WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas — More people are moving to Williamson County due to prices in Austin becoming unaffordable and new businesses heading to that area.
The competitive housing market in Williamson County shows the high demand for homes.
“I have a listing in Williamson County that received 23 offers and had 60 viewings, and it was an entry-level price,” said Ashley Jackson, the 2022 president elect of the Austin Board of Realtors.
Home prices are up significantly from a year ago in Williamson County, and Jackson told KVUE she expects the housing market to remain competitive for at least the next six months.
RELATED: Austin-Round Rock area sees 'second-most active' January housing market on record, report says
The January 2022 Central Texas Housing Market Outlook by the Austin Board of Realtors shows that the median home price for Williamson County increased 42% from January 2021 to January 2022, making it now $460,000. During that same timeframe, Home sales increased by 5% and active listing were up nearly 30%. New listings decreased by 11%.
Jackson told KVUE this decrease in new listings shows that inventory is low.
"We need all government jurisdictions, whether it's the City of Round Rock, Georgetown or Austin, we need to increase housing inventory as much as we can,” said Jackson. “And we want to see all varieties of housing types. There are people who love townhomes, single-family homes. So, we need more of everything and we need it across the entire region."
She said areas like Williamson County have stayed attractive to buyers because they are still more affordable than Austin, and people are still able to commute to the city. Now, with businesses like Samsung moving to Taylor, even more people are looking to move to the area.
"I have buyers right now shopping in Taylor, and Taylor is generally one of the more affordable options in Williamson County. Everything we've looked at has received multiple offers,” said Jackson. “So, I personally feel like it's all of the county – Liberty Hill, Leander, Round Rock, Georgetown – they're all seeing a lot of activity right now."
Jackson told KVUE the way for prices and competition to level out is for more homes to be built, since people are expected to keep moving to the area this year.
“As we move into the spring, hopefully we will see more inventory come online as builders catch up from all the demand that they've had over the past few years,” said Jackson. “Hopefully, we'll see more inventory from new builds as well. Of course, there are some supply chain issues that's affecting the delivery time of new builds. So, what maybe took 10 months to build, might take 12 months to build now.”
Jackson said that if you are currently renting and are looking to buy, there is hope, but you will just need to be patient. She recommends starting to look for houses quite a few months before your lease is up, because it will take time to get a house under contract. She also recommends working with a licensed realtor.
PEOPLE ARE ALSO READING: