Home sales are heating up in several key Houston neighborhoods, according to the Houston Association of REALTORS® report of the Hottest Communities in the Houston Area.

“Elevated interest rates are continuing to fuel the housing market beyond the city limits,” HAR Chair Cathy Treviño said in the report. “Many homeowners are searching for affordable housing and space and that is what many of the outlying communities on this list offer.”

The area with the greatest year-over-year increase in home sales was Fulshear/South Brookshire/Simonton, which saw a 56.3% increase in sales during the third quarter. Last quarter, Fulshear ranked at No. 7.

Cypress South ranked No. 2, with sales increasing by 47.8% year over year, while Santa Fe ranked at No. 3 with sales up 47.5%.

Santa Fe also has an average home price of $398,345, below the area average of $416,664 — in fact, homes in five of the top 10 hottest communities are more affordable than the average Houston home.

When it comes to the hottest luxury communities, the Rice/Museum District ranked No. 1, with sales transactions increasing by 25% year over year. That district was followed by the River Oaks Area, the River Oaks Shopping Area, the Tanglewood Area and the Bellaire Area.

via HAR

via HAR