Home sales in Austin's Lake Travis and Westlake areas surged 22.9% year over year in December, a late-season jolt that pushed total dollar volume higher even as median prices slipped across the six ZIP codes tracked. The shift suggests buyers are tiptoeing back into the market after months of reset on both sides of the negotiating table.
Across Community Impact’s six-ZIP coverage area, the number of homes sold rose 22.9% from December 2024 to December 2025, with standout jumps in ZIP code 78734 (about 65%) and 78746 (about 61.1%). Median home sales price across those ZIPs eased from roughly $928,000 in 2024 to about $825,000 in 2025, while total dollar volume climbed from about $184.65 million to $219.63 million. Some ZIP codes also saw pronounced swings in days on market. These figures are drawn from Unlock MLS data, as compiled and reported by Community Impact.
Where the heat really was
The spike was far from uniform. Community Impact’s breakdown shows the biggest percentage gains clustered in Lakeway and select Westlake pockets, while other neighborhoods posted only modest upticks or softer pricing. The Lakeway ZIP logged one of the largest year-over-year sales increases, and nearby Bee Cave and Barton Creek moved differently on both price and pace, highlighting how hyper-local dynamics are driving the headline number. Coverage from Community Impact includes charts that lay out the shifts by ZIP code.
Unlock MLS: Market is finding its footing
At the metro level, Unlock MLS’ December report describes the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos area as slowly stabilizing after a year of recalibration. Closed sales for the MSA slipped about 3.2% in 2025, even as buyer activity picked up toward the end of the year. Research advisor Vaike O'Grady summed it up in the Unlock MLS release: “Sellers recalibrated, buyers reengaged and the pace of the market continued to normalize.” That frame puts December’s Lake Travis and Westlake surge in context as part of a broader regional rebalancing rather than a one-month anomaly.
Rates hovering near 6 percent
All of this is playing out while borrowing costs remain elevated compared with the early 2020s. Freddie Mac’s weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey put the 30-year fixed rate close to the 6% mark in mid-January, a level that has coaxed some would-be buyers off the sidelines but still keeps affordability tight. According to Freddie Mac, the 30-year average dipped to roughly 6.06% in mid-January.
What it means for local buyers and sellers
For sellers, December’s pop is a reminder that well-priced homes in the most sought-after ZIP codes can still draw serious attention, even in a cooler market. For buyers, it signals that more opportunity is creeping back in, but that strategy matters more than ever. Local agents report that selective demand and a wider pool of listings are creating windows where prepared buyers who can live with current rates are finding options that were nearly impossible to land during the peak frenzy years.
