Balcones / Northwest Hills: what September's 78731 numbers mean for buyers and sellers

78731 still ran tighter and higher than the city and the metro in September. The median sale price was $1,120,500, against $572,000 in the City of Austin and $415,719 across the Austin metro. Median days on market was 21, against 54.5 in the city and 61 in the metro. Months of inventory was 3.36, against 5.1 and 5.34.

Outperforms, in this note, means the sold homes cleared faster and at a higher median. It does not mean every street did the same thing. I still price a specific address off its comps.

Active listings were 111 in 78731, 4,703 in the city, and 14,206 in the metro. Buyers in this ZIP had a shorter list than buyers shopping the whole city.

One month of closed sales, pulled October 12, 2026. The 31 sales in 78731 are a small sample, so do not treat the median as the price of your block.

From September 2025 to September 2026, the 78731 median moved from $930,000 to $1,120,500. Median days on market moved from 56 to 21. Months of inventory moved from 5.29 to 3.36. Homes sold moved from 29 to 31.

That is a tighter, faster month on almost the same number of sales. Because the count is small, one or two houses at the top of the range can lift the median. I use the year-over-year change to see the direction. I do not use it as your list price.

The metro can feel softer while this ZIP is still a fight for the house you actually want. City inventory at 5.1 months does not mean the Balcones / Northwest Hills listing you have circled is sitting there waiting.

Get the financing done before you tour. When the house is right, be ready to write a clean offer: a real pre-approval, a clear option period, and terms you can live with. The 21 days is the median of those 31 sales. It is not a timeline for the next listing.

Pricing and presentation still decide whether the first two weeks do any work. Sales-to-list in 78731 was -3.44%, about 3.4% under list. Overpricing costs time even here. Buyers can see the recent solds.

I will put the comps and a written net in front of you before we pick a list price. The written net is the math. The sale price is whatever a buyer agrees to pay.

Balcones / Northwest Hills sits on the central-west side of Austin. The greenbelt and the trails are part of how people use the neighborhood, and many of the higher lots look out over trees and hills. The drive is into central Austin, not out to a far suburb.