Houston Real Estate Right Now - 16146 Homes for Sale at 3-1 Months of Supply
Houston has 16,146 active listings with a median list price of $318,535, homes are selling in a median of 31 days, and only 18 percent of closings happen at or above asking price - giving buyers real negotiating room despite a technical seller's market.
The state of play
Houston is carrying 16,146 active listings right now, with roughly 5,243 homes selling per month. That works out to 3.1 months of supply, which technically lands in seller's market territory - generally anything under 4 to 6 months favors sellers. But the picture is more nuanced than that label suggests. New listings are flowing in at about 5,273 over the last 30 days, meaning fresh inventory keeps replenishing the pool. Buyers have real choices across a wide range of Houston ZIP codes, from the Heights and Montrose corridor (77006, 77007, 77008) to Clear Lake, Memorial, and Meyerland - and that breadth of options softens seller leverage considerably compared to a truly tight market.
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 percent of Houston closings happen at or above asking price - the other 82 percent negotiated down, and the average home took about 74 days to get there.
What prices are actually doing
The median list price on active Houston homes sits at $318,535, while the median sold price over the last 12 months is $308,611. That is a gap of roughly $9,924 between what sellers are asking and what buyers are actually paying. Here is the number that cuts through the noise: only 18 percent of closings happen at or above asking price. That means 82 percent of buyers who closed in this dataset paid less than list. Average days on market for sold homes runs about 74 days, which suggests most listings are sitting long enough that sellers grow willing to negotiate. For anyone writing an offer, the data suggests starting below list is not just reasonable - it reflects how the overwhelming majority of Houston transactions actually settle.
- Median list price: $318,535
- Median sold price, last 12 months: $308,611
- Closing at or above asking: 18%
Active listings carry a median of $318,535; homes have closed at a median of $308,611 over the last year — a $9,924 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
For buyers, the combination of 16,146 available homes, a nearly $10,000 list-to-sold gap, and only 18 percent of deals closing at or above ask means you have negotiating leverage most buyers in tighter markets simply do not have. Average time on market of about 74 days means a home that has been sitting for two months is likely priced with room. That said, 3.1 months of supply is still relatively lean, so well-priced homes in high-demand pockets - think 77019 (River Oaks area) or 77007 (Heights) - can still move faster than the city-wide average suggests. Do your homework neighborhood by neighborhood before assuming every listing will come down. For sellers, the 18 percent at-or-above-ask figure is the honest benchmark to set expectations against. Pricing precisely at or just under comparable sold prices - not at the top of the active listing range - is what separates the 31-day median sale from the listings pushing that 74-day average higher. With over 5,000 new listings hitting the market every 30 days, overpriced homes get buried quickly. The sellers winning right now are the ones who price to the $308,611 median sold reality, not the $318,535 median ask.
On the market right now
A few homes that just came up in Houston, pulled live from the MLS as you read this.
