive, 30% said they couldn’t find a home that met their needs, and 37% said their life circumstances had changed.
“The timing that’s right for the individual buyer is the right timing every time,” said Gessler in the release. “The key isn’t to predict the future of mortgage rates or home prices; it’s to fully understand what clients need in the present.”
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