Up and Coming Neighborhoods
Up and Coming Neighborhoods in Houston: Where Prices Rose Fastest in the Last 12 Months
Updated November 5, 2026
Reviewed by:
Head of Growth at TurboHome
Agent, Texas · Texas Realtor® License #674075
The fastest-rising neighborhood in Houston over the last 12 months was Pecan Park, where the median price per square foot rose 27.0% to $163, against a citywide change of -1.5%. Westchase (+15.4%) and Denver Harbor / Port Houston (+14.7%) were next. We ranked every Houston neighborhood with at least 20 closings in our MLS feed in each of the last two years by the change in median price per square foot, then checked days on market and the share of homes selling above asking to separate real momentum from a few unusual sales. 7 of the top 10 still have a median price below the citywide median of $350,000.
TurboHome Market Analysis · Houston, TX · Closings Nov 2025 to Oct 2026 vs a year earlier · Published November 2026
Key findings
- Top three: Pecan Park (+27.0%, to $163 per square foot), Westchase (+15.4%) and Denver Harbor / Port Houston (+14.7%).
- Citywide context: Houston's median price per square foot fell 1.5%, from $192 a year earlier to $189.
- Still below the citywide median: Pecan Park ($199,000, -43%), Denver Harbor / Port Houston ($167,000, -52%), Close-In Memorial ($327,500, -6%), Kashmere Gardens ($170,000, -51%), Meadowbrook / Allendale ($191,500, -45%), East Houston ($202,500, -42%) and South Park ($165,000, -53%) are priced below the $350,000 citywide median.
- Days on market: no neighborhood in the top 10 sold faster than a year earlier.
- Biggest jump in bidding: Denver Harbor / Port Houston, where the share of homes sold above asking rose from 6% to 12%.
- Caution: Pecan Park's 29 closings are a small sample for a 27% move, so read it as direction rather than a precise figure.
Houston's 10 fastest-rising neighborhoods
Neighborhoods with at least 20 closings in our feed in both windows, ranked by the change in median price per square foot from November 2024 through October 2025 to November 2025 through October 2026. 86 Houston neighborhoods qualified.
| Neighborhood | Closings | Median price per sq ft, Nov 2025 to Oct 2026 | A year earlier | Change | Median sale price | Vs citywide median | Median days on market, now (year earlier) | Share sold above asking, now (year earlier) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pecan Park | 29 | $163 | $128 | +27.0% | $199,000 | -43% | 21 (17) | 3% (12%) |
| Westchase | 132 | $168 | $146 | +15.4% | $387,500 | +11% | 43 (33) | 10% (8%) |
| Denver Harbor / Port Houston | 41 | $145 | $126 | +14.7% | $167,000 | -52% | 45 (26) | 12% (6%) |
| Close-In Memorial | 72 | $186 | $165 | +12.6% | $327,500 | -6% | 43 (26) | 6% (9%) |
| River Oaks | 120 | $618 | $550 | +12.5% | $2,529,688 | +623% | 30 (30) | 8% (12%) |
| Kashmere Gardens | 29 | $138 | $123 | +11.6% | $170,000 | -51% | 54 (28) | 14% (13%) |
| Meadowbrook / Allendale | 61 | $152 | $137 | +10.5% | $191,500 | -45% | 26 (23) | 15% (9%) |
| East Houston | 104 | $146 | $134 | +9.1% | $202,500 | -42% | 48 (37) | 19% (18%) |
| South Park | 127 | $125 | $115 | +8.8% | $165,000 | -53% | 33 (31) | 20% (20%) |
| The Memorial Villages | 210 | $512 | $471 | +8.6% | $2,700,000 | +671% | 13 (12) | 25% (26%) |
The table ranks by price per square foot rather than median sale price because price per square foot is less sensitive to which homes happened to sell: a year with more large houses on the market can push the median price up even when nothing got more expensive. Days on market and the share sold above asking show whether buyers are actually competing for the neighborhood. When both improve along with the price, the momentum is real; when they do not, a few large or renovated sales may have moved the number.
Citywide context: how Houston as a whole moved
| Metric | Nov 2025 to Oct 2026 | A year earlier |
|---|---|---|
| Closings analyzed | 15,542 | 17,449 |
| Median price per sq ft | $189 (-1.5%) | $192 |
| Median sale price | $350,000 | $350,000 |
| Median days on market | 26 | 25 |
| Share sold above asking | 13% | 14% |
The top neighborhoods are moving against a falling market: Houston's median price per square foot fell 1.5% to $189, yet all 10 neighborhoods in the table rose. Citywide, homes sold in a median 26 days against 25 a year earlier, and 13% sold above asking against 14%.
Rising and still below the citywide median
| Neighborhood | Median sale price | Vs citywide median | Change in price per sq ft | Share sold above asking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pecan Park | $199,000 | -43% | +27.0% | 3% |
| Denver Harbor / Port Houston | $167,000 | -52% | +14.7% | 12% |
| Close-In Memorial | $327,500 | -6% | +12.6% | 6% |
| Kashmere Gardens | $170,000 | -51% | +11.6% | 14% |
| Meadowbrook / Allendale | $191,500 | -45% | +10.5% | 15% |
| East Houston | $202,500 | -42% | +9.1% | 19% |
| South Park | $165,000 | -53% | +8.8% | 20% |
These neighborhoods let a buyer get in below the $350,000 citywide median while prices are still climbing. South Park is the lowest-priced entry at $165,000, and Pecan Park has the strongest momentum at +27.0%. Bidding is moderate: even in South Park, the busiest of these, 20% of homes sold above asking, so most still sold at or below the list price.
What is driving each neighborhood (local commentary)
Houston's citywide price per square foot slipped 1.5%, yet seven of the ten fastest-rising neighborhoods have median prices under $330,000, most of them under $205,000, against a $350,000 citywide median. The East End and Northeast Houston dominate: Pecan Park (up 27.0% per square foot to $163), Denver Harbor / Port Houston, Kashmere Gardens, East Houston and South Park all gained 8.8% to 27.0% at median prices between $165,000 and $205,000. Westchase is the biggest volume story with 132 closings and a 15.4% gain. At the top end, River Oaks and The Memorial Villages (210 closings, 13 median days on market, 25% selling above asking) are rising too, so the growth is at both ends of the price range and thin in the middle. Days on market lengthened in most of the low-priced rows (Denver Harbor from 26 to 45, Kashmere Gardens from 28 to 54), which suggests renovated resales are lifting the per-square-foot figure rather than buyers bidding against each other. Pecan Park's 29 closings are a small sample for a 27% move, so read it as direction rather than a precise figure.
How to use this list if you are buying in Houston
- Treat price per square foot growth as a screen, not a verdict. Visit the top three, Pecan Park, Westchase and Denver Harbor / Port Houston, and judge the streets, the homes and the commute for yourself.
- Check whether days on market fell along with the price rise. Rising prices with lengthening days on market usually means a few renovated sales moved the median. In Houston, that applies to Kashmere Gardens (28 to 54 days), Denver Harbor / Port Houston (26 to 45 days) and Close-In Memorial (26 to 43 days).
- Compare the neighborhood's median price with the citywide median. The citywide median sale price in Houston was $350,000; a negative figure in the "vs citywide median" column means the neighborhood is still an entry point.
- Pull the last 12 months of closings on the specific streets you like before offering. Neighborhood medians blend very different blocks, and the sales on your street are the comps the seller's agent will use.
- Expect to compete where more than half of homes sell above asking. None of the Houston neighborhoods in this table cleared that bar. Use the share-sold-above-asking column to decide how aggressive the offer needs to be.
Methodology
We looked at closings of single family homes, condos and townhouses in Houston from our MLS feed, closed November 2025 through October 2026, compared with closings from November 2024 through October 2025 (15,542 and 17,449 closings). Price per square foot is the closing price divided by living area; figures are medians. "Share sold above asking" is the share of closings where the sale price exceeded the final list price. Neighborhoods need at least 20 closings in each window to be ranked (86 Houston neighborhoods qualified); neighborhoods with fewer closings are excluded, so some well-known areas do not appear. Sales under $50,000 or over $20,000,000 and price per square foot outside $50 to $5,000 are excluded. Pecan Park and Kashmere Gardens each had 29 closings in the latest window, a small sample for double-digit moves, so read those rows as direction rather than precise figures. Published November 2026.
FAQ
What are the up and coming neighborhoods in Houston?
Ranked by the change in median price per square foot over the last 12 months, the up and coming neighborhoods in Houston are Pecan Park (+27.0%, to $163), Westchase (+15.4%, to $168) and Denver Harbor / Port Houston (+14.7%, to $145), against a citywide change of -1.5%.
Which Houston neighborhoods are still affordable but rising?
Pecan Park (median $199,000, -43% vs the citywide median, price per square foot +27.0%), Denver Harbor / Port Houston (median $167,000, -52% vs the citywide median, price per square foot +14.7%), Close-In Memorial (median $327,500, -6% vs the citywide median, price per square foot +12.6%), Kashmere Gardens (median $170,000, -51% vs the citywide median, price per square foot +11.6%), Meadowbrook / Allendale (median $191,500, -45% vs the citywide median, price per square foot +10.5%), East Houston (median $202,500, -42% vs the citywide median, price per square foot +9.1%) and South Park (median $165,000, -53% vs the citywide median, price per square foot +8.8%) are in the top 10 and still priced below the $350,000 citywide median.
Is Houston as a whole getting more expensive?
No, not on a per square foot basis. Houston's median price per square foot fell 1.5%, from $192 to $189, and the median sale price went from $350,000 to $350,000. Homes sold in a median 26 days against 25 a year earlier, and 13% sold above asking against 14%.
Which Houston neighborhood is the most competitive right now?
Among the top 10, The Memorial Villages is the most competitive: 25% of homes sold above asking (26% a year earlier), with a median 13 days on market.
How did you rank the neighborhoods?
We ranked every Houston neighborhood with at least 20 closings in our MLS feed in both November 2024 through October 2025 and November 2025 through October 2026 by the change in median price per square foot, which is the closing price divided by living area. We then checked median days on market and the share of homes sold above asking to separate real buyer competition from a few unusual sales.
Related guides
- Up and coming neighborhoods, by city
- Greater Houston home buying guides
- Best Houston neighborhoods for first-time buyers
- How much over asking to offer in Houston
- HOA fees in Houston
- Down payment on a house in Houston
- Best time to buy a house in Houston
- New construction vs resale homes in Houston
- How long it takes to close in Houston
- Income needed to buy a home in Houston
- Texas home buying guides
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