Fix and Flip in Austin

Only if you buy right. ATTOM's Q1 2026 home flipping report ranked Austin last among major U.S. metros for return on investment, at 2.0% gross ROI, against a 25.4% national gross margin and a $66,000 median gross profit. Gross ROI is resale price against purchase price, before rehab, financing, and holding costs, so the average Austin flip that quarter did not cover its own rehab. All four big Texas metros sat at the bottom of that list: Austin 2.0%, Dallas 4.3%, San Antonio 5.1%, Houston 7.2%. We still fund Austin flips, and we underwrite the purchase price and the comps harder than we would in a market carrying a 25% spread. Run the deal on the fix and flip calculator before you sign the contract, not after.

Longer than the last cycle trained you to expect. As of mid-2026 the Austin area was running about 5.9 to 6.0 months of inventory, a median 68 days on market, and a 97.36% sold-to-list ratio, with 55.57% of active listings having already taken at least one price cut. Nationally, flips that resold in the first quarter of 2026 had been held an average of 165 days. Our fix and flip loan runs a 6-month term, interest-only, so build the rehab schedule and the listing window to fit inside it, and price a reduction into your exit rather than hoping you won't need one.

More than most out-of-state buyers budget for. Travis County adopted a county rate of $0.375845 per $100 of taxable value for FY2026, and that is only one line on the bill; city and school district rates stack on top of it. Investment property gets no homestead exemption and no 10% homestead cap. The 20% circuit breaker cap on non-homestead appraised value requires a full January through December ownership year, so a property bought and sold inside a year never gets it, and that cap is authorized only for tax years 2024, 2025 and 2026 and expires after 2026 unless the Legislature extends it. Expect the go-forward bill to jump when the prior owner's homestead-capped value comes off. On insurance, Texas homeowners premiums recorded by the state rose 21.1% in 2023, 18.7% in 2024, and 4.3% in 2025, on a statewide average premium of $3,291 in 2024. Get real tax and insurance quotes for the specific address, and talk to your CPA about your own situation.

Yes, and the calendar is the reason speed matters. Texas forecloses non-judicially under Property Code section 51.002. Sales are held on the first Tuesday of every month, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., at a designated place at or near the courthouse of the county where the property sits, with written notice posted at least 21 days ahead. If the first Tuesday falls on January 1 or July 4, the sale moves to the first Wednesday. So Travis, Williamson, and Hays distressed inventory arrives in one monthly batch on a hard date. We can get you a term sheet the same day and typically fund within 48 hours of clear title, which puts most files at 5 to 7 days from application, subject to underwriting. Apply now ahead of the posting date rather than the week of the sale.

To the submarket, never the metro average. In July 2026 the city of Austin median sale price was $577,000, down 1.4% year over year, while the wider Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos MSA median was $435,000, up about 1%. Volume split the same way: Travis County sales were up 11.4% and Williamson up 6%, while Hays County, which covers Buda and part of Dripping Springs, was down 12%. Williamson's median was $415,000, down 1.2%; Hays was $367,700, up 1%. Quote a Buda or Dripping Springs exit off metro-wide velocity and you will be wrong. Pull comps at the subdivision level and hold your after repair value to them.

For anything structural, mechanical, or a change of use, yes. Austin Residential Plan Review posted new review targets effective July 1, 2026: 5 business days for an interior remodel, a garage conversion or porch enclosure, a demolition, or minor revisions, and 10 business days for new construction and additions. Those targets cover one review cycle, not the whole permit, and correction cycles and resubmittals add calendar. Applications are tracked in the Austin Build + Connect portal, and the city runs an AI Pre-Check beta that gives eligible residential applicants automated feedback before formal intake. Scope the permit path before you close and price the delay into the hold. Our guide on estimating a rehab budget covers how we size the number.

There is no minimum score on this program. We do run credit, but on an asset-based flip loan it carries far less weight than at a bank. We underwrite the purchase price, the rehab budget, and the ARV. Weaker credit is usually handled with lower leverage rather than a decline, and there is no hard credit pull to start. Business-purpose only, and every structure is set in underwriting.

About 10% of the purchase, plus closing costs. We fund up to 90% of the purchase price and up to 100% of the rehab budget, capped to ARV. On a purchase at the $435,000 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos median for July 2026, that is up to $391,500 from us and $43,500 from you (435,000 x 90% = 391,500), with rehab drawn against the schedule instead of paid up front. Austin margins are thin right now, so carry a real contingency on top of that. Subject to underwriting.

Yes. First-time flippers are welcome. What we want to see is the scope of work, your contractor, and the comps behind your ARV, not a track record of completed deals. Given where Austin ROI sat in early 2026, we will underwrite the buy harder on a first deal than on a fifth. Apply now and we will tell you where the numbers land before you sign a contract.

Rarely. $100K is the floor, and $5M is the ceiling. That range covers most of the Austin metro, including the suburban Travis, Williamson, and Hays product. If your deal comes in under $100K, talk to us anyway and we will point you at the right structure. Subject to underwriting.