REal Insights November 2026

November in North Texas is my kind of month. It kicks off with an extra hour of sleep, honors our veterans on the 11th, brings the Frisco Community Parade back to Main Street on the 14th, and wraps with Thanksgiving on the 26th, when every oven in Texas is asked to do the impossible. Right in the middle, on November 12, I celebrate my birthday, which I've decided makes the whole month glorious by default. Add cooler mornings, football weekends, and the first fire-pit nights of the season, and November earns every bit of its gratitude. To every veteran reading this: thank you for your service. And to all of you: thank you for being part of my world.

On November 3, Texans elected Gina Hinojosa governor, the first Democrat to win the office in more than 30 years. Further down the ballot, North Texas voters said no to a long list of new taxes and bonds. Dallas rejected its $443 million public safety bond, Plano turned down the venue taxes for the proposed Dallas Stars arena at Willow Bend, and bond packages failed in Collin County and McKinney ISD. Read together, the message is less about party and more about affordability.

Both candidates ran on lowering costs, just with very different toolboxes. Abbott's plan centered on eliminating school district property taxes on homesteads and capping annual appraisal increases at 3%. Hinojosa's plan centered on a one-time $1,500 check to every Texas household from the Rainy Day Fund, plus using state revenue to ease local tax rates and expand the supply of homes Texans can afford.

Here's the honest truth: neither plan is law, and no governor writes a tax bill alone. The Legislature convenes January 12, and anything meaningful runs through the House and Senate. Tapping the Rainy Day Fund takes a supermajority vote, a high bar in any version of this Legislature. So what does that mean for you right now?

1. Sellers, don't wait for Austin. The election is over; the policy debate will take months. If your timing works now, waiting could mean listing into a crowded spring market with more competition.
2. Buyers, November is your month. Fewer buyers are out shopping, and the sellers still on the market tend to be motivated. Rates are hovering around 7%, so pair your search with a smart rate-lock strategy and a good lender conversation.
3. Your property taxes won't change overnight. Your appraisal notice still shows up in the spring, and protesting it remains the single most reliable property tax move you control. Need comps for your protest? Call me. That one's on the house.
4. The relocation story is intact. The reasons companies and families keep choosing Frisco, Prosper, Celina, McKinney, and Plano (talent, a central location, DFW Airport, and no state income tax) didn't change on election night.
5. Land owners, don't assume. If a developer has called about your acreage, get a current read on comparable values before you decide anything. What a buyer pays could look different by spring, in either direction.

The bottom line: elections make headlines, but your home is still a local decision. Price it right, time it right, and make the move that fits your life, not the news cycle.

November is for gratitude, and I'm grateful for you. Whether you're selling, buying, or just getting ready to protest your appraisal next spring, I'm here to help. As your trusted real estate advisor, contact me today. Let me help you put the LD in SOLD.