CultureMap Austin shares, "home buyers across the United States are ghosting sellers at record rates, and Austin is not exempt from the trend. Real estate marketplace Redfin tracked which metros saw the most buyers getting cold feet before closing real estate deals: thankfully Austin wasn't in the top 10, but it did see a significant increase since last year.
Redfin says 13.8 percent of Austin home purchases were called off in September, an increase from 11.8 percent in 2024. San Antonio ranked No. 2 overall, with the highest pull-out rate in Texas at 19 percent. Elsewhere in Texas, Dallas and Fort Worth also saw top 10 rates of home sale cancellations.
Tampa, Florida, topped the list with a cancellation rate of 20.1 percent. The national average is 15 percent.
Austin's back-outs were worse in August, when the national average was 15.1 percent. The metro surpassed that average with 15.5 percent of sales dropped, in comparison to 12.1 percent last year — a sharper contrast year-over-year than in more mild September.
The real estate company says Goldilocks thinking is largely to blame for the rise. A lack of compromise on concessions and repairs is driving the trend, with buyers refusing to accept imperfect homes.
Meanwhile, sellers want to avoid losing money on the deal. This is especially true of homeowners who bought during the COVID-19 boom, who are holding their asking price firm to avoid taking a loss. With plenty of homes on the Austin market — from more than twice as many sellers than buyers — buyers are weighing all options.
“I’m seeing a lot of buyer’s remorse,” explained Redfin agent Jo Chavez, in a release. “Buyers make an offer, then they start worrying they could have found a better deal or a better home because there are more home sellers than buyers in the market. Some other buyers are backing out because they’re concerned about job security.”
The top 10 markets with the most sideways deals include:
- No. 1 — Tampa, Florida
- No. 2 – San Antonio, Texas
- No. 3 — Atlanta, Georgia
- No. 4 — Orlando, Florida
- No. 5 — Fort Worth, Texas
- No. 6 — Riverside, California
- No. 7 — Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- No. 8 —Jacksonville, Florida
- No. 9 — Dallas, Texas
- No. 10 — Las Vegas, Nevada"
Source: CultureMap Austin
Written by: Brandon Watson & Brianna Caleri
Published: October 30, 2025
Posted by Grossman & Jones Group on
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