Every week, Texas Signals ingests millions of public records across 100+ Texas counties and scores them for investment potential. This is the June 2026 snapshot — real numbers, no estimates, pulled directly from county filings, court records, and permit databases.
If you are sourcing deals in Texas right now, these are the numbers that matter.
The Statewide Picture
Across the four major metros alone, we are tracking:
•31,475 pre-foreclosures (notices of default and notices of sale)
•154,580 tax delinquent properties (delinquent on property taxes, many with multi-year arrears)
•1,005,341 code violations (open or unresolved municipal violations)
•330,210 active building permits (new construction and renovation activity)
•3,768 verified cash buyers (entities that closed all-cash transactions in the trailing 12 months)
That is the raw volume. The value is in knowing where each signal concentrates — and what it means for your deal flow.
Pre-Foreclosures: Houston Dominates, San Antonio Surges
Statewide count: 31,475
•Houston: 18,386 — Nearly 60% of all tracked pre-foreclosures across the Big Four metros. Harris County alone accounts for the bulk of this, driven by rising insurance costs, deferred maintenance on aging housing stock, and post-pandemic payment plan expirations. If you wholesale or buy at the courthouse steps, Houston is the highest-volume market in the state by a wide margin.
•San Antonio: 6,800 — Second highest and climbing. Bexar County has seen a steady increase in notices of default through Q1 and Q2 2026. Military relocations and adjustable-rate mortgage resets are contributing factors.
•Austin: 3,295 — Lower volume but higher average property values. Travis and Williamson counties remain competitive for pre-foreclosure acquisitions, especially in the $250K-$400K range where equity positions are strongest.
•Dallas: 2,994 — Surprisingly low relative to metro population. Dallas County has been aggressive with loss mitigation programs, which delays filings. Watch for a backlog effect in Q3.
Tax Delinquent Properties: Dallas and Houston Lead the Pack
Statewide count: 154,580
•Houston: 87,715 — Again, the largest concentration. Harris County's tax delinquent rolls are massive and include a significant number of properties with 3+ years of arrears — the threshold where county tax sales become most likely.
•Dallas: 51,355 — Dallas and Tarrant counties contribute heavily here. Many of these are smaller residential parcels in south and southeast Dallas, where tax burdens have outpaced property values for some owners.
•Austin: 13,474 — Moderate volume. Travis County's higher property values mean even small delinquencies can signal motivated sellers. These properties often have enough equity to make direct-to-seller outreach profitable.
•San Antonio: 2,036 — The lowest of the Big Four. Bexar County runs an efficient tax sale process, clearing delinquencies faster than other counties. This means fewer properties sit on the rolls — but the ones that do tend to be further along in the process and closer to auction.
Code Violations: The Hidden Distress Signal
Statewide count: 1,005,341
This is the signal most investors overlook — and it might be the most valuable one in the dataset.
•Dallas: 711,810 — An extraordinary number. Dallas has one of the most aggressive code enforcement departments in the state, which means more violations get documented. For investors, this is a goldmine: open code violations create carrying costs, legal pressure, and motivation to sell. Properties with 3+ open violations are statistically far more likely to trade at a discount.
•Austin: 137,897 — Austin's code enforcement has ramped up significantly in 2025-2026, particularly around short-term rental compliance and unpermitted ADUs. Many of these violations attach to otherwise solid properties where the owner simply cannot or will not bring the property into compliance.
•San Antonio: 132,834 — Strong volume here. San Antonio's west and south side neighborhoods generate the bulk of code violation activity, and many of these properties overlap with tax delinquent lists — a double signal of distress.
•Houston: 22,800 — Lowest of the four, which may seem counterintuitive. Houston's lack of zoning means fewer categories of code violation exist in the first place. The violations that do get filed tend to be serious (structural, health/safety) and represent genuinely distressed properties.
Building Permits: Where Capital Is Flowing
Statewide count: 330,210
Permits tell you where money is moving. For investors, high permit activity in a ZIP code signals rising values, active rehab, and buyer confidence.
•Dallas: 126,840 — The most active permit market in Texas. Fort Worth's northside expansion and Dallas's southern corridor redevelopment are driving massive permit volume. Investors doing fix-and-flip should follow the permits — where renovations cluster, ARVs rise.
•San Antonio: 105,063 — San Antonio's far west and northwest sides are seeing heavy new construction. Permit data here helps you identify emerging neighborhoods before the comps catch up.
•Houston: 50,002 — Concentrated in the Energy Corridor, Heights, and inner-loop areas. Houston's permit data is particularly useful for identifying teardown-and-rebuild opportunities.
•Austin: 48,305 — Focused on east Austin, Cedar Park, and the 183 corridor. Austin's permit activity has cooled from the 2021-2023 peak but remains healthy, especially for ADU and multi-family conversions.
Cash Buyers: Who Is Active Right Now
Statewide count: 3,768 verified
Cash buyer data tells you who your competition is — and who your potential end buyers are if you are wholesaling.
•Houston: 1,669 — The most active cash buyer market. Institutional buyers, local flippers, and out-of-state investors are all active. If you wholesale in Houston, your buyer list should be deep.
•San Antonio: 950 — Strong cash buyer activity relative to market size. San Antonio continues to attract out-of-state capital, particularly from California investors seeking yield.
•Dallas: 751 — Healthy activity but concentrated in specific submarkets (Oak Cliff, Pleasant Grove, southeast Fort Worth).
•Austin: 398 — The smallest cash buyer pool of the Big Four, which makes sense given Austin's higher price points. Cash deals here tend to be larger and less frequent.
What This Means for Your Strategy
The data points to clear strategic takeaways:
If you wholesale: Houston is your volume play. Nearly 60% of pre-foreclosures and the deepest cash buyer pool. Dallas is your code violation play — 711K open violations create a massive pool of motivated sellers that most investors are not targeting.
If you buy tax sales: Houston and Dallas have the largest delinquent rolls, but San Antonio's faster auction cycle means properties there are more likely to actually make it to sale. Watch the Bexar County tax sale calendar closely.
If you flip: Follow the permits. Dallas's 126,840 active permits signal strong renovation activity and rising ARVs. San Antonio's west side is the emerging opportunity — permit volume is high but prices have not caught up yet.
If you buy and hold: Austin's lower distress volume but higher property values mean less competition for quality acquisitions. The 3,295 pre-foreclosures in Travis and Williamson counties skew toward newer construction with existing equity — ideal for BRRRR strategies.
Get the Full Dataset
These numbers update daily in the Texas Signals dashboard. Every property is individually scored, filterable by county, ZIP, signal type, and distress level. We track 100+ Texas counties — not just the Big Four.
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