Austin, TX
Rent prices in Austin drop 10% on average from last year: FOX 7 Focus
Austin rent prices down: FOX 7 Focus
Austin rent prices have decreased compared to last year. Austin realtor Olivia Vale joins FOX 7 Austin’s John Krinjak to discuss in this FOX 7 Focus.
AUSTIN, Texas – If you’re looking for an apartment here in Central Texas, you may be pleasantly surprised to see that rent prices have actually gone down.
Austin realtor Olivia Vale with Roots Residential Group joins FOX 7 Austin’s John Krinjak to discuss in this FOX 7 Focus.
JOHN KRINJAK: So tell us about what we’re seeing here. How big of a drop are we actually seeing in the price to rent an apartment?
OLIVIA VALE: Yeah. So, on average, we’re seeing about a 10% decrease from last year. And keep in mind that over the pandemic, both rents and home prices skyrocketed. And that’s because of supply and demand and, of course, a number of economic factors. Right now we’re getting relief. And we’re at the lighter side of that bubble, which is great news. The caveat here is that not all rent prices are dropping in the same way, in the same locations. So the closer you are to downtown, you’ll see a more robust, healthy rental market when you get further out. Suburbs, new builds. We’re seeing those rent prices come down, whereas, you know, older homes in more established neighborhoods, those are more robust. And we’re seeing, you know, more of a flat level there.
JOHN KRINJAK: So from what you’re seeing, what do you think is behind this drop in rent prices?
OLIVIA VALE: Yeah. So a lot of it is supply and demand. We don’t have the tens of thousands of people moving here, ready to rent kind of anything that they see online before even seeing in person. So, you know, there’s a lot more available. And that goes for when you’re buying a home, too. There’s a lot of availability right now.
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JOHN KRINJAK: All right. So let’s set up two scenarios here. If you’re looking for a new apartment, you’re looking to leave where you are now, find a new apartment. Hopefully, take advantage of some of these savings. What advice would you have for people?
OLIVIA VALE: Yeah, I would say with any apartment hunting, of course, with home buying and selling, you can use a realtor. A lot of people don’t know that a realtor is available for you to use. You don’t have to pay them personally. We get a bit of commission from the landlord. A realtor has years of knowledge about the housing market they can advise you on. You know what a landlord may be looking for and an application fee.
JOHN KRINJAK: So on the other end of it, if you’re looking, you like your apartment, you’re looking to stay where you are, but you’re looking around and seeing the prices go down. But your landlord wants to keep your rent the same or raise it, and you don’t think that’s fair. What steps can you take there?
OLIVIA VALE: I think that almost unequivocally, across the board, no one should be raising their rent this year. We saw a huge jump in rents this year. You know, we’re actually at a level where rents were in 2021. So if your landlord is raising your rent levels past 2023, you know, that’s a sign to get in touch with the realtor, have them run rental comps on what rental places have closed in your neighborhood in the last six months or so, and then armed with that information, you can go to your landlord and say, look, you don’t have justifiable basis to raise my rent.
JOHN KRINJAK: And I guess the question everyone’s kind of afraid to ask, do you think this is going to continue?
OLIVIA VALE: I think we’ve kind of leveled off. We can see that rents did go up ever so slightly. Just May, April, May. So I think the adjustment is where we’re kind of over that hump now.
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JOHN KRINJAK: And so we talked a lot about renting, but if you’re looking to buy a home or a condo, are you seeing similar patterns with the real estate market as we are with rent prices? Are those prices coming down too?
OLIVIA VALE: Marginally. So definitely from the highs in 2022, we’ve come down a little bit. If you are a buyer right now, we’re seeing 30% more homes inventory wise than we were last year. So the world is your oyster. If you’re a buyer in Austin, you should be able to negotiate. You should be able to get, maybe points on your mortgage paid by the seller. You have a lot of leverage.
JOHN KRINJAK: What should you do if you’re a seller? Is it just a bad time to sell, or is it a little bit more nuanced than that?
OLIVIA VALE: It’s a little more nuanced. I mean, everything is so localized in this market, you see huge differences between neighborhoods. So when you’re a seller, you have to adjust your expectations, know that your home is going to be on the market for longer. Do those extra things to your home, spiff it up, make it look great. And then have an experienced realtor give you a fair, realistic idea of what you can actually sell your home for.
JOHN KRINJAK: All right. Olivia Vale, realtor here in Austin. Olivia, thanks so much for being here. We appreciate you.
OLIVIA VALE: You’re so welcome. Thank you for having me.
Following controversial comments from head coach Steve Sarkisian and recruiting battles with other contending teams, the Texas Longhorns have once again found themselves in the national spotlight ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Just like this time 365 days ago, the Longhorns are the favorites to win the SEC Championship by the time the postseason rolls around, as well as be contenders for the national championship — despite failing to gain a playoff berth in 2025.
Ahead of the 2025 season, Texas’ preseason hype centered around quarterback Arch Manning and his first year at the helm of the Longhorns’ offense. Despite predictions that Manning would win the Heisman and be the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Longhorns went on to a nine-win regular season with steady, ongoing improvements in Manning’s performance.
Now, the attention from national media seems due to the “all-in” season that the Longhorns are looking toward, with a huge roster turnover through the transfer portal suggesting that this is the make-or-break year for Texas — and Manning — to achieve any national championship hopes.
However, a “make-or-break” season isn’t necessarily what’s ahead for Texas in 2026.
Texas’ Championship Hopes Aren’t Necessarily Over After 2026
It’s fair to assume that the Longhorns are going all in for a national championship in 2026, given the emphasis on experienced transfer portal talent, coaching staff changes and even talk from some players about what the team’s goals are over the offseason.
But considering 2026 as the Longhorns’ last chance for a trophy in the immediate future isn’t as easily justifiable, especially when Texas may not be considering much of a rebuild after this season ends. Sarkisian himself didn’t deny that Manning may come back for another year with Texas in 2027, and many key playmakers on both offense and defense have several more years of eligibility left.
Especially looking at Texas’ incoming class of freshmen and history with the transfer portal, it’s likely that the Longhorns are setting themselves up for longevity more than immediate success. If Manning does decide to declare for the 2027 NFL Draft, incoming freshman quarterback Dia Bell will be an exciting prospect for Texas to bank on when looking for its next offensive leader.
It’s natural that the Longhorns should continue to generate national excitement, especially with the newest five-star commit to the 2027 class. Even so, Texas has a habit of bucking the trends and national predictions. The pressure was on in 2025 to win a national championship in Manning’s first year as a starter, and as more mock drafts continue to slate him as a first-rounder, that pressure has only heightened in what most onlookers see as his last year playing college football.
Whether the Longhorns will buckle under that pressure this go-around will be seen, starting with their home opener against Texas State on Sept. 5.
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AUSTIN, Texas — Austin city leaders gathered on East 11th Street on Juneteenth to celebrate the “Black Artists Matter” mural before it must be removed under an order from the Texas Department of Transportation. The mural and the city’s rainbow crosswalk are slated for removal in compliance with a Texas Department of Transportation directive requiring cities to remove political ideologies from roadways. Last October, Gov. Greg Abbott directed TxDOT to enforce the policy.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson stood on the blocked-off street where the yellow letters spelling “Black Artists Matter” are painted on the roadway’s surface. “We will never forget that when the state decided to target our murals, the community stood together to celebrate our city’s diversity, spirit, and creativity,” Watson said.
Watson criticized the state’s actions, saying, “The state government engages in negative rhetoric and threats, it targets communities that it disagrees with and seeks retribution.”
In response to the order, Watson formed the Public Spaces Task Force to identify other ways to celebrate diversity in Austin.
ALSO| Screwworm medications straining animal shelter budgets across Texas
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Daphne McDole, chief executive officer of the African American Cultural Heritage District and a member of the task force, said she wanted the event held on Juneteenth because of its significance. “I wanted to do it on Juneteenth, it was significant to me because I knew that that was the day my community would be in the district. We will be celebrating over here all day, so it was appropriate,” McDole said.
Task force members said they are exploring alternatives to honor East Austin’s history and diversity. They noted that city leaders in San Antonio created rainbow sidewalks after removing rainbow crosswalks, but said Austin will pursue its own approach.
Task force chair Steven Rivas said the community is focused on preserving the meaning behind the markings. “We chose to come together as a community and find a way to respect what these markings mean and build upon them. If we can’t have them in the street, we’re going to put them off the street,” Rivas said.
AUSTIN, Texas — The screwworm outbreak is having a major impact on animal shelter budgets across Texas. Instant kill and preventative medications for dogs and cats are an unprecedented expense.
Paul is a rescue dog from South Texas, where he was living on the streets and starving. He is now at Austin Pets Alive! getting Screwworm prevention medication and the treatment he needs to get healthy.
“Any dog that enters our shelter period, but especially if they look like this, we are going over them with a fine-tooth comb and looking for anything that might be a wound where a screwworm might have been able to gain access,” said Dr. Ellen Jefferson, CEO and President of Austin Pets Alive!
RELATED| FDA authorizes generic over-the-counter drug to treat New World screwworm in pets
Dr. Jefferson says dogs and cats need regular checks of their eyes, noses, ears, and underneath their fur. But Austin Pets Alive! says the best protection is a combination of Capstar, which is an instant-kill medication for existing active screwworm larvae, and prescription preventatives that provide ongoing protection when administered every 30 days.
“Just to buy the initial Capstar for our program, it was close to $10,000,” said Rebecca Giamona, Asst. Medical Care Director at Austin Pets Alive!
Giamona says preventative meds are also putting a heavy financial strain on the nonprofit’s budget at a cost of around $70,000.
“We need about 5,000 doses of the monthly preventative, and they are roughly $14 to $15 per dose,” said Giamona.
Products with the active ingredients ending in l, a, n, e, r are highly effective at preventing and treating infestations. But keeping Paul and every shelter animal up to date will take help from the public.
“Donations, and hopefully some more donations,” said Giamona.
An infestation of New World Screwworm can be painful, disfiguring, and potentially deadly for animals. Most cases involve livestock, especially cattle, but dogs and cats can also get infestations.
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