Homes across the greater Houston area continued selling at a record pace despite historically low inventory, the start of the holiday season and the lingering coronavirus pandemic. A low supply of homes for sale and strong demand from homebuyers combined to push the average price to record territory. Once again, the high end of the market generated the strongest increase in consumer activity with mid-range homes also selling briskly.
According to the latest Houston Association of Realtors (HAR) Market Update, 7,990 single-family homes sold in November compared to 6,359 a year earlier. That translates to a 25.6 percent increase and marks the sixth straight month of positive sales.
Homes priced at $750,000 and above rocketed 88.4 percent compared to November 2019. That was followed by the $500,000 to $750,000 housing segment, which jumped 72.2 percent year-over-year. Homes between $250,000 and $500,000, which comprise the market’s biggest share of sales, shot up 50.3 percent.
The single-family home average price climbed 15.0 percent to an historic high of $341,765 while the median price increased 12.0 percent to $270,000 – the second highest level of all time. Year-to-date sales are currently 9.0 percent ahead of 2019’s record pace.
Sales of all property types totaled 9,660 – up 28.1 percent from November 2019. Total dollar volume for the month rose 43.9 percent to $3.1 billion. The lease market recorded an 11.1 percent decline in single-family housing while townhouse/condo leases fell 4.0 percent.
“In my 50 years in the real estate business, I have never seen a market defy supply and seasonality the way Houston has – amid a pandemic, no less,” said HAR Chairman John Nugent with RE/MAX Space Center. “It’s quite extraordinary to watch consumers take advantage of historically low interest rates and be able to choose their dream homes from among the tightest housing inventory this market has ever experienced.”