North Texas Home Sales Fall to 2012 Levels as Builders Dangle $47,000 Incentives

3 articles · Updated · Denton Record Chronicle · Aug 18

Dallas County home sales have fallen back to 2012 levels, with Tarrant at 2013, Denton at 2017 and Collin at 2020, underscoring a North Texas housing recession driven by weak affordability.
Mortgage costs are squeezing buyers so hard that major builders are carrying the market with cheaper product and aggressive concessions: D.R. Horton averaged $365,000 per home, Lennar $371,000 while offering about $47,000 in incentives.
Existing-home sellers are being hit hardest because they must compete with builder rate buydowns and discounts, even as resale inventory in some areas has doubled and some recent buyers are already facing losses or renting out homes instead of selling.
Renting still looks cheaper across DFW, where abundant apartment supply and new multifamily projects are keeping rents in check; some newer Denton developments are offering 8 to 10 weeks free rent.
The report says bond yields remain the key risk signal for housing, with broader inflation, weak job growth and policy uncertainty likely to keep transaction volumes under pressure even if prices stay relatively stable.