Best Time to Buy by City
Best Time of Year to Buy a House in Katy
Updated November 2, 2026
Reviewed by:
Head of Growth at TurboHome
Agent, Texas · Texas Realtor® License #674075
The best time to buy a house in Katy is October. Buyers who went under contract in October paid a median 6.8% below the original asking price, and 86% of homes sold below asking, compared with 3.8% below in April, the most expensive month. That gap is 2.9 percentage points, or about $10,108 on the $345,000 median home in Katy. The trade-off is choice: July brings about 1,336 new listings a month, December only about 573. Here is the month-by-month data from 11,431 closings in Katy in our MLS feed.
TurboHome Market Analysis · Katy, TX · Contracts signed November 2024 through September 2026 · Published November 2026
Key findings
- Best month: October. Katy homes that went under contract in October sold for a median 6.8% below original asking, and 86% sold below the original asking price.
- Most expensive month: April, at a median 3.8% below original asking, with 77% of homes selling below asking.
- Best vs firmest season: Fall (6.2% below original asking) versus spring (4.2% below original asking).
- New listings: July brings about 1,336 new listings a month; December only about 573.
- Price cuts: 40.0% of homes that went under contract in October had taken a price cut first, versus 30.8% in April.
- Days on market: the typical winter listing sat 28 days, versus 19 in spring.
Katy home prices by month: what buyers actually paid
"Contract month" is the month the buyer's offer was accepted, not the month the sale closed. That is the date a buyer can actually time. The chart shows how the median sale in Katy compared with the original asking price in each contract month, and the table below it has every figure.
| Contract month | Closings | Median close vs original asking | Sold below original asking | Price cut before sale | Median $/sq ft | Median days on market | Median sale price | Avg new listings per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 848 | 5.3% below original asking | 80.9% | 32.4% | $163 | 28 | $337,000 | 874 |
| February | 987 | 5.1% below original asking | 84.0% | 35.3% | $163 | 28 | $345,000 | 857 |
| March | 1,156 | 4.7% below original asking | 79.4% | 32.3% | $165 | 20 | $350,000 | 1,144 |
| April | 1,238 | 3.8% below original asking | 77.2% | 30.8% | $165 | 19 | $350,000 | 1,227 |
| May | 1,235 | 4.0% below original asking | 79.9% | 31.7% | $164 | 18 | $349,900 | 1,310 |
| June | 1,092 | 4.1% below original asking | 79.3% | 37.6% | $162 | 23 | $344,448 | 1,328 |
| July | 1,036 | 4.9% below original asking | 82.3% | 39.8% | $161 | 28 | $345,115 | 1,336 |
| August | 973 | 5.4% below original asking | 83.7% | 44.8% | $159 | 32 | $339,990 | 1,055 |
| September | 679 | 5.8% below original asking | 84.2% | 41.2% | $159 | 32 | $335,000 | 1,035 |
| October | 542 | 6.8% below original asking | 86.5% | 40.0% | $159 | 30 | $327,031 | 961 |
| November | 868 | 6.0% below original asking | 86.1% | 40.4% | $163 | 27 | $339,990 | 644 |
| December | 777 | 5.6% below original asking | 87.1% | 39.5% | $165 | 29 | $350,000 | 573 |
New listings swing just as hard. July averages about 1,336 new listings in Katy, while December averages about 573.
- Avg new listings per month
Best season to buy a house in Katy
| Season | Median close vs original asking | Sold below original asking | Price cut before sale | Median days on market | Avg new listings per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | 5.3% below original asking | 84.0% | 35.7% | 28 | 768 |
| Spring | 4.2% below original asking | 78.8% | 31.6% | 19 | 1,227 |
| Summer | 4.8% below original asking | 81.8% | 40.7% | 28 | 1,240 |
| Fall | 6.2% below original asking | 85.6% | 40.5% | 30 | 880 |
Fall was the best season to buy in Katy: the median home closed 6.2% below original asking, and 85.6% of homes sold below asking. Spring was the firmest, at 4.2% below original asking with 78.8% below asking. Listings sat a median 30 days in fall versus 19 in spring.
Winter is December to February, spring March to May, summer June to August and fall September to November.
Which neighborhoods in Katy get cheaper in the off-season
Median close vs original asking by season in the neighborhoods with the most closings in Katy in our feed.
| Neighborhood | Closings | Median sale price | Spring | Summer | Fall | Winter |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cinco Ranch | 450 | $476,000 | 1.9% below original asking | 3.2% below original asking | 2.7% below original asking | 2.8% below original asking |
| Cypress | 433 | $465,000 | 7.2% below original asking | 7.5% below original asking | 7.6% below original asking | 7.4% below original asking |
| Cinco Ranch Southwest | 322 | $599,600 | 2.4% below original asking | 3.6% below original asking | 5.0% below original asking | 4.0% below original asking |
| Cinco Ranch West | 276 | $460,000 | 2.2% below original asking | 2.6% below original asking | 2.6% below original asking | 3.7% below original asking |
| Firethorne | 243 | $508,732 | 1.8% below original asking | 4.0% below original asking | 4.0% below original asking | 3.0% below original asking |
| Nottingham Country | 228 | $443,000 | 1.1% below original asking | 4.7% below original asking | 4.2% below original asking | 3.3% below original asking |
Cypress was the softest of Katy's busiest neighborhoods, with the median sale at 7.6% below original asking in fall. Nottingham Country moved the most with the seasons, from 1.1% below original asking in spring to 4.7% below original asking in summer. Neighborhood figures rest on fewer closings than the citywide numbers, so read them as direction rather than a price quote.
Why the season matters in Katy
Katy is the deepest-discount market of the 25 we tracked: the median home sold 5% below the original asking price over the two-year period, and in October the median was 6.8% below with 87% of homes selling under asking. New construction competition in Cinco Ranch Southwest and Firethorne keeps resale pricing soft, and spring is the only time the discount narrows to about 4%. Winter listings still sit about 28 days, so there is no real bidding season here.
Is winter a good time to buy a house in Katy?
Partly. Katy winter contracts (December to February) closed a median 5.3% below original asking, softer than spring (4.2% below original asking) but not as soft as fall (6.2% below original asking). December closed a median 5.6% below original asking, with 87.1% of homes selling below asking.
The trade-off is thin inventory. Winter brings about 768 new listings a month versus 1,227 in spring, and December only about 573. The typical winter listing in Katy sits 28 days versus 19 in spring, so winter sellers have usually had time to rethink their price.
Does the season matter more than mortgage rates?
In Katy, the spread between the best and worst month to sign a contract was 2.9 percentage points on price, about $10,108 on the $345,000 median home. A 0.5 point move in the 30-year mortgage rate changes the monthly payment on a $345,000 home with 20% down by roughly the same order of magnitude. Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey put the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.24% for the week of October 29, 2026.
Watch both. You can't control where rates go, but you can control when you shop and how hard you negotiate, and a flat-fee buyer's agent works the price side in any month.
How to time a purchase in Katy
- Get pre-approved before the slow season. In Katy that is fall, and a pre-approval lets you move the day a stale listing gets interesting.
- Target homes past the median of 25 days on market in Katy. Sellers who have waited longer than the typical listing are the most open to an offer below asking.
- In bidding-season months, shop the soft segments. In spring and April, use the neighborhood table above to find parts of Katy, such as Cypress, that still sell below asking.
- In the slow months, ask for credits and repairs, not only price. In October, 40.0% of homes that sold had already taken a price cut, so sellers know where the market is.
- Keep searching through the holidays. December brings the fewest new listings, about 573, and sellers in Katy who list then are usually motivated.
Methodology
We looked at closings of single family homes, condos and townhouses in Katy from our MLS feed, with contracts signed November 2024 through September 2026 and closed by October 31, 2026, and removed outlier ratios. "Median close vs original asking" is the median of close price divided by the original list price, so it includes price cuts made before the sale. Across all 11,431 closings, that ratio was 0.9505 (4.9% below original asking), 82.0% of homes sold below original asking, 36.6% had a price cut before selling, and the median home sold for $345,000 at $163 per square foot after 25 days on market.
New listings are the two-year average per calendar month. Figures are medians unless stated. Published November 2026. Katy is part of our Houston-area MLS feed, which runs through mid-October 2026, so sales that closed after that date are not counted and the October figures lean on last year's contracts.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest month to buy a house in Katy?
October. Katy homes that went under contract in October sold for a median 6.8% below original asking, and 86% sold below the original asking price. The median listing had been on the market 30 days.
What is the worst month to buy a house in Katy?
April is the most expensive month. Katy homes that went under contract in April sold for a median 3.8% below original asking, only 77% sold below asking, and the median listing sat 19 days.
Is winter a good time to buy in Katy?
Partly. Winter contracts closed a median 5.3% below original asking, 84.0% of homes sold below asking and the typical listing sat 28 days. The catch is choice: about 768 new listings a month, versus 1,227 in spring.
How much can I save by timing my purchase in Katy?
The gap between the best and most expensive month was 2.9 percentage points, about $10,108 on the $345,000 median home in Katy. That is a median across 11,431 closings, not a guarantee: the home, the neighborhood and your offer still matter more than the calendar.
When do the most homes come on the market in Katy?
July brings the most new listings, about 1,336 a month. December brings the fewest, about 573.
Related TurboHome guides
- Best time to buy a house, by city
- Greater Houston home buying guides
- Down payment on a house in Katy
- How long it takes to close in Katy
- HOA fees in Katy
- Best Katy neighborhoods for first-time buyers
- Texas home buying guides
Buy in Katy with a flat-fee buyer's agent
About the Author
Vinura Abeysundara
Vinura Abeysundara is a real estate and growth professional with experience scaling homebuying platforms across Canada and the United States. Formerly Head of Growth at Zown, he now works with TurboHome and writes about homebuyer savings, flat-fee real estate, commissions, and technology in real estate.
View Vinura on LinkedInAbout Jake Shuler
Agent, Texas
Jake Shuler is a Texas REALTOR® with more than 10 years of real estate experience and over 200 successful transactions. As an agent at TurboHome, he helps buyers navigate the Texas housing market and writes about homebuying, negotiations, local market trends, and ways buyers can save throughout the process.
View Jake's profile