The DFW market didn't crash this year. It just stopped rewarding patience.

Metro-wide, active listings sat near 40,000 this spring. That's roughly flat from a year ago, but still miles above the starved inventory of 2021-2022. The metro median is holding around $410K, up barely 1.6% year over year, and mortgage rates have spent 2026 grinding around the mid-6s. Here in Allen, Redfin data puts the median sale price around $485K, down about 1% year over year. Homes are averaging roughly 74 days on market, close to double the pace sellers enjoyed a year earlier.

Flat prices. Double the wait. And a wave of brand-new rental supply opening its doors right now. That combination changes the math for anyone thinking about selling in 75002 or 75013, especially if the house needs work or has a tenant in it.

Is Allen a Buyer's Market Right Now?

It's close enough that you should price like it is. Local market reports show 40-50% of active Allen listings have taken at least one price cut, sale-to-list ratios are running 95-97%, and inventory is approaching balanced levels. Across DFW, the median seller price reduction is running about $12,500. Call it 3% off list before you ever see a contract.

So the sticker price on Zillow is not the number you'll net. Sellers who price at 2024 comps sit for 90+ days, then cut anyway. Sellers who price at today's market still hand back concessions at the table. Both groups pay carrying costs the whole time.

Here's the question I'd ask any Allen seller: how much is each month of waiting actually costing you?

How Do 1,200 New Apartments Change the Math for Allen Sellers?

They quietly shrink your buyer pool and cap your rent growth at the same time. Allen has over 1,200 new multifamily units in the pipeline right now. I covered this in May, and the timeline is real. Hartwood at Sloan Corners (479 units) is already open and leasing. Crestview delivers 434 apartments plus 102 townhomes starting Q3 2026. Alta Preserve adds 311 units at The Farm by 2027.

Two effects, both matter.

Seller side: Every lease signed at a brand-new Class-A property with a pool and a golf simulator is a household that decided not to stretch into a 6.5% mortgage this year. That thins the entry-level buyer pool, the exact buyers who'd otherwise fight over Allen's older, more affordable stock in 75002.

Landlord side: New Class-A supply softens the whole rent stack. When the shiny new building offers two months free, your 1998 three-bedroom rental competes down, not up. Allen single-family rents run roughly $2,500-$3,800, and that ceiling gets heavier as these units lease up.

What Does the Cash-vs-List Math Actually Look Like on an Allen House?

Let's run it on a real number. Take a dated Allen house worth about $485K fixed up, Allen's current median.

List it traditional (house needs make-ready first):

  • Sale price after typical negotiation: ~$485,000
  • Make-ready repairs to hit retail condition: −$25,000
  • Commission at 5-6%: −$27,000
  • Buyer concessions (DFW median): −$12,500
  • Carrying costs (mortgage, taxes, insurance, utilities at ~$3,500/mo for 4 months, which is 74 days on market plus closing): −$14,000
  • Net: roughly $406,500. Timeline: 4-5 months. Certainty: a coin flip on the first contract sticking.

Sell for cash:

  • Offer on that house in as-is condition: roughly $370,000-$380,000
  • Repairs: $0. Commission: $0. Concessions: $0. Carrying: ~10 days.
  • Net: the offer number. Timeline: about 10 days. Certainty: done.

Let me be plain about the trade-off. A cash offer is always lower than retail. Always. On this example the real gap, after repairs, fees, and carrying costs, is about $30K, not the $110K sticker gap. You're paying roughly $30K for four months of your life back and zero risk of a buyer's financing falling through in month three. For some sellers that's a terrible trade. For others it's the best money they ever spent. The math tells you which one you are.

Should Allen Landlords Sell or Keep Holding?

Honest answer: if your rental is newer, paid down, and renting easily, hold. Allen is largely built out for single-family, and that scarcity protects long-term value.

But if you're holding an older SFR with deferred maintenance, run the numbers with clear eyes. You've got 1,200+ Class-A units leasing up nearby with concessions you can't match. You've got a make-ready bill every turnover. You've got Collin County taxes and insurance climbing, and equity earning a landlord's return on a tired asset. If the house needs $30K before it rents at top of market, and rents are flattening anyway, that's capital working hard to stand still. Selling with a tenant in place kills most retail listings. For a cash buyer it's a normal Tuesday.

When Should You Still List Traditional?

If your house is updated, vacant, and you can wait four to six months, list it. That's the whole test. Retail buyers pay top dollar for move-in-ready, and a good agent earns the commission on those homes. I'm a licensed agent. I'll tell you when listing wins, and in that scenario it usually does. Cash makes sense when time, condition, or certainty is the constraint:

  • Behind on payments and the clock is running
  • Inherited a house you don't want to renovate or manage from afar
  • House needs real work: foundation, roof, full cosmetic gut
  • Relocating out of state and can't carry two payments
  • Tenant in place (paying or not)

What Are Cash Buyers Paying in Allen Right Now?

My buy box is 70-80 cents on the after-repair-value dollar, depending on condition. Heavier repairs, lower end of the range. Light cosmetic work, higher. I buy and hold or renovate myself, so there's no wholesaler fee baked into my number. That's usually worth 5-10 cents on the dollar versus an assignment-flipper's offer. Same buy box I use in Plano and McKinney, same written offer, 24 hours.

What Should Allen Sellers Do Right Now?

Get both numbers before you decide anything. Ask an agent for a real net sheet, with commission, concessions, and carrying costs at 74 days on market included. Then get a written cash offer next to it. Two numbers, one honest comparison, zero pressure. In a market where half the listings are cutting price and 1,200 new rentals are leasing up down the street, guessing is the only expensive option.

Get a written cash offer in 24 hours →

Caleb Callahan is a licensed Texas agent (TREC #837919). Need a written cash offer in 24 hours? Visit callahanhomebuyers.com or call (214) 226-1193.