Kyler Hood's DFW Market Brief

Texas has no state income tax, so property taxes carry a lot of weight here, and they surprise almost every relocator. How the rate actually works: a stack of taxing units, not a single number, with a real example from Kyler's own rate homework.

The rate stack:

• Your rate is quoted per 100 dollars of assessed value
• The city, the county, the school district, and the community college each set their own rate every fall, and they add up
• Newer communities can add a municipal utility district or public improvement district tax on top, which pays for the roads and utilities in the newer development

The Lewis Ranch example (Wylie, adopted 2026 rates):

• Total rate: 2.004388 per 100 dollars
• City 0.596554, county 0.151414, school district 1.1752, college 0.08122
• On a 650,000 dollar home: about 1,086 dollars a month in property taxes alone. Not principal, not interest, not insurance. Taxes.

Where to check and what to know:

• County appraisal districts publish the adopted rates every fall, usually by October
• Texas homeowners can file a homestead exemption, which lowers the taxable value on a primary residence
• The free tax trap calculator on his site runs this exact math: https://kylerhood.com/tax-trap-calculator/
• The assessed value is not the purchase price. The appraisal district sets a value every year, and you can protest it.
• On a brand-new home, ask the builder which taxing units are actually in place, because a community that is still forming its districts can see the stack change after you close
• Newer communities often carry higher combined rates that pay for newer infrastructure. Older areas may tax less, but the homes usually cost more. Neither is automatically the better deal.

A note from the script that Kyler did not record: Rockwall's 2026 city rate had not been adopted as of his September 24 check. If you are shopping Rockwall, confirm the final number before you underwrite the payment.

Sources:

• Kyler Hood's 29-city 2026 adopted-rate homework (city, county CAD, ISD, and college portals; verified September 25, 2026)
• Tax trap calculator: https://kylerhood.com/tax-trap-calculator/

Kyler Hood, eXp Realty, TX license #828001. 469-434-2586. https://kylerhood.com

This one is for sellers, or for buyers trying to read sellers. MetroTex's August numbers show homes taking longer and sellers conceding more, but DFW is not one market. The numbers, the submarket split, and the pricing tactic for both sides.

The August numbers (MetroTex):

• Typical DFW home took 90 days to sell, unchanged from last August
• 4.4 months of inventory, with 34,191 active listings
• Single-family days on market rose from 54 in July to 58 in August
• Sold-to-list price ratio slipped from 95.2 percent to 94.8 percent
• Pending single-family contracts down 11 percent from last August

The submarket split:

• Royse City: 7.1 months of supply, median price 324,965 dollars
• Garland: 3.3 months of supply, median price 298,000 dollars
• Same metro, same month, very different leverage. Check your submarket before you check your instincts.

The seller tactic: in a market where the average seller is conceding more than 5 percent off list, the first 30 days on market are the cheapest days you will ever have. Price to the recent comparable sales, not to the number you need. Watch pending sales in your area, not just active listings. Fewer pending contracts today means fewer competing buyers tomorrow.

The buyer read: when the average seller is conceding more than 5 percent off list, an offer 5 percent under asking is not an insult. It is the market. Bring the comps, keep the tone friendly, and let the numbers do the talking.

And if you are already listed and sitting past 60 days, the market has given you its answer. A 1 percent trim rarely restarts the conversation. Get a fresh read on the comparable sales, price to the number they support, and say it once.

Sources:

• MetroTex August 2026 Housing Report, via DFW Agent Magazine: https://dfwagentmagazine.com/2026/09/16/metrotex-housing-report-aug-2026/
• MetroTex on August home sales, via mymetrotex.com: https://www.mymetrotex.com/dfw-home-sales-fall-2026/
• Garland August market data, via the Dunnican Team: https://thedunnicanteam.com/market-update/garland-tx/

Kyler Hood, eXp Realty, TX license #828001. 469-434-2586. https://kylerhood.com

Yesterday's episode mentioned 2-1 buydowns, and it is the question Kyler keeps getting, so today is the explainer. What a 2-1 buydown actually does to your payment, what it costs, and the difference between a buydown and discount points.

The math from this episode (400,000 dollar loan, 7 percent note rate):

• No buydown: about 2,669 dollars a month, principal and interest
• Year 1 at 5 percent: about 2,147 dollars a month
• Year 2 at 6 percent: about 2,398 dollars a month
• Year 3 on: back to about 2,669 dollars a month
• Total buydown cost: about 9,300 dollars, funded by whoever is offering the incentive, not the buyer

The key distinctions:

• A buydown is temporary: two years of lower payments, then the full payment. Discount points buy the rate down permanently for the life of the loan.
• Lenders underwrite the house to the full payment, not the year-one payment. If you are stretching to afford year one, the buydown is delaying the problem, not solving it.
• Two questions before signing: what happens to the buydown money if you refinance or sell early (get the answer in writing from your lender), and how the buydown compares to a permanent rate reduction or price cut for the same dollars over the years you actually plan to stay.
• A buydown fits best when you can already afford the full payment and just want the early years to cost less.
• Some builder offers cannot be combined, so ask the sales office whether the buydown stacks with a price cut or closing-cost credit on the same home.

"Buydowns are neither good nor bad. They are a tool with a two-year window and a year-three landing. Make sure the landing works for you."

Sources:

• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on temporary buydowns: https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/why-did-my-monthly-mortgage-payment-go-up-or-change-en-213/
• Realtor.com buydown explainer: https://www.realtor.com/advice/finance/mortgage-buydown-every-homebuyer-needs-to-know/
• Builder incentive tracker: https://kylerhood.com/#incentives

Kyler Hood, eXp Realty, TX license #828001. 469-434-2586. https://kylerhood.com

The published builder incentives Kyler tracks across 11 builders in his floorplan catalog, and the snapshot problem: several of the biggest offers expire September 30, so treat the episode as a snapshot, not a shopping list. Every offer carries his standing advice to confirm terms with the builder's sales office, because terms change without notice.

The rate offers:

• K. Hovnanian: 4.99 percent 30-year fixed through its own mortgage company, new contracts through October 15, closings by October 31
• Pacesetter Homes: 4.99 percent on FHA loans, 5.25 percent on conventional through preferred lenders, ends September 30
• David Weekley Homes: Employee Pricing Event, 7 percent of the base price in flex dollars capped at 40,000 dollars, usable toward the price, design selections, or a rate buydown, ends September 30
• David Weekley Homes: also described in the episode, a 2-1 buydown on a 7/6 ARM at 2.99 percent year one, 3.99 percent year two, 4.99 percent years three through seven
• Highland Homes and Huntington Homes: up to 20,000 dollars in builder contribution toward closing costs, options, or discount points, build-to-suit homes only, requires their affiliated lender, ends September 30

The price cuts:

• Bloomfield Homes: a Bellflower III at Coyote Crossing cut from 731,990 dollars to 629,990 dollars, down 102,000 dollars; a Hawthorne II at Wildcat Ridge cut from 629,990 dollars to 509,990 dollars, down 120,000 dollars. Per-listing prices change frequently.
• Shane Homes: 25,000 dollars in incentives on select Rockwall homes at Gideon Grove and Park Hills, usable toward the price, design upgrades, or a rate reduction

A note on the offer count: the episode mentions 19 current offers as of the recording. The live tracker now shows 23 offers across 11 builders as of September 28. See the current list here: https://kylerhood.com/#incentives

Two corrections to the episode: it says Britton Homes had no verifiable offers, but Britton has since published a Summer Sales Event (earnest-money contracts June 2 through September 30, 2026; must close by September 30, 2026). And the David Weekley 2-1 buydown described in the episode was not published on the builder's site as of the September 28 check.

Sources:

• K. Hovnanian Dallas offers: https://www.khov.com/find-new-homes/texas/dallas-tx
• Pacesetter Homes Dallas savings: https://info.pacesetterhomestexas.com/dallas-savings
• David Weekley Homes Employee Pricing, Dallas/Fort Worth: https://www.davidweekleyhomes.com/promo/employee-pricing-dal
• Highland Homes and Huntington Homes Q3 2026 promo flyer (PDF): https://mosaiclivingtx.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/DFW-2026-6065-DFW-Q3-Consumer-Promo-FLYER_APPROVED.pdf
• Bloomfield Homes current promotions: https://www.bloomfieldhomes.com/new-homes/tx/burleson/parks-at-panchasarp-farms-65/
• Shane Homes offers: https://www.shanehomes.com/us/offers/
• Britton Homes Summer Sales Event 2026: https://www.brittonhomestexas.com/promotion/summer-sales-event-2026
• Builder incentive tracker: https://kylerhood.com/#incentives

Kyler Hood, eXp Realty, TX license #828001. 469-434-2586. https://kylerhood.com

Realtor.com's annual Best Time to Buy report names this week, September 27 through October 3, as 2026's best week to buy. The Dallas-Fort Worth numbers behind it, the national picture, and what to actually do with a seasonal pattern.

The DFW numbers (via DFW Agent Magazine, September 15):

• 18.8 percent more active listings than the average week
• 39.3 percent less competition, measured by views per listing
• Median list prices 6.5 percent below their seasonal peak
• 1.9 percent more price reductions
• Listings spend 17 more days on the market than during the fastest-moving weeks

The national picture (Realtor.com):

• 13.3 percent more active listings than the average week
• About 30 percent less competition
• Prices 3.5 percent below their seasonal peak
• Roughly 14,000 dollars in savings versus the summer price peak on a median-priced home near 416,000 dollars

"More choices and less urgency." — Hannah Jones, senior economist, Realtor.com

The honest caveat from the episode: a seasonal pattern is not a guarantee for any single house. What the week gives you is better odds — more inventory to choose from and less pressure to decide in an afternoon.

Sources:

• DFW Agent Magazine, September 15, 2026: https://dfwagentmagazine.com/2026/09/15/best-week-to-buy-2026/
• Realtor.com 2026 Best Time to Buy report, via NAR: https://www.nar.realtor/news/real-estate-news/the-best-time-to-buy-for-2026-is-coming-soon-are-your-buyers-ready
• Builder incentive tracker: https://kylerhood.com/#incentives

Kyler Hood, eXp Realty, TX license #828001. 469-434-2586. https://kylerhood.com

DFW Market Brief, Episode 1 — Monday, September 28, 2026

The 30-year fixed crossed 7 percent for the first time since January 2025. What that costs in real dollars on a 400,000 dollar loan, why builder rate offers in the 4s and 5s matter more than the headline number, and what the big forecasters now expect.

The numbers from this episode:

• 30-year fixed: 7.03 percent as of September 24, up from 6.95 percent the week before and 6.30 percent a year ago (Freddie Mac)
• 400,000 dollar loan at 7.03 percent: about 2,669 dollars a month, principal and interest
• Same loan at 6.30 percent: about 2,476 dollars a month
• Difference: about 193 dollars a month for the same house
• Fannie Mae and the Mortgage Bankers Association both see rates near 6.8 percent at year end

A note on the builder offer count: the episode mentions 19 current offers verified September 24. The live tracker now shows 23 offers across 11 builders as of September 28. See the current list here: https://kylerhood.com/#incentives

Sources:

• Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, September 24, 2026: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/09/24/3368592/0/en/mortgage-rates-average-7-03.html
• Fannie Mae August housing forecast, via Scotsman Guide: https://www.scotsmanguide.com/news/fannie-mae-lowers-single-family-origination-forecasts-through-mid-2027/
• Mortgage Bankers Association rate outlook, via Scotsman Guide: https://www.scotsmanguide.com/news/mba-lifts-mortgage-rate-outlook-as-fed-signals-hiking-cycle/
• The Fed raised its benchmark rate a quarter point last week, its first move this year, via WAMC: https://www.wamc.org/2026-09-24/mortgage-rates-have-just-surpassed-7-for-the-first-time-in-well-over-a-year
• Builder incentive tracker: https://kylerhood.com/#incentives

Kyler Hood, eXp Realty, TX license #828001. 469-434-2586. https://kylerhood.com