Texas County Market Report

Texas County remains a buyer's market, and the math backs that up: 24 months of supply, 48 active parcels against just two closings this period. That's not a market moving fast, and sellers need to be honest with themselves about that going in. The two sales that did close tell an interesting story though — a 95% list-to-sale ratio, up 6.2 points from last month, means the properties that are priced right are moving close to asking. The problem isn't buyer interest, it's buyer patience. These are people who know what they're looking at — they're checking road access, pulling up topo maps for water, asking about cell coverage before they even schedule a showing — and they'll sit on a decision for 245 days on average before pulling the trigger. That's up 142 days from August, which tells you this market rewards sellers who price correctly from day one rather than testing the water high and chasing the number down.

The inventory itself explains why this county pulls buyers from outside its borders. Seventy-three percent of active listings mention hunting habitat or wildlife, and the same share touch creek, river, or pond access — that's the Big Piney corridor doing what it does, pulling premium interest to anything bordering spring-fed water. Two-thirds of listings carry timber or wooded acreage, and nearly half come with a cabin or retreat structure already on the ground, which matters to buyers making that lifestyle jump rather than just speculating on dirt. With archery season underway and firearms deer season on the horizon, expect showings to pick up on anything with established trail camera history or known turkey roosting areas — that kind of documented hunting history is worth real money here even if it doesn't show up as a line item.

Looking at the areas, Licking and Raymondville carry the deepest inventory at 11 active parcels each, but they sit at opposite ends of the price spectrum — Licking's median ask of $345,000 on 80-acre tracts versus Raymondville's $250,700 on 40 acres tells you where the larger contiguous ground is concentrated. Houston splits close to even between Land and Farm listings, while Cabool's thin four-parcel inventory carries the county's highest median ask at $592,335, reflecting larger improved acreage rather than raw ground. Bucyrus is worth watching — only two active listings, both Farm, both running over 100 acres, which for serious cattle or timber operators may be the tightest, most targeted opportunity in the county right now. For sellers, the takeaway is simple: with median sold price down nearly 48% month over month, this isn't the time to overreach on price — it's the time to let the water, timber, and hunting history on your ground do the talking, because that's what's actually closing deals.

September brought a notable shift in Texas County's residential market, with homes moving faster and selling closer to asking price than they have in some time. The average days on market dropped by 11 days to 59.4, and the list-to-sale ratio climbed nearly four points to 97.9%, meaning sellers who price their properties realistically are getting very close to their number. Median sold price actually edged ahead of median list price this month, a sign that well-prepared homes in the right locations — particularly those near the Big Piney River corridor or within easy reach of Houston's services — are still drawing serious interest from buyers who know what they want.

That said, the headline number worth paying attention to is months of inventory, which jumped to 7.14 — a sizable increase that firmly plants this market in buyer's territory overall, even as individual pockets tell a different story. Houston itself is behaving like a seller's market with only 9 active listings and a median list price of $205,000, suggesting tighter competition for move-in-ready homes near the county seat. Licking, by contrast, is more balanced with a deeper pool of inventory and a higher price point, while Plato and Cabool remain quieter corners of the county where patience and pricing strategy matter more than urgency.

For sellers, the message is straightforward: this is a market that rewards realistic pricing and solid presentation, not aspirational list prices. Homes that reflect current conditions are selling in under two months and very near asking. For buyers, particularly those relocating from larger metro areas in search of land, privacy, and a slower pace of life, Texas County continues to offer some of the most accessible price points in the region, with the added leverage that comes from more inventory and less competition than you'll find in tighter markets nearby. Properties along the Big Piney River remain the exception — those still move with a sense of urgency, and buyers interested in that corridor should be prepared to act when the right listing appears.