San Antonio Real Estate Market Update: August and September 2026

By Pedro Echeverria · September 18, 2026

Why Right Now Is One of the Best Times to Buy a Home in San Antonio in Years

If you have been sitting on the sidelines waiting for the right time to buy a home in San Antonio, I want you to read this carefully. Because the data coming out of the San Antonio Board of Realtors and the LERA MLS right now is telling a story that every buyer in this city needs to hear.

This is not hype. This is not a sales pitch. These are the numbers, and the numbers are squarely in your favor.

Who Am I and Why Should You Listen

My name is Pedro Echeverría. I am an Air Force veteran, a Military Relocation Professional certified by the National Association of Realtors, and a real estate agent who has helped over 200 families buy and sell homes in San Antonio over nearly a decade.

Military transition is my specialty. I have used my VA loan multiple times. I help veterans buy primary homes, invest using their VA loan, purchase land, and build long term wealth through real estate. I am bilingual in English and Spanish and I serve all of San Antonio, the surrounding counties, and all the way to Austin.

I watch this market every single day. And what I am seeing right now is an opportunity that does not come along often. Let me show you exactly what the data says.

What the Numbers Are Actually Saying: August 2026

Let us start with what the San Antonio Board of Realtors officially reported for August 2026, because these numbers tell the whole story.

Home sales in the San Antonio area rose by 4 percent in August compared to the same month in 2025, according to SABOR. The local median price came in just above $299,000, unchanged from August 2025. Inventory measured at just under a six-month supply, and homes spent an average of 82 days on the market. Texas Public Radio

Let me put that in plain language for you. Prices are stable. Sales are up. Inventory is high. And homes are sitting on the market for nearly three months before selling. That combination creates negotiating leverage for buyers that has not existed in this market since before the pandemic.

SABOR board chairperson Ed Zapata put it directly: "Buyers have time and choice, while sellers need to be thoughtful about pricing and positioning their homes." Nearly 67 percent of homes sold in the San Antonio area were priced between $200,000 and $499,000. Texas Public Radio

At the Bexar County level, the picture is equally clear. Bexar County closed 1,000 single-family sales in August 2026 at a $281,500 median, with homes averaging 74 days on market and selling at 97.7 percent of list price. Veteranrealestatesa

And how does San Antonio compare to the rest of the state? San Antonio outperformed Texas overall in August. Statewide, home sales were down more than 4 percent and the statewide median home price dropped nearly 1 percent to $355,000. Nationally, existing home sales decreased both month over month and year over year. San Antonio is holding steady while the state and country around it are softening. Texas Public Radio

What This Market Means for Buyers Right Now

Here is the part I want every buyer in San Antonio to understand.

San Antonio entered 2026 with 15 to 18 percent more active listings than the same period in 2025, according to SABOR data. That translates to roughly 4 to 5 months of supply in most price brackets. A balanced market sits between 4 and 6 months. Above $400,000, buyers see 6 or more months of supply and stronger negotiating leverage. LRG Realty Blog

Elevated supply gives buyers more room to negotiate seller concessions including closing cost credits. Negotiation leverage from rising inventory and longer days on market gives buyers room to request seller concessions, rate buydowns, or closing cost credits that were rarely available during 2021 to 2023. LRG Realty Blog

A buyer purchasing a $310,000 home in a San Antonio neighborhood, for example, might combine a $7,500 seller credit with a 2-1 buydown and a $4,000 inspection concession. That package reduces the effective first-year cost more than a $15,000 price reduction would. The 2026 market gives you room to stack these concessions, and most San Antonio sellers are saying yes. LRG Realty Blog

Read that again. Sellers are saying yes. That is the market we are in right now.

New Construction: A Once-in-a-Cycle Opportunity

If you have ever considered buying new construction, this is the moment you have been waiting for.

San Antonio's new construction inventory is up 18 percent in 2026, with buyer incentives at their strongest since before the pandemic. That gives buyers negotiating room on upgrades, rate buydowns, and closing cost credits. New builds start in the low $300s across most corridors, with active communities ranging from entry-level to custom lots above $600,000. Buyers who lock in builder incentives like rate buydowns or closing cost credits during the build phase often save $8,000 to $15,000 compared with waiting until completion to negotiate. LRG Realty Blog

Builder incentives on Texas new construction run $10,000 to $35,000 in combined value, with rate buydowns making up the largest share. End of quarter and end of fiscal year, usually December and June for public builders like Lennar, D.R. Horton, and Meritage, produce the strongest incentive packages. Builders with standing inventory, homes that are complete or near completion, offer bigger buydowns than homes still in framing. LRG Realty Blog

Some builders are going even further. Coventry Homes is offering initial interest rates as low as 3.99 percent for the first five years on select inventory through contracts written and closed by September 30, 2026, through a builder-paid forward commitment rate buydown. Coventry Homes

Here is what that means in real terms. A buyer purchasing a $320,000 home at today's market rate of approximately 6.5 to 7 percent has a principal and interest payment around $2,000 per month. A builder rate buydown to 3.99 percent drops that payment by several hundred dollars per month in the early years. That is real money in your pocket every single month while your equity builds.

The far west side along the Potranco and Highway 211 corridor, the northeast I-35 corridor through Schertz and Cibolo, and the south side growth zones are where the most active new construction is happening right now. Alamo Ranch continues to attract major national builders and remains one of the most competitive new construction corridors in the entire metro for military families near Lackland.

Existing Homes: Motivated Sellers, Real Deals

The new construction picture gets most of the attention right now, but the existing home market is equally compelling for buyers who know what to look for.

With homes averaging 74 to 82 days on the market depending on the corridor, sellers who have been sitting on a listing for two to three months are motivated. That motivation translates directly into negotiating room on price, closing costs, repairs, and concessions.

Closing cost assistance is one of the most common seller concessions appearing in San Antonio contracts right now, with median concessions often exceeding $5,000. For a buyer who needs help covering title fees, prepaid taxes and insurance, and lender costs, a $5,000 to $10,000 seller concession can be the difference between getting into a home this month and waiting another year. M/I Homes

For buyers looking at the $200,000 to $300,000 range, this remains the most active segment in the market. Strong demand from military buyers and investors has kept this corridor moving, and sellers in this price range are still motivated to negotiate. Below $250,000, inventory is tighter, so if you find a well-priced home in this range, move with purpose.

Above $400,000, buyers have the most leverage in the entire market right now. Six or more months of supply means sellers in this range have been watching other homes sell while theirs sits. Use that to your advantage.

VA Loan Assumption: The Hidden Opportunity Most Buyers Are Missing

This is the one that I want every veteran and military family in San Antonio to pay close attention to. Because this opportunity is real, it is significant, and most buyers do not even know it exists.

In 2026, one financing strategy has quietly become one of the most valuable opportunities for both buyers and sellers in the San Antonio housing market. That strategy is the VA loan assumption, and in an environment where current mortgage rates sit meaningfully above the historically low VA rates issued between 2020 and 2022, the financial case for pursuing an assumable loan has never been more concrete. Tamiprice

Here is how it works. A VA assumable loan allows a qualified buyer to take over the seller's existing mortgage, including the current interest rate, remaining loan balance, remaining loan term, and monthly principal and interest payment. Instead of financing at today's higher rates, the buyer steps into the seller's lower rate. All VA loans originated on or after March 1, 1988 are assumable, though lender approval is required. Veteranrealestatesa

And here is why this matters so much right now. Current mortgage rates sit between 6 and 7 percent. But VA loans originated during the 2020 to 2022 era carry rates between 2 and 3.5 percent. That gap translates into enormous monthly savings, often hundreds of dollars, over the life of the loan. Veteranrealestatesa

A buyer assuming a 3 percent VA loan instead of originating at today's 6.5 percent rate saves over $600 per month on a $300,000 balance. Over the course of a year that is more than $7,000 in savings. Over five years that is over $36,000. This is not a small number. This is life-changing money for a military family trying to build financial stability. LRG Realty Blog

The cost to assume a VA loan runs significantly lower than originating a new mortgage. You pay a 0.5 percent funding fee based on the outstanding loan balance, a servicer processing fee, and third-party costs. Total costs to assume a $250,000 loan typically run roughly $2,300 to $2,800, compared to $8,000 or more in typical origination costs for a new VA loan. Sharprealtygrouptx

One important thing to understand: VA loan assumptions are not restricted to veterans. Any creditworthy buyer can assume a VA loan, civilian, investor, or veteran. However, the seller's VA entitlement is only restored after closing when the buyer is a VA-eligible veteran who substitutes their own entitlement. Veteranrealestatesa

San Antonio has one of the highest concentrations of VA-financed homes in the country given the size of the JBSA population. That means assumption-eligible listings exist throughout the metro. Finding them requires working with an agent who knows what to look for and how to navigate the 45 to 90-day assumption timeline.

If this is something you want to explore, call me. This is exactly the kind of strategy I help veterans execute.

Seller Concessions: Stack Every Dollar You Can

We have touched on concessions throughout this update but I want to give you a complete picture of what is available right now because the options are broader than most buyers realize.

In the current San Antonio market, a well-positioned buyer can reasonably expect to negotiate one or more of the following in a single transaction:

A seller credit toward closing costs of $5,000 to $10,000 or more on a motivated listing. A mortgage rate buydown paid by the seller or builder that lowers your monthly payment for the first one, two, or three years. A repair credit following inspection for any deferred maintenance or defects discovered. A price reduction on a home that has been sitting on the market for 60 or more days.

The key is knowing which homes have motivated sellers and which concessions make the most financial sense for your specific situation. A $10,000 seller credit to closing costs is not the same value as a $10,000 price reduction, and a rate buydown may deliver more monthly benefit than either one. This is where having an experienced agent in your corner makes a measurable financial difference.

The Homes for Texas Heroes Program: More Money for Veterans

One more thing I want every veteran in San Antonio to know about.

The Homes for Texas Heroes program provides below-market mortgage rates and up to 5 percent in down payment and closing cost assistance. It is available to veterans, active-duty military, and first responders through participating lenders. VA Loan Network

When you stack Homes for Texas Heroes assistance with your VA loan benefit, you are looking at a financing package that is nearly impossible to replicate in any other market. Zero down on the VA loan side, plus closing cost assistance from Heroes, plus seller concessions negotiated at the table. Military families in San Antonio have access to a combination of resources that most buyers anywhere in the country simply do not have.

Use them. All of them.

How San Antonio Compares to the Rest of Texas

Just to put the San Antonio opportunity in proper context, here is how this market stacks up against the other major Texas metros right now.

Compared to Austin with a median near $450,000 and Dallas at $390,000, San Antonio remains one of the most affordable major Texas metros. Price growth has been modest rather than aggressive, which means buyers have more room to negotiate on price, closing costs, and seller concessions than they did in 2021 or 2022. LRG Realty Blog

San Antonio's median home price in August 2026 came in at $281,500 to $299,000 depending on the data source and geography. Either way, you are buying more home per dollar here than anywhere else in Texas at the same price point.

Add the military infrastructure, the no-state-income-tax environment, the cost of living that runs about 8 percent below the national average, and the quality of life this city delivers, and the case for buying in San Antonio right now is about as strong as it gets.

What I Am Telling My Clients Right Now

I talk to buyers every week who are trying to decide whether to buy now or wait. Here is what I tell them honestly.

Nobody can predict exactly what interest rates will do in the next six months. Nobody. Anyone who tells you otherwise is guessing. What I can tell you is that the inventory advantage buyers have right now will not last forever. Sellers are already pulling back on new listings, which means the supply cushion that is giving buyers leverage today may tighten before the end of 2026. The concessions, the negotiating room, the motivated sellers, the builder incentives hitting their end-of-year peak, all of that is happening right now.

And if you are a veteran with VA loan benefits, every month you wait is a month someone else is building equity with the benefit you earned.

The market is speaking clearly right now. The question is whether you are ready to listen.

Let's Talk

If you want to know exactly what your budget can buy in today's San Antonio market, want to explore VA loan assumption opportunities, want to compare new construction incentives side by side, or just want an honest conversation about whether now is the right time for your family, I am here.

No pressure. No pitch. Just a fellow veteran who wants to make sure you make the best possible decision for your family.

Call or text: 210-376-9287 Email: pedro@echerealestate.com

San Antonio is home. Let me help you find yours.