Houston Market Report - 16260 Homes Listed at 318K Median
Houston has 16,260 active listings with a median list price of about $318K, homes are taking a median 74 days to sell, and only 18% of closings happen at or above asking price - giving buyers real negotiating room despite a 3.1-month supply that still leans toward sellers.
The state of play
Houston is carrying 16,260 active listings right now, with roughly 5,244 homes closing each month. That puts months of supply at 3.1 - technically a seller's market, but one sitting close to the balanced threshold. New listings over the last 30 days totaled 5,405, meaning fresh inventory is coming in at nearly the same pace homes are selling. Sellers hold a structural edge, but it is a thinner edge than the raw supply number might suggest.
At about 3.1 months of supply, Houston sits in a seller's market territory.
Source: Houston MLS · Houston · active inventory vs. trailing-12-month sales pace
Only 18% of Houston closings happen at or above asking price - the other 82% settle for less, and that is your clearest signal about where negotiating power actually sits.
What prices are actually doing
The median list price on active Houston homes sits at about $318,259, while the median sold price over the last 12 months came in at $308,653 - a gap of roughly $9,606. That spread matters: it tells you the typical home is not selling for what it is listed at. Reinforcing that point, only 18% of closings happened at or above asking price, meaning more than 8 in 10 sellers accepted something less. Average days on market for sold homes is 74 days. Together, these numbers suggest list prices are aspirational for most sellers, and buyers who come in at or slightly below ask are working with the grain of the market, not against it.
- Median list price: $318,259
- Median sold price, last 12 months: $308,653
- Closing at or above asking: 18%
Active listings carry a median of $318,259; homes have closed at a median of $308,653 over the last year — a $9,606 gap worth understanding before you price or offer.
Source: Houston MLS · Houston · active inventory vs. trailing-12-month closings
About 18% of recent Houston sales closed at or above the asking price — your read on how much room there is to negotiate.
Source: Houston MLS · Houston · last 12 months
What this means if you're moving this year
If you are buying in Houston, the 74-day average time on market and the 18% at-or-above-ask rate are your leverage points. Most sellers are waiting, and most are accepting less than list. That does not mean lowballing works on every home - well-priced listings in tighter pockets still attract competitive offers - but it does mean you have room to negotiate on a large share of the 16,260 homes currently available. Get pre-approved, move deliberately, and do not feel rushed by a 3.1-month supply figure alone. If you are selling, price discipline is the job. The $9,606 gap between median list and median sold price is not a fluke; it is the market telling you that overpricing will cost you time, and 74 days is a long time to carry a home. Sellers who price close to the likely sold price from day one tend to close faster and with fewer concessions. With 5,405 new listings hitting the market in the last 30 days alone, your competition is real and steady.
On the market right now
A few homes that just came up in Houston, pulled live from the MLS as you read this.
