Houston entered 2026 with a more balanced housing market than during the highly competitive pandemic years. HAR reported that 88,634 single-family homes sold in 2025, an increase of 3.8% from 2024, while the full-year median price remained statistically flat at approximately $335,000.

What this means: buyers may have more time and more properties to compare, while sellers can still achieve successful sales when their homes are accurately priced, well prepared, and marketed effectively. Conditions vary by neighborhood, property type, price range, and condition.

The amount needed depends on the purchase price, loan program, down payment, lender requirements, property taxes, insurance, and negotiated contract terms. Buyers should budget for more than the down payment.

Potential upfront expenses can include earnest money, an option fee, inspection costs, appraisal fees, lender costs, title or escrow expenses, prepaid taxes, homeowners insurance, flood insurance when applicable, and the amount due at closing.

A lender can provide a loan estimate based on the buyer’s finances, while a real estate agent can help estimate property-specific taxes, HOA fees, and other ownership costs.

A Houston-area property’s total tax rate may include taxes from the county, city, school district, municipal utility district, and other special districts. Rates can differ between nearby homes, even when they share the same city or ZIP code.

A Municipal Utility District, or MUD, may fund water, sewer, drainage, and infrastructure in certain communities. Buyers should review the total combined tax rate and all applicable special-district notices for the specific property.

Eligible owners using the home as their principal residence may apply for a Texas residence homestead exemption through the appropriate county appraisal district. The Texas Comptroller provides official exemption information.

Start by searching the property address through the FEMA Flood Map Service Center . FEMA maps help identify mapped flood zones, but a property outside a high-risk zone can still experience flooding.

Buyers should also review the seller’s disclosures, available flood and insurance-claim information, elevation information when available, drainage conditions, inspection findings, and an insurance quote for the specific property.

Sellers should answer required flood-related disclosure questions accurately and provide supporting documents required for the transaction.

School-district boundaries do not always match city, neighborhood, county, or ZIP-code boundaries. A Houston, Pearland, Katy, Sugar Land, or other mailing address does not guarantee enrollment in a particular district or campus.

Use the Texas Education Agency School District Locator for general district information, then confirm the specific address through the applicable district’s official zoning or enrollment office.

Attendance zones, transfer rules, transportation, enrollment eligibility, and programs can change, so they should be verified before purchasing or leasing a home.

In a typical Texas resale contract, the option period is a negotiated period during which the buyer may have an unrestricted right to terminate if the option fee and contract requirements are properly satisfied.

Buyers often use this time to hire a TREC-licensed inspector, review the inspection report, investigate the property, and decide whether to proceed, request repairs or other changes, or terminate as permitted by the contract.

The option fee, option-period length, inspection costs, and repair terms are negotiable. TREC explains that the option fee and earnest money generally must be delivered to the escrow agent within the contract deadline. Review all dates carefully with your agent.

Texas law changed on January 1, 2026. A license holder performing certain brokerage activities for a prospective residential buyer must enter into a written agreement with that buyer before performing the activities covered by the law.

The agreement should explain the broker’s services, representation, duration, responsibilities, compensation, and termination terms. Buyers should review it carefully and ask questions before signing.

TREC does not set real estate brokerage fees. Compensation and services are determined by the agreement between the client and the broker.

Closing costs vary by transaction. Buyer expenses may include lender charges, appraisal, inspection, escrow charges, prepaid taxes and insurance, title-related expenses, and other loan or closing fees.

Seller expenses may include agreed brokerage compensation, title-related charges, tax prorations, HOA documents, repairs, concessions, existing liens, and other negotiated costs.

Texas title-insurance premium rates are set by the state, although escrow and other closing fees can vary by title company. Buyers and sellers should review estimates and final closing documents carefully. The Texas Department of Insurance provides additional title-insurance information.

Texas law generally requires sellers of previously occupied one-to-four-family residential properties to provide applicable disclosures regarding the property’s condition and known material facts, subject to statutory exemptions.

The disclosure addresses matters such as property systems, defects, water damage, previous flooding, insurance claims, environmental concerns, and other property conditions. Separate notices may also apply to MUDs, public improvement districts, HOAs, coastal areas, or other circumstances.

The TREC Seller’s Disclosure Notice contains information required by Section 5.008 of the Texas Property Code. Sellers with legal questions should consult a qualified Texas real estate attorney.

Start with recent closed comparable sales from the property’s immediate area, then review competing active and pending listings. Pricing should account for the home’s condition, size, lot, updates, location, flood history, school zoning, HOA, special districts, and nearby new construction.

Before listing, address visible maintenance issues, declutter, clean, improve curb appeal, prepare accurate disclosures, and use professional photography and a coordinated marketing plan.

The full-year 2025 Houston market recorded 88,634 single-family sales, but individual selling times vary substantially. Accurate pricing and strong presentation are especially important when buyers have multiple comparable homes to consider.