RRealtyDecode

Texas Housing, Decoded

The data behind the Houston housing market.

RealtyDecode publishes data-driven Houston and Texas housing research — median price, days on market, price cuts, neighborhood leaderboards, rental yields, and forecasts. Every number traced to aggregated HAR MLS data.

Houston metro · core residential · closed May 2026

Median sold

$347K

+1.5% YoY

Median DOM

26d

Months of supply

2.9

Active for sale

18,922

Sale-to-orig-list

96.4%

Median list

$347K

active

Latest research

Fresh decodes of the market

Neighborhoods

Sellers Are Blinking — But Only in Certain ZIPs

The headline is true and useless: 31.6% of Houston listings have cut price. Underneath, the metro splits in two. Out past the Grand Parkway — Splendora 58.8%, Cleveland 54.1%, Manvel 51.9%, Willis 48.1%, Conroe and Hockley in the mid-40s — nearly half of every listing has already dropped its ask, and the cuts run two to three times deeper than the metro’s 4.5%. Inside the loop, sellers are barely flinching: Independence Heights 12.6%, Garden Oaks 14.7%, Montrose 15.7%. And the kicker — even with all that cutting, the typical Houston home still sold for 96.4% of its original list in May. This is selective repricing, not a fire sale. Here are the ZIPs where sellers are giving ground, and the ones where they still hold the cards.

Share of for-sale listings that have already cut their price in Splendora (77372) — the most seller-stressed ZIP in metro Houston, vs 31.6% metro-wide

58.8%

6 min read
Speed & DOM

The Exurban Trap: Where Houston Sellers Are Getting Stranded

The headlines say Houston is finally balanced. A 26-day median, 2.9 months of supply, prices flat. Underneath, the metro has split in half. Inner Loop ZIPs like West U (77005) and Bellaire (77401) still clear in 10–13 days at $329–$491/sqft. Outer-ring residential is on a different clock: Country Homes/Acreage closes in a median 95 days, Crystal Beach 86, Galveston 65 (with $/sqft down 15.6% year-over-year), and the under-$200K band is cutting prices 7.9% off ask. If you’re selling outside Loop 99, the metro average is lying to you — your market started cooling months ago.

Median days to sell a Country Homes / Acreage property in Houston (May 2026)

95 days

7 min read
Pricing & $/sqft

Houston’s Fastest-Selling Homes Cost Over $1 Million

Everyone is reading about Houston’s cooling market. The data says the cooling is a mid- and entry-market story. In May, $1M+ homes sold in a median 12 days — less than half the market’s 26 — only 18% had cut their price (vs 31% market-wide), and they were a record 6.0% of closings and 22.5% of all dollars spent. Memorial, West University, River Oaks, and Bellaire carry it. Above $5M, though, the rules change entirely.

Median days to sell a $1M+ Houston home (May 2026)

12 days

7 min read
Speed & DOM

Houston's Frozen Middle: Why $400K Homes Now Sell Slower Than $1M Ones

In March 2026, Houston's market inverted the usual rule. Homes priced $350K–$500K took a median 42 days to sell — the slowest of any price band and 3× longer than the $1M+ tier (14 days). Luxury cut prices least (16.5% of listings); the cheap end stays liquid on a 10–14% gross-yield investor bid. The move-up middle has no cash bid above it and no yield bid below it — just rate-locked buyers who can't move. Here's where leverage actually sits.

Move-up tier ($350K–$500K) median time to sell

42 days

6 min read

Traced to the source

Every figure maps back to aggregated HAR MLS data, with a per-story verification ledger.

Aggregate & private

We publish medians, counts, and shares — never individual listings, addresses, or agent identities.

Apples to apples

Core residential home types and complete months only, so comparisons actually hold up.

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