Market Overview for Burnet
There are 209 active listings in Burnet with a median list price of $599K and a median sold price of $390K.
Homes average 128 days on market.
Over the past 30 days, 21 homes have sold, with 195 sales in the past 12 months.
The average price per square foot is $360.
About Burnet
Burnet is the county seat of Burnet County in the Texas Hill Country, a city of 6,436 residents (2020 census) sitting at 1,339 feet of elevation on U.S. Highway 281 about 54 miles northwest of Austin. The town was established in 1852 when Burnet County was created and formally incorporated in 1883. It nicknames itself the "Bluebonnet Capital of Texas," sharing the Texas Legislature's 1981 designation of Burnet and Llano counties as "Bluebonnet Co-Capitals of Texas." Each April the wildflowers draw visitors to Highway 281 and Park Road 4, and the Burnet Bluebonnet Festival fills the downtown square with parades, music, and crafts.
The city traces its origin to Fort Croghan, one of the first four frontier forts the United States established to protect settlers along the Texas frontier. Fort Croghan was founded March 18, 1849 at the current site and abandoned in December 1853 after its purpose was served. In the 1960s the Burnet County Historical Society preserved a portion of the original grounds, and the Fort Croghan Museum now operates there with restored buildings including a blacksmith shop, schoolhouse, and powder house. An annual Fort Croghan Day celebrates frontier life on the site.
Burnet sits at the heart of the Highland Lakes region. Inks Lake State Park and Longhorn Cavern State Park are both a short drive west of the city via Park Road 4 — Inks Lake covering 1,201 acres along Inks Lake and Longhorn Cavern covering 645 acres with a 1.1-mile guided cavern tour and stone Civilian Conservation Corps-era structures. Lake Buchanan, the largest of the Highland Lakes at 22,333 acres, lies northwest of town. The Austin Steam Train Association's Hill Country Flyer excursion train has run to the historic Burnet depot since 1992, arriving from the Cedar Park Depot on a 66-mile round trip with a two-hour layover downtown.
Housing in Burnet spans in-town neighborhoods near the county courthouse and downtown square, newer subdivisions along U.S. 281 and Park Road 4, and Hill Country acreage in the county's rural surrounds. Buyers who choose Burnet over the Austin metro typically cite lower property costs, smaller-school districts, and the proximity to the lakes and state parks. The 54-mile drive to Austin via Highway 281 and the 183A tollway takes roughly 70 to 90 minutes at rush hour.
Living in Burnet
Burnet's day-to-day life is organized around the historic courthouse square and the U.S. 281 corridor. The downtown square hosts the county courthouse, independent restaurants and shops, and community events including the Bluebonnet Festival each April. Full-service grocery, pharmacies, and retail are clustered along U.S. 281 north and south of downtown, and Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Marble Falls, 13 miles south on Highway 281, serves as the main regional hospital. The Hill Country Flyer steam train brings visitors to the downtown depot on scheduled weekends through the year.
