Housing inventory in Texas’ largest metropolitan areas is rising, reaching levels not seen since the period following the Great Recession. According to data from the Texas Real Estate Research Center, the state had 5.5 months of housing inventory last month, up from 4.7 months a year earlier. This measure reflects an increasing supply of homes for sale compared to buyer demand.
Statewide, this year’s months of inventory are just below those recorded in 2012, which was the last time Texas exceeded six months of inventory as the effects of the Great Recession faded. However, some major metros have already surpassed their 2012 figures.
In Dallas-Plano-Irving, housing inventory crossed above its 2012 trendline during the summer and has continued to rise. The area reported 4.8 months of inventory last month, compared to four months in September 2024 and 4.2 months in September 2012.
Houston also saw its housing supply surpass 2012 levels this summer. Last month, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands recorded 5.4 months of inventory—higher than both last year’s figure (4.1) and that of September 2012 (4.8).
Austin experienced an even greater increase relative to previous years. The Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos region posted 5.4 months of inventory in September, nearly two full months more than it had in 2012.
These trends indicate that homes are accumulating faster on the market in these fast-growing Sun Belt cities than elsewhere in Texas.
San Antonio and Fort Worth remain exceptions within the Texas Triangle; their inventories are still below those seen in 2012 despite recent increases. San Antonio-New Braunfels had 5.8 months of inventory last month—up from last year’s total but less than its peak over a decade ago—while Fort Worth-Arlington-Grapevine reported a modest rise to 4.2 months but remains below its own numbers from that period.
This shift suggests that several key regions across Texas have moved closer toward conditions favoring buyers rather than sellers—a pattern reflected nationally as well.
