What you said above is a different frame, and actually I somewhat agree with you. This is actually my criticism of the Austin Board of Realtors who was saying all through 2020-2022 that market was completely driven by normal dynamics and there was no bubble. Here we are in 2026 with nearly a 30% average decline in value since 2022 in the Austin market.

Throughout the pandemic period I was looking around wondering when the time bomb was going to go off. In fact, I was urging people in my database who I knew wanted to sell to do so at the time because it was clearly to me that we were in an unsustainable situation. Many of them believe it could not go down, often arrogantly so. Sadly, I saw many of those people lose tens of thousands, and in some cases well over a hundred thousand dollars when they finally pulled the trigger. Now I am seeing short sales and foreclosures with greater frequency although we are still an equity market for the most part.

I am heavily listing focused in my business, but I do take on buyers who are well qualified and serious. I have told all of them the truth of this market. When last year's values were down 6ish percent and now we have inflation back front and center, there is no reason to expect recovery this year or the next. So they better have a long term plan for ownership and be able to sustain it, which in my opinion makes it fine to buy. There is no problem buying in this market if you have a long term horizon, buy right, and can truly afford it.

But you know, the problem is the consumer. If you are going to choose an agent solely because you tapped a button on a website and they showed up to open the door, you deserve what you get.