The Houston Association of REALTORS® (HAR) released its September 2026 housing update on October 14. The short version: fewer homes sold than a year ago, prices barely moved, and buyers had more to choose from. Rising mortgage rates are the main thing shaping decisions right now, and the numbers below show how that is playing out across the Greater Houston area.
The headline numbers for single-family homes
- Sales: 7,030 homes sold, down 5.7% from September 2025.
- Average price: $421,311, up 0.7% from $418,256 a year earlier.
- Median price: $325,000, essentially unchanged (it was $325,990 a year ago).
- Active listings: 40,192 homes for sale, up 6.3%.
- Months of inventory: 5.5, up from 5.1 a year ago. HAR notes the national figure was 4.8 months.
- Days on market: 58 on average, compared with 56 a year ago.
- Pending sales: 6,789, down 11.6%, which suggests some buyers are taking longer to commit.
Mortgage rates and the monthly payment
According to Freddie Mac, 30-year fixed rates averaged 6.86% in September, up from 6.35% a year earlier. Weekly rates climbed through the month, from 6.71% in the first week to 7.03% in the last, and reached 7.28% and then 7.40% in the first two weeks of October.
HAR estimates that a buyer of a median-priced Houston home with 20% down would pay $1,705.41 a month in principal and interest in September, compared with $1,622.29 a year ago. That is $83.12 more per month, or $997.40 more per year, even though the price of the home barely changed.
How price ranges performed
Single-family sales moved in different directions depending on the price point:
- $150,000 to $249,999: down 8.4% (1,359 sales)
- $250,000 to $499,999: down 5.7% (3,878 sales)
- $500,000 to $999,999: up 0.6% (1,189 sales)
- $1 million and above: down 8.2% (304 sales)
Existing single-family home sales held steady at 5,062 closings, with an average price of $427,110 (down 1.1%) and an unchanged median of $325,000.
Townhomes and condominiums
This segment faced stronger headwinds. Sales fell 21.0% to 323, the median price dropped 9.1% to $209,000, and the average price fell 4.6% to $261,052. Active listings rose 6.9% to 3,609, and inventory grew from 8.0 to 9.3 months. Pending sales fell from 440 to 370.
All property types
Across every property type, 8,181 properties sold in September, down 6.4%. Total dollar volume was $3.45 billion, down 2.1%, and active listings rose 5.0% to 62,002.
What this means for buyers and sellers
Buyers: More inventory and flat prices give you room to be selective, but financing costs deserve a close look. Ask your lender to show payments at several rates and down payment levels, and use our home tools to test your own numbers.
Sellers: Homes are taking a little longer to sell, so pricing and presentation matter. A listing priced to the current market, not last year’s, is more likely to draw offers early. Our Sell page explains how a pricing conversation works.
Your local resource for the full picture
Averages cover the whole region, and Houston is made up of many different markets. Keller Williams Memorial has more than 500 agents across residential, luxury, international and commercial real estate, and any of them can pull the numbers for your neighborhood or property type. Reach out to start the conversation, or browse our market reports.
Source: Houston Association of REALTORS®, Monthly Housing Update and MLS Sales Activity, September 2026 (released October 14, 2026); see also HAR’s Monthly Activity Snapshot (PDF). Mortgage rates per Freddie Mac as cited by HAR. Figures cover the Greater Houston area. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
