The Houston housing market has demonstrated notable stability over the past six years, outperforming national trends in several key metrics. According to a recent report by the Houston Association of Realtors, single-family home sales in the Houston metro area rose 3.7% over the past year, a stark contrast to the 3.6% decline in existing home sales nationally. Pending home sales surged over 12% from a year ago, indicating sustained buyer interest. However, median home prices fell 1.5% to $330,000, and days on market increased by five days to 67 days.
Affordability has been a bright spot for potential Houston home buyers. Joe Huber of Alchemist Real Estate noted, "We have seen affordability improve in 17 of the last 20 months for potential Houston home buyers. That news alone lends a great deal of optimism to the market." Notably, home prices in Katy have dropped by about $12,000 from a year ago, partly due to buyers bidding up prices amid limited inventory. The last "normal" year for Houston area home sales was 2019, pre-pandemic. Last month, sales totaled 7,644 units, a 2% increase over 2019, signaling a more stable residential market.
The national housing landscape has been volatile, with sales hitting a 14-year high in 2021 before plummeting to near 30-year lows in 2025. Overall, 2025 existing home sales in the U.S. were 24% lower than 2019. National median home prices rose from $271,900 in 2019 to $407,600 in 2025, driven by persistent supply shortages. In contrast, Houston's inventory levels improved to 4.7 months, slightly up from 4.5 months a year ago and above the national level of 3.8 months.
Raymond Campbell of Houston Home Buyers expressed cautious optimism: "The Houston housing market has been a stable part of the Greater Houston economy, and we expect it will slowly gain steam once the Iran war ends and there are declines in mortgage rates and energy prices."
Challenges remain, including high mortgage rates, inflation, poor consumer confidence, and geopolitical tensions. Nationally, one-third of all sellers have cut their prices to close a deal, one of the highest percentages on record. The Sun Belt leads in price reductions, with Austin at 55%, Dallas at 47%, and Tampa and Fort Lauderdale at 45%. Houston, however, has seen less drastic cuts.
The townhome and condominium market continues to struggle, with sales up slightly but median prices down over 4% and inventory swelling to 8.2 months, up from 6.8 months. Despite these headwinds, the spring and summer seasons are traditionally active for Houston home buyers and sellers. As Campbell noted, "The Iran war will end one way or another and real estate will once again be on the minds of Houston home buyers."
For more information, visit Houston Home Buyers.
