FAQs for the Fresh Market Report Page
1. What is the Austin Fresh Market Report?
The Austin Fresh Market Report is a daily snapshot of real estate activity across the Austin metro, broken down by city and zip code. Instead of looking at lagging averages, it shows what share of each market's active listings and pending contracts came on the market in the past 30 days, along with how quickly new listings are going under contract. It's designed to give buyers, sellers, and agents a current view of where the market is moving fastest and where it's slowing down.
2. How often is the report updated?
The report is updated every weekday, Monday through Friday, using fresh data pulled directly from the MLS. Most real estate market reports are released monthly or quarterly. The Fresh Market Report is one of the only daily-updated market analyses in the Austin metro.
3. What does "fresh" mean in this report?
"Fresh" refers to listings that came on the market in the past 30 days. Fresh active listings are homes currently for sale that just hit the market. Fresh pending listings are homes currently under contract that were listed in the past 30 days. Tracking fresh inventory separately from total inventory shows whether buyers are absorbing new supply quickly or letting it sit.
4. How do I read the data in each column?
Each column measures a different slice of the market independently:
- Active Listings is the total number of homes currently for sale.
- Fresh Active Listings shows how many of those active listings came on in the past 30 days, and what share of total active inventory they represent.
- Total Pending is the total number of homes currently under contract.
- Fresh Pendings shows how many of those pending contracts are on homes listed in the past 30 days, and what share of total pending activity they represent.
- Median Days to Pending is how long the typical fresh listing took to go under contract.
- A high fresh pending share means buyers are moving fast on new inventory. A low share means most pending contracts are on aged listings, which signals slower buyer demand on fresh stock.
5. Why does this report focus on the past 30 days?
A 30-day window captures current market conditions without being thrown off by single-day or single-week noise. It's long enough to give a meaningful sample size in most cities and zip codes, and short enough to reflect real-time buyer and seller behavior. Longer windows like 90 days or 12 months are useful for trend analysis but can hide what's happening in the market right now.
6. What's the difference between the city report and the zip code report?
The city report covers the broader Austin metro by municipality, including Austin, Round Rock, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, Georgetown, San Marcos, and 25+ other cities. The zip code report drills down further, breaking the data into 75+ individual zip codes. City data is useful for understanding the overall market in a given area. Zip code data is useful for hyper-local decisions, especially in larger cities like Austin where conditions can vary significantly between neighborhoods.
7. Why does the median days to pending sometimes show "0"?
A median of 0 days means listings in that area are going pending the same day they hit the market. This is sometimes called "instant pending" and typically happens when listings are pre-marketed, when sellers price aggressively, or when buyer demand is so strong that offers are written immediately. It's not a data error. It's a sign of a hot, fast-moving market.
8. Why does the median days to pending sometimes show a dash?
A dash indicates that a city or zip code had zero fresh pending listings in the past 30 days. With no qualifying data, no median can be calculated. This is most common in low-volume submarkets where pending activity is sparse.
9. How can buyers use this report?
Buyers can use the report to identify which cities and zip codes have the most competition (high fresh pending share, low median days to pending) and which areas may offer more negotiating leverage (low fresh pending share, longer days to pending). It also helps buyers gauge how quickly they'll need to move when a new listing hits the market in their target area.
10. How can sellers use this report?
Sellers can use the report to time their listing strategy and set realistic expectations. A high fresh active percentage means more competition from new inventory, so pricing and presentation matter more than ever. A high fresh pending share and low median days to pending signal strong buyer demand, which can justify confident pricing. Areas with slower fresh activity may require longer marketing timelines or more aggressive pricing.
11. How can real estate agents use this report?
Agents can use the report to advise clients with data instead of opinion, identify which submarkets are warming or cooling, prospect for listings in high-absorption areas, and create localized content for social media and client communications. The daily update cadence means agents always have current data when meeting with clients.
12. What is "Months of Inventory" and why does it matter?
Months of inventory is a measure of how long it would take to sell all current active listings at the current pace of sales, with no new listings added. Less than 4 months is generally considered a seller's market. 4 to 6 months is balanced. More than 6 months is considered a buyer's market. It's one of the most widely used indicators of market direction.
13. What is the Activity Index?
The Activity Index measures how active a market is by combining fresh listing activity and pending contract activity into a single score. Higher numbers indicate more market movement, more new listings coming on, more contracts being written, and faster overall turnover. It's useful for quickly comparing relative activity across cities or zip codes without having to scan every column.
14. What is the Absorption Rate?
The absorption rate is the percentage of available inventory being sold or going under contract within a given period. A higher absorption rate means inventory is being absorbed faster, which signals strong buyer demand. A lower absorption rate means inventory is sitting longer, which signals slower demand or oversupply.
