Houston Market Report - 16377 Homes For Sale and What It Means
Houston currently has 16,377 active listings with a median list price of about $319K, homes are selling at a median of roughly $308K, and only 18% of deals close at or above asking price - making this a more negotiation-friendly market than many buyers expect.
The state of play
Houston has 16,377 homes on the market right now, with about 5,247 sales closing per month. That works out to 3.1 months of supply, which technically sits in seller's market territory - but just barely, and the other numbers complicate that label. New listings are coming in fast, with 5,417 added in just the last 30 days, which means buyers have real choices across price points and neighborhoods. The combination of steady inventory and a brisk but not frantic sales pace means neither side holds a decisive edge at the moment.
Only 18% of Houston homes are closing at or above asking price - which means the negotiating table is open for business on the other 82%.
What prices are actually doing
The median list price on active Houston homes is $318,968, and the median sold price over the last 12 months is $307,844 - a gap of roughly $11,124. That gap matters because it tells you what sellers are hoping for versus what buyers are actually paying. The sharper data point is this: only 18% of homes closed at or above asking price. That means 82% of deals settled below list, which gives buyers real room to negotiate rather than face a take-it-or-leave-it situation. Average days on market for sold homes sits at 74 days, suggesting that well-priced homes move but overpriced ones sit and accumulate price cuts before finding a buyer.
- Median list price: $318,968
- Median sold price, last 12 months: $307,844
- Closing at or above asking: 18%
What this means if you're moving this year
Buyers in Houston right now have more leverage than the 3.1 months of supply figure alone would suggest. With 82% of homes closing below list and an average of 74 days on market, a patient, well-researched offer below asking is a reasonable strategy in most neighborhoods - not a lowball. The $11,124 list-to-sold gap is a useful negotiation anchor: use it as a starting point when building your offer, and look at how long the specific home has been listed before deciding how far below list to go. Sellers need to price accurately from day one. With 5,417 new listings entering the market every 30 days, a home that comes in too high gets buried fast. The 18% at-or-above-ask rate tells you that strategic pricing - not aspirational pricing - is what drives competitive offers. Homes that are priced right for their condition and location are still selling; they just need to earn that price rather than assume it.
On the market right now
A few homes that just came up in Houston, pulled live from the MLS as you read this.
