Houston Metro Market Analysis
Houston Metro Housing Market by County, May–July 2026
Updated September 16, 2026
Reviewed by:
Agent, Texas · Texas Realtor® License #674075
TurboHome Market Analysis · Houston Metro · Published September 2026
The takeaway up front: Every covered Houston metro county closed below final list on average from May through July 2026, including the fastest sales. Harris County had the mildest county-level discount at 4.6% below final list, while Galveston County had the deepest at 6.2% below.
This report covers single-family closings in Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Galveston, and Brazoria counties. It uses counties as the main group and city or suburb labels as the local market cut.
A note on geography before the data
This is a Houston metro report, not a Houston city report. County boundaries organize the charts because the source's neighborhood field is a subdivision field rather than a consistent metro-wide neighborhood taxonomy.Katy and Spring have separately tracked addresses in two counties. The Woodlands also spans Harris and Montgomery counties. Those labels keep their county qualifiers so the rows are not combined.The county and suburb charts cover single-family homes. Condo and townhouse volume outside Houston proper was too thin for the same county-by-county treatment.
The big picture: county-level stats
| County | Closed, SFH | Under 14 days | 14–30 days | 30+ days | $/sqft, 90-day trend | Avg. vs. final list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris | 11,944 | 30.6% | 15.5% | 53.8% | +1.1% | -4.6% |
| Fort Bend | 3,460 | 26.5% | 15.8% | 57.6% | +1.6% | -5.4% |
| Montgomery | 4,350 | 23.6% | 15.8% | 60.6% | +1.9% | -6.0% |
| Galveston | 1,592 | 26.8% | 15.4% | 57.9% | +2.1% | -6.2% |
| Brazoria | 1,426 | 25.2% | 14.6% | 60.2% | +1.9% | -5.7% |
The county summaries point in the same direction. More than half of single-family closings in every county took 30 days or longer, and every county averaged below final list.Harris County had the highest under-14-day share at 30.6% and the smallest average discount at 4.6%. Galveston had the deepest average discount at 6.2%, while Montgomery had the largest 30+ day share at 60.6%.
Who won the negotiation: closing price vs. final list
These charts compare each May through July closing with its own final list price. Positive values mean the sale closed above final list on average. Negative values mean it closed below.This measures negotiation against asking price, not appreciation. A suburb can close below list while its median $/sqft rises across the two comparison windows.
Harris County
TL;DR: La Porte came closest to final list at 1.0% below on 134 closings. Spring and Kingwood followed at 1.5% and 1.6% below, while Crosby had the widest discount at 5.2% below on 400 closings.Houston carried 5,599 closings and averaged 2.6% below final list.
Harris County: Closing price vs. final list
May–July 2026 closings · average premium or discount to final list price
SFH · Part 1 of 2
Houston (Harris)
5599 closed
Katy (Harris)
1041 closed
Cypress
1021 closed
Spring (Harris)
821 closed
Humble
482 closed
Tomball
480 closed
Hockley
418 closed
Crosby
400 closed
SFH · Part 2 of 2
Baytown
262 closed
Pasadena
198 closed
Waller
157 closed
Huffman
149 closed
Kingwood
143 closed
La Porte
134 closed
Deer Park
109 closed
Fort Bend County
TL;DR: Katy addresses in Fort Bend came closest to final list at 2.3% below on 534 closings. Richmond had the largest discount in the county at 3.2% below on 809 closings.
Fort Bend County: Closing price vs. final list
May–July 2026 closings · average premium or discount to final list price
SFH
Richmond
809 closed
Fulshear
535 closed
Katy (Fort Bend)
534 closed
Missouri City
452 closed
Rosenberg
289 closed
Houston (Fort Bend)
90 closed
Montgomery County
TL;DR: Spring came closest to final list at 1.7% below on 360 closings. The Woodlands followed at 2.1% below on 370 closings, while Porter had the largest suburb-level discount at 4.2% below.
Montgomery County: Closing price vs. final list
May–July 2026 closings · average premium or discount to final list price
SFH
Conroe
1199 closed
Montgomery
716 closed
Magnolia
632 closed
The Woodlands
370 closed
Spring (Montgomery)
360 closed
Willis
313 closed
Porter
243 closed
New Caney
230 closed
Galveston County
TL;DR: Dickinson and Friendswood came closest to final list at 1.7% and 1.8% below. Galveston had the county's widest discount at 6.0% below on 246 closings and the highest current $/sqft in the supplied county tables at $266.
Galveston County: Closing price vs. final list
May–July 2026 closings · average premium or discount to final list price
SFH
League City
454 closed
Galveston
246 closed
Texas City
233 closed
Friendswood
133 closed
Dickinson
131 closed
Santa Fe
87 closed
Brazoria County
TL;DR: Pearland carried the most volume and averaged 2.0% below final list on 341 closings. Angleton had the county's widest discount at 4.6% below on 177 closings.
Brazoria County: Closing price vs. final list
May–July 2026 closings · average premium or discount to final list price
SFH
Pearland
341 closed
Manvel
265 closed
Angleton
177 closed
Alvin
144 closed
$/sqft trend: where the price mix moved
The next charts compare median sold price per square foot for February through April with May through July 2026. Closing counts for both windows appear under each suburb.A large percentage move can reflect a different mix of homes sold. Freeport's 38.2% decline, Brazoria city's 30.8% increase, and Cleveland's 20.4% increase deserve extra caution because their samples are much smaller than the metro's largest suburbs.
Harris County
TL;DR: The Woodlands' Harris County portion rose 9.0% on 28 prior-window and 40 latest-window closings. Houston rose 3.1% on 4,746 to 5,599 closings, while Friendswood's Harris County portion fell 6.2% on 66 to 78 closings.
Harris County: Change in $/sqft by suburb
90-day median $/sqft change · Feb–Apr vs. May–Jul 2026
SFH · Part 1 of 2
The Woodlands (Harris)
Feb–Apr: 28 closed | May–Jul: 40 closed
Baytown
Feb–Apr: 246 closed | May–Jul: 262 closed
Seabrook
Feb–Apr: 50 closed | May–Jul: 73 closed
Houston (Harris)
Feb–Apr: 4746 closed | May–Jul: 5599 closed
Cypress
Feb–Apr: 848 closed | May–Jul: 1021 closed
Spring (Harris)
Feb–Apr: 704 closed | May–Jul: 821 closed
SFH · Part 2 of 2
Katy (Harris)
Feb–Apr: 873 closed | May–Jul: 1041 closed
Humble
Feb–Apr: 401 closed | May–Jul: 482 closed
Friendswood (Harris)
Feb–Apr: 66 closed | May–Jul: 78 closed
Kingwood
Feb–Apr: 106 closed | May–Jul: 143 closed
La Porte
Feb–Apr: 116 closed | May–Jul: 134 closed
Fort Bend County
TL;DR: Rosharon and Beasley each rose 7.4%. Fulshear gained 3.0% on 426 to 535 closings, while Fresno fell 5.8% on 54 to 68 closings.
Fort Bend County: Change in $/sqft by suburb
90-day median $/sqft change · Feb–Apr vs. May–Jul 2026
SFH
Rosharon (Fort Bend)
Feb–Apr: 53 closed | May–Jul: 47 closed
Beasley
Feb–Apr: 50 closed | May–Jul: 40 closed
Fulshear
Feb–Apr: 426 closed | May–Jul: 535 closed
Missouri City
Feb–Apr: 340 closed | May–Jul: 452 closed
Sugar Land
Feb–Apr: 312 closed | May–Jul: 372 closed
Katy (Fort Bend)
Feb–Apr: 363 closed | May–Jul: 534 closed
Richmond
Feb–Apr: 723 closed | May–Jul: 809 closed
Needville
Feb–Apr: 67 closed | May–Jul: 85 closed
Fresno
Feb–Apr: 54 closed | May–Jul: 68 closed
Montgomery County
TL;DR: Cleveland rose 20.4% on a smaller 18 to 21 closing sample. Montgomery and Magnolia had the strongest larger-sample gains at 4.3% and 3.5%, while Kingwood's Montgomery County portion fell 7.9% on 16 to 27 closings.
Montgomery County: Change in $/sqft by suburb
90-day median $/sqft change · Feb–Apr vs. May–Jul 2026
SFH · Part 1 of 2
Cleveland*
Feb–Apr: 18 closed | May–Jul: 21 closed
Pinehurst
Feb–Apr: 32 closed | May–Jul: 41 closed
Montgomery
Feb–Apr: 549 closed | May–Jul: 716 closed
Magnolia
Feb–Apr: 568 closed | May–Jul: 632 closed
Willis
Feb–Apr: 269 closed | May–Jul: 313 closed
Porter
Feb–Apr: 201 closed | May–Jul: 243 closed
SFH · Part 2 of 2
The Woodlands (Montgomery)
Feb–Apr: 246 closed | May–Jul: 370 closed
Conroe
Feb–Apr: 1065 closed | May–Jul: 1199 closed
New Caney
Feb–Apr: 194 closed | May–Jul: 230 closed
Splendora
Feb–Apr: 86 closed | May–Jul: 122 closed
Spring (Montgomery)
Feb–Apr: 274 closed | May–Jul: 360 closed
Kingwood (Montgomery)*
Feb–Apr: 16 closed | May–Jul: 27 closed
Galveston County
TL;DR: Jamaica Beach rose 9.3% on 15 to 18 closings, and Kemah rose 8.1% on 40 to 30. Galveston fell 2.7% on 175 to 246 closings, while Crystal Beach fell 2.8% on 40 to 50.
Galveston County: Change in $/sqft by suburb
90-day median $/sqft change · Feb–Apr vs. May–Jul 2026
SFH
Jamaica Beach
Feb–Apr: 15 closed | May–Jul: 18 closed
Kemah
Feb–Apr: 40 closed | May–Jul: 30 closed
Santa Fe
Feb–Apr: 64 closed | May–Jul: 87 closed
Texas City
Feb–Apr: 210 closed | May–Jul: 233 closed
Dickinson
Feb–Apr: 117 closed | May–Jul: 131 closed
La Marque
Feb–Apr: 84 closed | May–Jul: 99 closed
Friendswood (Galveston)
Feb–Apr: 94 closed | May–Jul: 133 closed
League City
Feb–Apr: 363 closed | May–Jul: 454 closed
Crystal Beach
Feb–Apr: 40 closed | May–Jul: 50 closed
Galveston
Feb–Apr: 175 closed | May–Jul: 246 closed
Brazoria County
TL;DR: Brazoria city rose 30.8% on 33 to 32 closings. Freeport moved the other direction, falling 38.2% on 35 to 40 closings. Both are directional outliers rather than clean metro-wide signals.Among larger samples, Alvin rose 7.4% and Angleton fell 7.8%.
Brazoria County: Change in $/sqft by suburb
90-day median $/sqft change · Feb–Apr vs. May–Jul 2026
SFH
Brazoria (city)*
Feb–Apr: 33 closed | May–Jul: 32 closed
Alvin
Feb–Apr: 149 closed | May–Jul: 144 closed
West Columbia*
Feb–Apr: 38 closed | May–Jul: 28 closed
Pearland
Feb–Apr: 282 closed | May–Jul: 341 closed
Manvel
Feb–Apr: 192 closed | May–Jul: 265 closed
Iowa Colony
Feb–Apr: 88 closed | May–Jul: 102 closed
Angleton
Feb–Apr: 154 closed | May–Jul: 177 closed
Freeport*
Feb–Apr: 35 closed | May–Jul: 40 closed
Days on market: speed by county and suburb
Each chart keeps the source order and shows the share of May through July closings in the under 14, 14–30, and 30+ day buckets. Every row uses the same absolute 0 to 100% scale.The three percentages total 100% within the source's rounding tolerance for all 33 rows.
Harris County
TL;DR: Kingwood had the county's largest under-14-day share at 48.3% on 143 closings. Hockley had the slowest distribution, with 68.4% of 418 closings taking 30 days or longer.
Harris County: Days on market speed
May–July 2026 closings · share of sales by days-on-market bucket
SFH · Part 1 of 2
Houston (Harris)
5599 closed
Katy (Harris)
1041 closed
Cypress
1021 closed
Spring (Harris)
821 closed
Humble
482 closed
Tomball
480 closed
SFH · Part 2 of 2
Hockley
418 closed
Crosby
400 closed
Baytown
262 closed
Pasadena
198 closed
Kingwood
143 closed
La Porte
134 closed
Fort Bend County
TL;DR: Katy's Fort Bend portion had the largest under-14-day share at 37.6% on 534 closings. Rosenberg had the largest 30+ day share at 65.7%.
Fort Bend County: Days on market speed
May–July 2026 closings · share of sales by days-on-market bucket
SFH
Richmond
809 closed
Fulshear
535 closed
Katy (Fort Bend)
534 closed
Missouri City
452 closed
Rosenberg
289 closed
Montgomery County
TL;DR: The Woodlands was the speed outlier, with 45.9% of 370 closings under 14 days. Willis had the largest 30+ day share at 71.2%.
Montgomery County: Days on market speed
May–July 2026 closings · share of sales by days-on-market bucket
SFH
Conroe
1199 closed
Montgomery
716 closed
Magnolia
632 closed
The Woodlands (Montgomery)
370 closed
Spring (Montgomery)
360 closed
Willis
313 closed
Porter
243 closed
New Caney
230 closed
Galveston County
TL;DR: Friendswood had the county's largest under-14-day share at 45.1% on 133 closings. Galveston had the largest 30+ day share at 71.5%.
Galveston County: Days on market speed
May–July 2026 closings · share of sales by days-on-market bucket
SFH
League City
454 closed
Galveston
246 closed
Texas City
233 closed
Friendswood (Galveston)
133 closed
Dickinson
131 closed
Brazoria County
TL;DR: Pearland had the county's largest under-14-day share at 36.1% on 341 closings. Manvel and Angleton each placed about two-thirds of closings in the 30+ day bucket.
Brazoria County: Days on market speed
May–July 2026 closings · share of sales by days-on-market bucket
SFH
Pearland
341 closed
Manvel
265 closed
Angleton
177 closed
What September’s financing backdrop adds
Freddie Mac's 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 6.76% for the week ending September 10, 2026, up from 6.71% one week earlier.That payment backdrop can affect buyer budgets, but the MLS data does not prove mortgage rates caused the metro's list-price discounts. The source tracks closed-sale outcomes rather than each buyer's financing terms.
Source: Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Freddie Mac 30-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage Average.
Put the data to work
What this means if you’re buying or selling
Selling in Harris or Fort Bend
Faster counties still closed below final list
Harris and Fort Bend had the metro's highest under-14-day shares at 30.6% and 26.5%, yet county averages still closed 4.6% and 5.4% below final list. Accurate local pricing still matters in the metro's more liquid counties.
Selling in outer counties
Longer timelines came with deeper concessions
Montgomery, Galveston, and Brazoria each placed at least 57.9% of closings in the 30+ day bucket. Their county-level discounts ranged from 5.7% to 6.2% below final list.
Buying
Negotiating room appeared across the metro
Every county and every days-on-market bucket in the supplied single-family dataset closed below final list on average. The reasonable offer gap still varied by suburb and listing age.
Reading the trend
$/sqft direction and bidding answer different questions
County median $/sqft rose 1.1% to 2.1% between the two 90-day windows while county-level closings remained below final list. One measure tracks the mix of sold homes, while the other tracks negotiation against each home's asking price.
Quick Q&A
Did any covered Houston metro county close at or above final list price?
No. Every covered county and every days-on-market bucket averaged below final list for May through July 2026.
Which county showed the most negotiating room?
Galveston County had the deepest county-level average discount at 6.2% below final list. Montgomery County followed at 6.0% below.
Why did $/sqft rise while homes still closed below final list?
The $/sqft trend compares median sold-home price per square foot across two 90-day windows. The list-price gap compares each sale with its own asking price. A change in the mix of homes sold can move the measures in different directions.
Which covered county moved fastest?
Harris County had the largest under-14-day share at 30.6% and the smallest 30+ day share at 53.8% among the five county summaries.
How should the largest suburb swings be interpreted?
Freeport, Brazoria city, and Cleveland posted large $/sqft moves on smaller samples than the metro's largest suburbs. They remain visible for completeness but should be treated as directional.
Local numbers for your market
Want the same breakdown for your suburb?
TurboHome pulls this same MLS data for every Texas market we operate in. If you’re deciding when to list, how to price, or whether a specific offer makes sense against what’s actually closing nearby, we can run the numbers for your address.
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