Real Estate Expert, Kenya Burrell-Van Wormer says despite a slower market compared to last year, it’s still balanced and buyers have a slight edge. “A buyer can take more time. They can look at multiple properties; they can negotiate price and potentially ask for closing costs to assist with a rate buy-down.” She said.
As Houston’s market offers 5.3 months of inventory and reduced prices by 20 percent. She points to a drastically different environment where buyers were competing against multiple offers and contingencies -not that long ago.
The housing expert says buyers shouldn’t hold out waiting for mortgage rates to fall. “The question is whether the home and the payment make sense for you today as opposed to waiting. They really need to determine what monthly payment they’re comfortable with and understand how today’s rates work into that figure.” Burrell-Van Wormer said.
With homes staying on the market for an average of 59 days- she says sellers have to choose a lower price and make sure it’s a good number or they risk the home lingering on the market for more than 2 months. She says on paper Houston’s market is balanced with lots of inventory and it really comes down to a buyer’s monthly budget. She says the numbers show buyers are cautious.
Houston has shown year over year it’s a great place to lay down roots offering a lower cost of living, and a job market that’s outpacing the country by almost 6 times with a job growth rate over 1.3% from July of 2025 to July of 2026, according to the Greater Houston Partnership, with more homes to choose from and affordability compared to the national market.