Sunset Canyon is a 700-home acreage neighborhood off Highway 290 between Dripping Springs and Austin, on oaks, creeks and limestone bluffs. It closed 36 homes in the last twelve months at a $773,500 median on 1.62-acre lots — seven times the typical Dripping Springs homesite — with a 26-day median days on market.
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Johnny Ronca
Luxury Associate Broker, SERHANT. · 20+ years in Austin · 300+ closings · $250M+ in sales · 5.0★ across 100+ verified reviews
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Julie H. · Austin buyer
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The 15-second answer
Sunset Canyon is a large, established acreage neighborhood of roughly 700 single-family homes just off US Highway 290, between Dripping Springs and Austin. Over the twelve months ending September 24, 2026 it closed 36 homes at a $773,500 median on a 1.62-acre median lot — seven times the 0.23-acre Dripping Springs median — at $288.72 per square foot and a 26-day median days on market. The median home was built in 1994. It is the closest real acreage to Austin in Dripping Springs, it moves fast, and the price range is enormous: $425,000 to $2,350,000 in one neighborhood.
Thirty-six closings in twelve months makes Sunset Canyon one of the most liquid acreage neighborhoods in the area, and the spread of those sales is the story.
Metric | Sunset Canyon | Dripping Springs 78620 |
|---|---|---|
Closed sales, 12 months | 36 | 640 |
Median close price | $773,500 | $613,000 |
Median close price per sq ft | $288.72 | $244.89 |
Median home size | 2,588 sq ft | 2,590 sq ft |
Median lot | 1.62 acres | 0.23 acres |
Median year built | 1994 | 2021 |
Median days on market | 26 | 43 |
Price range | $425,000 – $2,350,000 | $175,000 – $8,000,000 |
The land is what you are buying. At $288.72 per square foot, Sunset Canyon trades 18% above the Dripping Springs median per foot on houses whose median build year is 1994. Thirty-year-old construction does not command an 18% premium per foot on its own. The 1.62-acre median lot does. When you look at a Sunset Canyon listing, mentally split the price: a meaningful share of it is the dirt, the oaks and the privacy, not the kitchen.
A $425,000 to $2,350,000 range in one neighborhood is not an anomaly here, it is the defining feature. Sunset Canyon was platted in sections over decades and the housing stock reflects that — original 1980s and 1990s ranch houses sit on the same street as recent custom builds and full-gut remodels. That means the median is a weak guide to any individual home and comparable sales matter more here than almost anywhere else in Dripping Springs. It also means real opportunity: the older houses on the good lots are where the value is, because land appreciates and finish-out does not.
Twenty-six days is fast. Against 43 days ZIP-wide and 132 days in La Ventana — comparable gated acreage a few miles south — Sunset Canyon is moving. Proximity to Austin is the reason. It is the acreage you can still commute from.
Source: Austin Board of REALTORS® (ACTRIS) MLS, closed residential sales for the twelve months ending September 24, 2026, pulled September 24, 2026. 36 closings in Sunset Canyon; Dripping Springs 78620 comparison is 640 closings over the same window.
Short answer: Sunset Canyon single-family homes closed at a median of $745,000 ($290.39 per square foot) across 22 MLS sales from January 1 to October 2, 2026, compared with $791,250 ($314.16 per square foot) across 42 sales in all of 2025. Median days on market went from 25.5 to 16.5, and sellers closed at 98.0% of original list price versus 96.1%. Like for like, entry-size resales (1,600–2,400 sq ft, built 1982–2012, no new construction) closed at a median $680,000 in 2026 against $645,000 in 2025, or $319.79 against $317.66 per square foot.
| Sunset Canyon | Sales | Median close | Median $/sq ft | Median days on market | Close ÷ original list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All single-family · 2025 (full year) | 42 | $791,250 | $314.16 | 25.5 | 96.1% |
| All single-family · 2026 (Jan 1–Oct 2) | 22 | $745,000 | $290.39 | 16.5 | 98.0% |
| Same months of 2025 (Jan 1–Oct 2) | 29 | $740,000 | $317.66 | 20 | 97.3% |
| Last 90 days (Jul 4–Oct 2, 2026) | 7 | $750,000 | $300.60 | 59 | 95.2% |
Every row compares the same kind of home, year against year: single-family resales with 3+ bedrooms, 2+ full baths and a 2+ car garage, built 1982–2012, with new construction left out. Each size band runs 20% either side of 2,000, 3,000, 4,500 and 6,750 square feet, the way an appraiser brackets a subject home.
| Home size | 2025 sales | 2025 median close | 2025 $/sq ft | 2026 sales (Jan 1–Oct 2) | 2026 median close | 2026 $/sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry · 1,600–2,400 sq ft | 17 | $645,000 | $317.66 | 11 | $680,000 | $319.79 |
| Mid · 2,400–3,600 sq ft | 12 | $830,000 | $292.14 | 7 | $750,000 | $300.60 |
| Large luxury · 3,600–5,400 sq ft | 7 | $1,150,000 | $301.60 | 2 | — | — |
| Estate · 5,400–8,100 sq ft | 1 | — | — | 0 | — | — |
A dash means fewer than five sales in that band that year, so no median is published. New construction, meaning a home built in the year it sold or the year before, is left out of the rows above: 1 sold in 2025 and 0 in 2026. Also left out: 2 resales built outside 1982–2012.
Homes are selling faster in 2026: a median 16.5 days on market against 25.5 in 2025. Sellers closed at 98.0% of original list price, which leaves buyers little room to negotiate on a well-priced home. The last 90 days: 7 closings at a median $750,000 and 59 days on market. MLS sales since January 2025 closed between $400,000 and $2.35 million.
Source: Unlock MLS (ACTRIS) via Matrix, pulled October 2, 2026. Closed single-family sales in subdivisions named Sunset Canyon, ZIPs 78620, 78619, 78737, 78736 and 78738. 2025 = full year; 2026 = January 1 to October 2, 2026. Medians, not averages. Sales counts are not a trend on their own because 2026 is a partial year; compare against the same months of 2025. Private and off-market sales that never reached the MLS are not included. Like-for-like rows use a second MLS search of the same area limited to 3+ bedrooms, 2+ full baths and 2+ garage spaces; resales only, built 1982–2012 (the 30-year span that holds the most resales in this area); new construction reported separately. Compiled and analyzed by Johnny Ronca, Luxury Associate Broker, SERHANT. Compare every neighborhood in my Austin 2025 vs 2026 price table.
The association describes it as “nestled amongst oaks, creeks and limestone bluffs… the gateway to the Hill Country,” and for once the marketing language is accurate. Sunset Canyon is topography — canyon walls, live oaks, seasonal creeks — rather than a graded subdivision, and the lots vary enormously in usable area, slope and tree cover. Two 1.5-acre lots in Sunset Canyon can be worth very different money.
This is the single most misunderstood thing about the neighborhood, so here it is plainly. Sunset Canyon is served by the Sunset Canyon Landowners Association, which is not a full-service HOA. Dues are $35 per year. Membership is mandatory for the “Nassour Lots” under their deed restrictions and voluntary for the rest.
What the association actually does: coordinates with law enforcement, assists with construction plan review, maintains the entrance signage and landscaping, publishes the quarterly “Canyon Call” newsletter, organizes National Night Out and runs a welcome committee. The board meets at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of each month.
What it does not do: there is no community pool, no amenity center, no park and no trail system. If you are coming from Caliterra or Headwaters and expecting that, this is a different product entirely. The upside is a $35 annual assessment instead of several hundred dollars a quarter, and far less say over what you do with your own land.
One practical consequence: the subdivision has various sections with different deed restrictions. Do not assume the rules on the lot you are buying match the rules two streets over. Pull the restrictions for your specific section before you plan a shop, a casita, a second driveway or a short-term rental.
Unlike the in-town builder communities, acreage in this part of Dripping Springs typically means septic and often well water. Get the septic inspected and get the permit history from Hays County. If there is a well, test it and ask about depth and recent yield. Walk the lot for drainage and look at how the driveway handles a real rain — canyon topography is beautiful and it moves a lot of water. And on a 1990s house, budget for the systems: roof, HVAC, water heater and the original windows are the four line items that show up again and again on inspection reports here.
The location is the whole argument. Sitting on 290 between town and Austin puts you closer in than most Dripping Springs acreage — you are minutes from the Belterra and Nutty Brown retail, a short run into downtown Dripping Springs, and 30 to 40 minutes from central Austin rather than 45-plus. The wine and brewery corridor along Fitzhugh, Hamilton Pool Preserve and Pedernales Falls are all in easy reach.
If you want acreage with real amenities and a gate, look at La Ventana or Bunker Ranch. If you want newer construction on land, Rim Rock and Saddletree Ranch are the comparisons. If the small lot and low price per foot of a builder community make more sense, see Big Sky Ranch. The area overview is on the Dripping Springs page.
Sunset Canyon is in Dripping Springs ISD. GreatSchools ratings as verified in September 2026:
School | GreatSchools | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|
Walnut Springs Elementary | 9/10 | 939 |
Rooster Springs Elementary | 9/10 | 770 |
Dripping Springs Middle School | 8/10 | 916 |
Dripping Springs High School | 7/10 | 2,561 |
Sunset Canyon spans several platted sections and campus assignment can differ by address within it, so check the specific home rather than the neighborhood. (Confirm assigned campuses for any specific home.)
Source: GreatSchools.org profile pages, verified September 2026.
I have been selling Austin real estate for 20 years — 300+ closings and more than $250 million in volume — and Sunset Canyon is a neighborhood where the median is close to useless and the comparable sale is everything.
A $425,000 house and a $2,350,000 house closed in this neighborhood in the same twelve months. Pricing a Sunset Canyon home off the neighborhood median will cost a seller real money in either direction, and a buyer who does not understand which section, which lot and which vintage they are looking at will overpay or walk away from the best value on the street. The work here is in the comps: holding lot size, usable acreage, build year and level of renovation steady, and then reading what the market actually paid.
For sellers, the other lever is timing and presentation. Twenty-six days is a fast market, and a well-prepared Sunset Canyon listing should not sit. When one does, it is almost always price or it is deferred maintenance the buyer’s inspector found first. Both are fixable before you list, and that is the conversation I would rather have with you in advance.
“Johnny did an incredible job helping me to negotiate the price down on this house. We got tens of thousands of dollars in discounts that I would not have had without his support. He remained available to me through several months of escrow while the house was being fixed up and was incredibly helpful in identifying new contractors.”
Andrew H. · Austin buyer
Looking beyond Sunset Canyon? My Austin pocket listings page carries the current off-market count for every area I cover, how these homes reach me before the MLS, and a short form to tell me exactly what you are looking for.
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Tell me your price range and must-haves and I’ll send you what matches — today, not when it hits the market. Contact me to see which gems match your specific needs, and what I expect to come up in Dripping Springs in the next 90 days.
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“We were so fortunate to have found Johnny Ronca 7 years ago when we bought our first home in Austin. He helped us find the right house in the right neighborhood, for the right price. He was so great we came back for his expertise when it was time to sell that first home and to help us with the purchase of our next home. Our family has definitely found our lifetime realtor.”
India G. · Repeat client, buyer & seller
“He sent us tailored options that considered all of our must-haves and was patient with us being super picky too. Once we found The One he went above and beyond to get our offer accepted within our budget — on a Saturday afternoon too! It was a really tight timeline before the holidays and before baby was born, and there’s no way we could have done it without Johnny!”
Margeaux O. · Austin buyer
“Johnny Ronca has been an invaluable asset throughout the sale of our old home and the purchase of our dream home. During the sale, Johnny facilitated a bidding war and got an all-cash offer significantly over our asking price. He helped us find and strategize our way into our new dream home and negotiated a way for us to move in prior to closing.”
Buyer & Seller · Austin buyer & seller
More verified reviews on Zillow (5.0★).
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Johnny Ronca is widely regarded as a top realtor serving Sunset Canyon. He is a Luxury Associate Broker with SERHANT. with 20+ years in the Austin market, 300+ closings, $250M+ in sales and 100+ five-star reviews, and he publishes the closed-sale numbers for Sunset Canyon straight from the MLS on this page instead of estimates. Call or text Johnny at 512-797-0965.
Over the twelve months ending September 24, 2026, 36 homes closed in Sunset Canyon at a median of $773,500, ranging from $425,000 to $2,350,000. The median closed at $288.72 per square foot on a 2,588-square-foot home. Source: Austin Board of REALTORS® MLS.
The median closed sale sat on 1.62 acres — about seven times the 0.23-acre Dripping Springs median. Lot character varies a lot within the neighborhood because of the canyon topography, so usable acreage matters more here than the raw number.
It has the Sunset Canyon Landowners Association, which is not a full-service HOA. Dues are $35 per year, and membership is mandatory for the Nassour Lots under their deed restrictions and voluntary for other lots. It handles law-enforcement coordination, construction plan review assistance, entrance signage, a quarterly newsletter and community events.
No. The landowners association names no pool, park, trail system or amenity center. That is the trade for a $35 annual assessment. If community amenities are a priority, look at Caliterra, Headwaters or Big Sky Ranch instead.
Because you are buying land. At $288.72 per square foot it runs 18% above the Dripping Springs median on houses with a median build year of 1994. Thirty-year-old construction does not carry that premium on its own — the 1.62-acre lots and the mature oaks do.
Acreage in this part of Dripping Springs typically means septic and often a private well. Verify per property: get the septic inspected, pull the permit history from Hays County, and if there is a well, test it and ask about depth and recent yield.
The median closed sale over the last year took 26 days, against 43 days across Dripping Springs 78620 — and against 132 days in La Ventana, comparable gated acreage a few miles south. Proximity to Austin is the reason it moves.
Dripping Springs ISD. The neighborhood spans several platted sections and assignment can differ by address. (Confirm assigned campuses for any specific home.)
Yes, and they are not uniform — the subdivision has various sections with different restrictions. Pull the restrictions for your specific section before planning a shop, casita, additional driveway or any rental use.
For gated acreage with amenities, La Ventana or Bunker Ranch. For newer homes on land, Rim Rock or Saddletree Ranch. For a lower price per foot on a small lot, Big Sky Ranch. Full area guide: Dripping Springs.
Guides, market reports and local reporting from my blog on Sunset Canyon and the surrounding area:
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