Everything is bigger in Texas, including growth trends, with six counties in the Lone Star State among the Top 10 fastest growing counties in the nation, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. 

Per U.S. Census Bureau data reported by News Talk Texas, Texas’ population grew to more than 29 million in 2020, which is creating myriad opportunities in the state, including a blossoming real estate market. Job Hammond, secretary-treasurer of the Austin Board of Realtors and an adjunct professor at Austin Community College, told WalletHub that 2021 is representing positive opportunities. 

“The stock market and bank account balances are up, while unemployment and interest rates are low,” he told WalletHub. “These factors represent ideal conditions for the housing market, and as long as we continue to see shortages in housing inventory, we should still see an ideal environment for housing growth.”

Growth is distributed around the state. According to News Talk Texas, the Census Bureau data found that Hays County’s population grew from 157,107 to 241,067, an increase of 53.4%. Comal County saw its population increase 48.9%, to 161,501. The other counties among the top 10 are Williamson County (No. 4), which saw a 44.1% increase; Kaufman County (No. 7), 40.6%; Fort Bend County (No. 8), 40.6%; and Rockwall County (No. 10), 37.6%. According to Texas Monthly, the state’s biggest cities are among the hottest real estate markets in the country. As a result, median home prices are skyrocketing.  

"I remember when having a $900,000 listing, everybody was like, 'Whoa, she is a really big listing,’” Socar Chatmon Thomas, a Realtor with Elegant Estates by Auction told KVUE TV. “And now, you know, that – you can get that in just the regular, nonluxury neighborhood. It's incredible." 

Realtors like Thomas are riding the wave of the hot markets. They used to do a weekly market analysis that is now obsolete in days, with Texas Monthly reporting that home prices in some markets can swing by as much as 20% in less than a week. 

“I’ve sold multiple homes to out-of-state buyers over Facetime, sight unseen,” one Houston agent, who asked to remain anonymous to protect her clients’ privacy, told Texas Monthly. “Nothing is normal right now. Every day brings a new pinnacle.”

With buyers willing to purchase homes over Facetime, it is no surprise that the Texas Real Estate Research Center at Texas A&M found that the average days on market continues to trend downward in the state, now standing at just 15 days in Austin and an average of about 22 days in Dallas/Fort Worth. Statewide, the average is 30 days, according to the report. 

With so many people flocking to the Lone Star State, many are left to ask about what is attracting them. According to an Associated Press report, jobs remains a key lure for many people moving to Texas. The lack of a state income tax also is a draw. 

And the buying activity and rising prices aren’t limited to the bigger cities. Even cities like Galveston are now starting to see prices being driven up as more people migrate to the state, according to Texas Monthly.