Are DFW Home Prices Really Falling?

If you’ve been reading headlines, you’ve probably seen both “DFW home prices are falling” and “prices are still rising.” Both can be true at the same time, depending on which city, which price range and which month you look at.

Quick answer: Prices are down slightly, not crashing. MetroTex Association of REALTORS® reports a DFW Metroplex median price of $379,990 in September 2026, down 1.6% from September 2025. Tarrant County was flat, while Parker, Hood and Denton counties fell 4% to 5% and Ellis County rose. In the Mid-Cities, the median sale price actually rose 2.9% over the past three months. Homes priced and prepared right are still going under contract in a few weeks. Homes that miss on price or condition are sitting for months and taking price cuts.

What the Numbers Actually Say

DFW Metroplex, September 2026 (MetroTex Association of REALTORS®)

In plain English: prices dipped a little, fewer homes sold, and buyers have slightly fewer listings to choose from than a year ago. Homes are taking about the same time to sell.

How it looks by county (MetroTex, September 2026)

The pattern is clear: the closer-in counties are holding steady, and the outer counties are softer. Tarrant County prices were flat, and homes there sold fastest, with the tightest supply at 3.6 months. Dallas County was close behind. Parker, Hood and Denton counties saw the biggest price drops and the longest days on market. Ellis County was the one exception, with prices up 4.6%, even as its closed sales fell 10.3%.

City-level numbers can look different from the county totals. Redfin shows the city of Dallas median up 3.4% in September ($449,736) and the city of Fort Worth down 2.1% in August ($333,000). That’s why headlines can say both “up” and “down” in the same week.

A few other signs of where the market stands:

• Inventory: DFW had 4.5 months of inventory in September 2026, per MetroTex. That’s more choice for buyers than the tight markets of a few years ago.
• Price cuts: In the four weeks ending September 20, 2026, Redfin found 26.6% of active Dallas-area listings and 24.2% of Fort Worth-area listings had a price drop. That’s roughly one in four.
• Sale-to-list: Homes in Dallas sold for 96.8% of list price in September, and Fort Worth homes for 98.1% in August, per Redfin. Most sellers are negotiating a little, not a lot.

The Mid-Cities: Holding Up Better Than DFW Overall

I pulled the numbers for my home turf from NTREIS, the North Texas MLS. Here’s how single-family homes sold from July through September 2026, compared with the same three months of 2025:

Source: NTREIS MLS, single-family closed sales, July–September 2026 vs. July–September 2025. Figures are medians. “Sold-to-original-list” compares the sale price with the home’s first list price, before any price cuts. 661 homes sold this year vs. 686 last year.

*Richland Hills had only 14 sales this period (36 last year), so its numbers can swing a lot with a few sales.

My take: While the DFW Metroplex median slipped 1.6% and Tarrant County held flat, the Mid-Cities as a group rose 2.9%. Five of the seven cities posted gains, led by Euless and Bedford. The typical home went under contract in about 20 days and sold for 98% of its original asking price. That’s not a market where prices are falling. It’s a market where well-priced homes in established, close-in neighborhoods are still in demand.

The catch: sales slipped a little, from 686 to 661. Fewer homes are changing hands, but the ones that do are holding their value.

Note: the 20-day figure is a median for Mid-Cities sales. MetroTex’s county figures are calculated differently, so the two aren’t a direct comparison.

Why Some Homes Still Sell Fast

Redfin’s data shows “hot homes” in both Dallas and Fort Worth going under contract in about 24 days, while the typical home takes roughly 48 to 53 days to sell. What separates them usually comes down to a few things:

• Priced right from day one. Buyers have more choices and more data than ever. A home priced in line with recent sales gets attention in the first week, when interest is highest.
• Move-in ready. Fresh paint, a clean inspection and a newer roof matter more when buyers are already stretching on payments, insurance and taxes.
• A newer roof. With home insurance costs up sharply in Texas, buyers and their insurers look hard at roof age. See my home insurance guide: https://www.brentsellsdfw.com/insights/dfw-home-insurance-costs.html
• Strong location for the price. Good school zoning, a reasonable commute and a quiet street still sell.
• Willing to help with costs. Sellers offering a credit toward closing costs or a rate buydown can stand out against new construction.

Why Others Sit for Months

• Priced off last year’s numbers, or a neighbor’s best sale. If the price is set by what a seller needs or hopes for, not what the market shows, the home sits. A home that sits can end up needing bigger price cuts later.
• Competing with builders. Many DFW builders are offering rate buydowns and closing-cost credits. A resale home at a similar price, with no incentives, can lose that comparison. See “Which DFW Builders Are Offering Incentives?”: https://www.brentsellsdfw.com/insights/dfw-builder-incentives.html
• Deferred repairs. Foundation, roof, HVAC and plumbing issues scare buyers off or lead to big repair requests.
• High carrying costs. A high property tax rate, a large HOA fee or an expensive insurance quote all raise the monthly payment and shrink the buyer pool.
• Waiting too long to adjust. If a home gets showings but no offers in the first few weeks, the market is giving feedback. Ignoring it usually costs more than reacting to it.

What This Means If You’re Buying

• You have more room to negotiate than buyers did a few years ago, especially on homes that have been listed for a while.
• Look at days on market. A home listed for 60+ days, or one that’s already had a price cut, may be more open to an offer below list or a seller credit.
• Don’t wait for a crash. The overall numbers show prices down slightly, not a collapse. Waiting on a big price drop could mean waiting a long time.
• Compare resale against new construction with real numbers, including builder incentives. See new build vs. resale: https://www.brentsellsdfw.com/insights/new-build-vs-resale.html

What This Means If You’re Selling

• Price to the market you have, not the one you remember. Use a CMA built on recent closed sales near you, not online estimates. See “How Much Is My Home Worth?”: https://www.brentsellsdfw.com/insights/how-much-is-my-home-worth.html
• The first two to three weeks matter most. That’s when you get the most attention from buyers.
• Fix what buyers will flag. A pre-listing inspection can help you get ahead of repair requests.
• Think like a builder. A closing-cost credit or rate buydown can win over a buyer comparing your home with a new build.

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