Published October 11, 2026 in Market Update

North SA Core still has buyers, but they are picking carefully

By Scott Peck

Real estate, Tier 3 Established North SA Core - Equity rich owners, no build compettition, Strategy not propety p

Realtor.com reported that mortgage rates topped 7% in September 2026. That is a real headwind. But here is what matters more if you own a home in North SA Core: buyers did not disappear. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 437 homes sold across the six ZIP codes in this area for the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 3.6% from the same period a year ago. Pending sales came in at 439, up 0.5%. The market is moving. It is just moving more carefully than it did two years ago.

CNBC reported that collective tappable home equity nationally reached $11.5 trillion in the second quarter of 2026. The average homeowner with a mortgage sits on $310,000 in equity, about $6,000 more than the previous quarter. Only 2.1% of borrowers owe more than their home is worth. If you own in North SA Core, you are very likely in a strong equity position. That matters when you decide how to price and when to move.

Each ZIP code tells its own story

The area-wide numbers are encouraging. But the six ZIP codes inside North SA Core are each doing something a little different. Some are tightening. One is softening. Knowing which one you are in changes everything about how you should price and prepare.

Where things are tightening

ZIP 78248 had a strong three months. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 67 homes sold there, up 34% from a year ago. The median sale price was $600,000, up 6.7%. Months of supply dropped a full month to 3.2. Homes there are selling in a median of 39 days, and sellers are getting 98.3% of their list price on average. That is a market where priced-right homes are finding buyers.

ZIP 78232 had the most sales of any ZIP in the area. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 112 homes sold, up 16.7%. Pending sales hit 115, up 12.7%. Months of supply fell to 3.5. The one honest note: the median sale price dipped 6.1% to $382,500. More homes are selling, but buyers are pushing back a little on price. The good news is that 35.7% of homes there went under contract within two weeks of listing, up 11.2 points from a year ago.

ZIP 78023 is also worth watching. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows the median sale price rose 9.8% to $483,000. Homes for sale dropped 22.3%. Months of supply fell to 3.5, down nearly a full month. And 34.2% of homes went under contract within two weeks, up 12 points from last year. Less inventory and steady demand is a combination that tends to hold prices up.

Where buyers are taking longer to decide

ZIP 78255 is the one that deserves a closer look. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows 70 homes sold there, up 18.6%. But the median sale price fell 7.5% to $573,750. Days on market stretched to 68, eight days longer than a year ago. Months of supply sits at 5.7, the highest in the area. Homes for sale rose 19.3%. More inventory and longer waits usually mean buyers have more room to negotiate. If you own in 78255, pricing carefully from the start matters more than anywhere else in this area.

ZIP 78231 saw days on market jump 26 days longer than a year ago to 44 days. The sale-to-list ratio slipped to 96.8%, down 1.7 points. The share of homes that went under contract within two weeks fell 27.5 points to 20.7%. That is the sharpest drop in the area. The median sale price did rise 5% to $453,707, which is a real positive. But the slower pace tells you buyers there are being deliberate.

What the rental market tells us

Realtor.com reported on September 17, 2026 that 67.9% of rental communities in the San Antonio-New Braunfels area were offering concessions. That is a lot of landlords competing for tenants. When renting gets easier and cheaper, some buyers feel less urgency to purchase. That is part of why buyers here are taking their time and asking more questions about price.

What this means if you own here

The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported that U.S. house prices rose 2.6% from July 2025 to July 2026. North SA Core is holding up well against that national picture. But Realtor.com also reported that rates topped 7% in September 2026. Buyers are doing the math on monthly payments. They are not walking away. They are just making sure the price makes sense before they sign.

One more thing worth knowing: the numbers above cover whole ZIP codes. Your street, your subdivision, your floor plan, your condition, those all read differently from the ZIP total. A few blocks can make a real difference in what buyers expect and what they will pay.