Bigger Prices, Deeper Discounts: Rockwall County’s September Market

August was about the spread between asking and closing. September told a more layered story. Average sold prices bounced back in both for-sale segments and now sit well above last year, but the per-home numbers moved the other way: buyers negotiated more off original list, and homes took longer to close. Mortgage rates held at 6.41% for another month, still 16 basis points below a year ago, which remains material relief for qualifying buyers.

On the lease side, August's sharp jump in closed rents unwound, while vacancy stayed tight. Here is where things stand as of September 30, 2026.

New Construction: Bigger Checks, Deeper Discounts

New construction closings rebounded and the average sold price jumped, but the homes that sold took longer and gave up more off their original list price.

Inventory Activity: There are 441 active listings, down 1.3% from August and 13.5% below a year ago. New listings fell 14.4% month over month to 83 and are down 27.8% year over year. Builders are bringing less new product to market, and supply is slowly tightening as a result.

Pricing Trends: The average list price rose 8.4% to $732.92K, up 12.2% year over year. The average sold price climbed 14.5% to $570.9K, now 11.1% above last September. That erases August's year over year decline, which looks more like a one month mix effect than the start of a trend. The gap between the two averages narrowed to about $162K, down from roughly $177K in August. Closings rebounded 32.0% to 66 but remain 35.3% below last year. Here is the part the averages hide: homes averaged 124 days on market, up from 94, and closed at 90.3% of original list, down from 91.2%. More expensive homes did more of the closing, but on a home by home basis, buyers are getting more room to negotiate, not less. Months supply eased slightly to 5.8.

Key New Construction Market Trends:

• Months Supply: 5.8

  
  

• Days on Market: 124

  
  

• Coming Soon: 19

  
  

• % of Original List: 90.3%

  
  

• Closed Sales: 66 (+32.0% MoM, -35.3% YoY)

  
  

• Avg Sold Price: $570.9K (+14.5% MoM, +11.1% YoY)

Resale: Prices Strong, Pace Slipping

Resale is still the county’s anchor on price, but September showed the first signs of cooling in volume.

Inventory Levels: Active listings fell 6.5% to 760 and are 6.9% below last September. That reverses the steady narrowing we have been tracking, from down 12.5%, to down 9.0%, to down 5.4% last month. New listings dropped 23.4% month over month to 183 and are now 9.4% below last year. In August, sellers were listing at a healthier pace than 2025. In September, they pulled back.

Closed Performance: The average list price rose 2.0% to $597.55K, 5.5% below a year ago. The average sold price jumped 9.2% to $602.0K, up 14.4% year over year. On paper, the average sold price now sits about $4K above the average list price. That does not mean homes are selling over asking. The two averages measure different pools of homes, and the home by home number tells the real story: sellers realized 93.2% of original list, down from 94.5% in August. Higher priced homes did more of the closing, and buyers still negotiated. Closed sales came in at 119, down 11.2% for the month and 0.8% below last September, the first time this year’s resale closings have slipped behind last year in our recent reports. Homes averaged 61 days on market, and months supply eased to 6.2.

Key Resale Market Trends:

• Months Supply: 6.2

  
  

• Days on Market: 61

  
  

• Coming Soon: 19

  
  

• % of Original List: 93.2%

  
  

• Closed Sales: 119 (-11.2% MoM, -0.8% YoY)

  
  

• Avg Sold Price: $602.0K (+9.2% MoM, +14.4% YoY)

  
  

• Avg List Price: $597.55K (+2.0% MoM, -5.5% YoY)

  
  

Lease: Rents Settle, Vacancy Stays Thin

Last month we read August’s rent jump as larger homes doing more of the leasing. September confirmed it was a mix effect, not a new rent level.

Supply and Demand: Active listings fell 6.7% to 195 and are a striking 34.6% below last September. New listings dropped 17.5% to 104, down 13.3% year over year. Closed leases came in at 84, down 2.3% from August and 5.6% below a year ago. Months supply sits at 2.0, and homes leased in 40 days, still the fastest pace of the three segments.

Lease Pricing: The average list price held nearly flat at $2.65K, down 0.7%. The average closed lease fell 14.3% to $2.4K, 2.1% below last year, and is back below the average asking rent. Renters paid 96.8% of original ask, down slightly from 97.1% in August. Rents have leveled off, but with supply this thin, there is still very little room to negotiate.

Key Rental Market Trends:

• Months Supply: 2.0

  
  

• Days on Market: 40

  
  

• Coming Soon: 6

  
  

• % of Original List: 96.8%

  
  

• Closed Sales: 84 (-2.3% MoM, -5.6% YoY)

  
  

• Avg Sold Price: $2.4K (-14.3% MoM, -2.1% YoY)

  
  

• Avg List Price: $2.65K (-0.7% MoM)

  
  

Overall Market Outlook: Read Past the Averages

The defining theme for September 2026 is READ PAST THE AVERAGES. The headline sold prices look strong: up 14.4% year over year in resale and 11.1% in new construction. But the share of original list that sellers actually captured slipped in both segments, and homes took longer to close. The averages rose because higher priced homes did more of the closing, not because buyers are paying more for the same house. Rates were steady and still better than a year ago, so financing is not the constraint. Pricing discipline is.

Resale remains balanced. With 6.2 months of supply and 61 days on market, well priced homes still sell close to ask, and overpricing still gets corrected at the closing table. What changed is the pace: fewer sellers listed, and closings slipped just under last year.

New construction is still clearly a buyer’s segment. Homes closed at 90.3% of original list and took 124 days to do it. Buyers who are patient with a builder have real leverage on price, incentives, or both.

Leasing remains the tightest part of the county. Supply sits at 2.0 months and active listings are down about a third from last year. Rents have stopped climbing, but they are holding firm.

What this means depends on where you stand. Buyers have steady rates and more negotiating room per home than a month ago, especially on new builds. Sellers face less competition as new listings drop, and sold prices are well ahead of last year, but the first list price still matters, because the market is not paying for optimism. Investors are looking at very thin rental vacancy with flattening rents, which still supports the case for holding, as long as the numbers are underwritten at today’s rents rather than August’s spike.

If you want to talk through what this means for your situation, whether you are buying, selling, or investing in Rockwall County, let’s connect.

Important Note:

This analysis is based on data from NTREIS (North Texas Real Estate Information Systems) as of September 30, 2026.  Market conditions can change rapidly, and this report is intended for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a guarantee of future market performance.