Back in April I wrote that McKinney was holding while the rest of DFW slipped. Here's the July update: the streak is over.

Redfin data for the three months ending May 2026 puts McKinney's median sale price at $505K, down 3.4% year over year. Zillow has the typical home value around $515K, off about 3.9%. Days on market stretched from 39 to 44. And nearly 4 in 10 McKinney listings have taken a price cut. That's not a crash. But it's not "holding" anymore either. I'd rather tell you that straight than recycle April's take.

Is McKinney Still Holding Its Value in July 2026?

Not quite — McKinney finally joined the rest of the metro, just with a softer landing. In April the numbers said resilience. By early summer, the median slipped a few points, homes are averaging about two offers instead of five, and the median sale-to-list ratio sits around 96.7%. Translation: buyers are negotiating again, and winning.

Zoom out and you see why. DFW is carrying north of 36,000 active listings between resale and new construction as of June, and resale supply is sitting around six months — that's textbook buyer's-market territory. Rates easing to just above 6% helped demand some, but not enough to soak up that inventory. McKinney is still one of the stronger cities in the metro. It's just no longer the exception.

What Does a "Slipping" Market Mean If You Need to Sell?

It means time is now a cost, not a detail. In 2022 you priced it, listed it Friday, picked from twelve offers Monday. In July 2026, the median McKinney house takes 44 days to go under contract, then another month-plus to close. Every one of those weeks, you're paying the mortgage, Collin County taxes, insurance, and utilities on a house you've mentally already left.

And that 44-day figure is the median for houses that show well. The 1970s ranch off Highway 5 with the original kitchen? The inherited house in the historic district that hasn't been touched since 2004? Those aren't 44-day houses. In a market where almost 39% of listings are cutting price, the needs-work stuff is what sits — and every price cut signals weakness to the next buyer.

What Does the Math Actually Look Like — Cash vs. Listing?

Run it on McKinney's actual median. Say your house would appraise around $505K fixed up, but it needs real work — roof, kitchen, flooring. Call it $60K of renovation.

Listing it as-is: Buyers punish deferred maintenance harder than the repair bill. You might list at $440K, take the standard negotiation haircut, and land near $420K. Subtract 5–6% in commissions (roughly $23K), a typical buyer concession ask (call it $8K in this market), and three-plus months of carrying costs at $3K+ a month. You net somewhere around $378K–$380K — in October, if nothing falls through. Inspection-period retrades on needs-work houses are where deals die.

Selling for cash: On that same house, my offer lands around 72–75 cents on the $505K ARV — roughly $365K–$379K. No commission. No repairs. No showings. Close in about 10 days.

Same net, give or take. One takes 10 days with a guaranteed close; one takes four months with three chances to fall apart. That's the actual trade — and yes, if your house doesn't need the work, the math flips hard. Which brings me to:

When Should You Still List Traditional?

If your house is move-in ready, list it — full stop. McKinney rewards turnkey product more than almost any city in DFW right now. Homes here still go pending faster than the metro average when they're priced right and show well, and a median of $505K means the top of this market is very much alive. A cash offer on a house that needs nothing is you paying $60K–$100K for speed you probably don't need. I'll tell you that on the phone, too — I'm a licensed agent (TREC #837919), and listing it is sometimes the right answer.

Cash makes sense when the situation, not the house, is the problem:

  • Behind on payments — a 10-day close beats a foreclosure date every time
  • Inherited house — especially one three siblings co-own and nobody wants to renovate
  • House needs real work — foundation, roof, full cosmetic gut
  • Relocating out of state — you need certainty, not a 90-day maybe
  • Tenant in place — I'll buy with the lease; you skip the vacancy-and-makeready cycle

What Are Cash Buyers Paying in McKinney Right Now?

My buy box in McKinney is 70–80 cents on the ARV dollar, depending on condition. Newer stock west of 75 that just needs paint and floors lands at the top of that range. Older historic-district and east-side houses — the 75069 product with foundation age and original systems — price toward the lower end, because the renovation risk is real and I'm the one carrying it.

Two things that matter: I buy and hold or renovate myself, so there's no wholesaler fee stacked between us. And the offer is written, not a phone number that shrinks at the inspection. What would it take for you to know the number is real? Ask for proof of funds — I'll send it with the offer.

What Should McKinney Sellers Do Right Now?

Get both numbers, then decide like an investor. Price it as a listing with a realistic 44-day timeline and full carrying math. Price it as a cash sale at your true as-is condition. The gap is the cost of certainty — sometimes it's $80K and you should absolutely list; sometimes it's $8K and cash is the obvious move. Details on how I run McKinney numbers are on the McKinney landing page. And if you're just over the line, the same softening story is playing out in Frisco and Plano — I buy in both.

McKinney held longer than the rest of DFW. It didn't hold forever. Price accordingly.

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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.