Real estate markets adjust differently depending on how buyers respond to affordability pressure. When mortgage rates climb and fewer buyers are actively shopping, the properties that keep selling aren’t simply the ones in the best-known neighborhoods. They’re the ones that hold up under closer scrutiny, because a smaller buyer pool has the time and leverage to be selective. San Antonio is now a clear example of that shift.
As the number of active buyers shrinks, San Antonio sellers can no longer rely on zip code prestige to move a listing. The specific characteristics of each home have become the primary driver of sale outcomes, according to Brayson Verzella, Founder and Team Leader of Team Infinity Real Estate Group.
Neighborhood Halo Fades
For decades, conventional wisdom held that neighborhood was the dominant variable in property performance. A well-located home in a desirable community could overcome modest condition issues or marginal pricing. That trend is no longer reliable in the current San Antonio market, Verzella says.
The areas that have outperformed for the past five to seven years remain the strongest performers overall. Even so, they are struggling too. “Outperformance is a characteristic of each home,” Verzella says.
That contraction, which Verzella attributes to elevated prices, mortgage rates near 6.75%, and rising property taxes, has made remaining buyers highly selective. They are searching across the city for properties that meet a specific combination of criteria, and they are willing to wait until they find one.
The gap between a well-prepared listing and a poorly prepared one has widened considerably. Neighborhood reputation alone no longer insulates a property from extended time on market.
Defining Unicorn Properties
Verzella uses the term “unicorns,” a phrase he says is common among local San Antonio agents, to describe properties that continue to perform well despite broader softness. The characteristics are specific: land, privacy, quality landscaping, strong interior finishes, desirable amenities such as pools, and pricing that matches the combination of features offered.
“If a property is on land and has privacy and it has a beautiful yard and landscaping and the home is beautiful inside and out, it’s priced right, has a pool, it has all these little features that are very rare and desirable,” Verzella says. “Those kinds of properties are still doing really well.”
Verzella is not arguing that these properties are immune to the market. He is saying they outperform comparable listings in the same price range and neighborhood. In a contracted buyer pool, properties with multiple desirable attributes capture a disproportionate share of buyer activity, while properties with only one or two of those features wait significantly longer for offers.
Elevation Creates Micro-Markets
The clearest illustration of property-level performance involves a current listing in the Boerne area, a community northwest of San Antonio that recently experienced significant flooding. Within the same general area, some properties sustained catastrophic flood damage, while others, situated at higher elevations and farther from creek watersheds, were entirely unaffected.
Verzella’s listing in the Lost Creek community falls into the latter category. “Because of where it’s at, because of its elevation, because of its proximity to the closest creek or watershed, it has had no issues,” he says. That property received strong showing activity in its first week on the market. It generated an offer within days, while other sellers in the same broader area are navigating flood damage and a buyer pool acutely aware of flood risk.
For buyers and investors, properties in desirable areas may carry hidden flood exposure not immediately visible in listing data. Properties with strong elevation profiles in otherwise challenged areas may be undervalued relative to their actual risk.
Diagnostic Listing Approach
Verzella’s response to this environment is a pre-listing diagnostic process that evaluates each property on its individual merits rather than relying only on similar recent sales in the neighborhood. The assessment covers four factors: how much of the home’s value the seller has already paid off, the property’s condition relative to current buyer demand in that price range, realistic pricing for that specific combination of features, and hyperlocal risk factors that could affect marketability.
“I can find one home in a community, and due to the seller’s equity position, due to the way that they’ve taken care of the home, due to their pricing, I can make that a competitive property,” Verzella says. “I can predict the days on market with a high degree of accuracy.”
When condition, pricing constraints, and market timing all work against a seller, Verzella says the honest recommendation is to wait rather than list. “I would just rather let you down now than disappoint you later,” he says. He notes the team has used this phrase for over a decade.
Verzella says the shift has changed how his team allocates marketing resources. Rather than applying a uniform strategy across every listing, the team calibrates its effort to what each property can realistically support given current demand.
Sellers who treat each property as its own micro-market, evaluating elevation, condition, pricing, and buyer demand independently of neighborhood trends, are the ones still closing within predictable timelines.
About the Expert: Brayson Verzella is Founder and Team Leader of Team Infinity Real Estate Group, serving the San Antonio and Austin, Texas markets since 2005.
This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or investment advice. The views and opinions expressed herein reflect those of the individuals quoted and do not represent an endorsement of any company, product, or service mentioned. Readers should conduct their own due diligence and consult qualified professionals before making any investment decisions.
