From Scarcity to Stability: How Inventory Has Shifted Across Texas

Updated November 2025

Why we’re revisiting the 2022 blog & how the Cross Timbers market has evolved

Where Things Stood in 2022

That old blog highlighted a few big truths:
• A NAR survey showed buyers couldn’t find the right home because inventory was painfully low.
• Realtor.com data said more homeowners planned to list within six months — so a bump was coming.
• About 10% of homeowners who wanted to sell that year had already listed.
• The advice was simple: stay sharp, act fast, and work closely with your agent because listings moved like lightning.

All of that was real at the time.
But today?
The landscape is still familiar — just not identical.

Where Things Stand in Texas & the Cross Timbers in 2025

The Lone Star market has finally unclenched a little.

Inventory has grown.
Not explosively, not everywhere — but enough to loosen the grip compared to those frenzied 2021–22 days.

Here’s the vibe in our part of Texas:

• More listings are hitting the market each season compared to the drought years.
• Smaller communities like Stephenville, Hico, Dublin, Comanche, Eastland, Glen Rose, and Granbury — they’re seeing steadier flow than during the pandemic crunch.
• Land and ranch listings still move at their own rhythm (Cross Timbers land never stays quiet for long), but buyers have more to choose from than before.
• Price growth has cooled into something more humane and less roller-coaster.
• Buyers aren’t sprinting as viciously — but they’re definitely jogging with purpose.
• Sellers still have solid leverage, but strategic pricing matters way more now than in 2022.

It’s not a buyer’s market.
It’s not exactly a seller’s market.
It’s more like a seesaw hovering near the center, shifting depending on the county, price point, or land type.

What That Means for Buyers in the Cross Timbers

You still need to stay awake out there — good homes and good acreage don’t nap on the market.
But you’re not wrestling twelve offers at midnight anymore.

You’ve got a little more breathing room.
You’ve got more selection.
You’ve got a better shot at actually finding something that fits instead of settling.

Still, the original 2022 advice hasn’t aged a day:
• Stay ready.
• Stay pre-approved.
• Stay close to your agent.
• Act when the right property hits — delay is still the enemy.

Your dream home or dream piece of land may be on a truck rolling toward the market right now.

What That Means for Sellers in the Cross Timbers

In 2022, sellers basically tossed a sign in the yard and let the magic happen.
In 2025, the magic still shows up — but it likes a good performance.

Here’s how to win now:
• Price where the market actually is, not where it used to be.
• Lean into what makes your place special — tanks, trees, soil, fencing, road frontage, upgrades, proximity to Stephenville or Granbury.
• Presentation matters again.
• Negotiation is back on the table — don’t fear it, anticipate it.

You still hold strong cards.
You just have to play them with intention.

That original May 2022 message was built on hope — hope for more listings, more choice, and a little more market sanity.

Three years later?
That hope has turned into reality.

The inventory bump arrived.
It didn’t crash into the market like a storm — it rolled in like a slow Texas sunrise, steady and warm.
Buyers in the Cross Timbers have more options.
Sellers still have power.
And the whole region sits in a healthier, more balanced place.

If you’re thinking about moving — buying, selling, trading up, scaling down, investing in land, or rolling into ranch ownership — this is a good season to make the call.

And when you’re ready… we’re right here.

Preferred Properties of Texas

“The Preferred Way to Buy & Sell Property.”
📞 (254) 965-7775
🌐 PreferredPropertiesTX.com
Serving the Cross Timbers for over 30 years — homes, land, ranches, commercial, and rental management.

Whenever you’re ready, we’ll walk the road with you.