Houston homebuyers were drawn to the suburbs during the fourth quarter of 2023, according to the Houston Association of REALTORS®’ report of the Hottest Communities in the Houston Area.

The most popular area was Fulshear/South Brookshire/Simonton, which saw a 103.6% increase in home sales year over year. Located over 30 miles from downtown Houston, this community was also the most popular during the third quarter.

Fulshear was also the priciest area on the list, with an average sales price of $518,943 — however, most of the other areas in the top 10 were considerably less expensive.

The Crosby area ranked at No. 2, with a year-over-year increase in transactions of 83.6% and an average sales price of $274,326. It was followed by Conroe Southeast, where transactions increased by 77.3% year over year.

“More affordable housing continues to draw homebuyers to the suburbs and other outlying communities,” HAR Chair Thomas Mouton said in the report. “This trend underscores the increasing significance of consumers making cost-conscious decisions in today’s real estate market while pursuing their dreams of homeownership. Buyers will also notice they have more housing options as prices moderate and inventory remains robust.”

Further down the list was Porter/New Caney West at No. 4, Waller at No. 5, Baytown/Chambers County at No. 6, Sugar Land North at No. 7, Cypress South at No. 8, Northwest Houston at No. 9 and Dayton at No. 10.

HAR also analyzed the hottest communities where the average sales price is over $1 million. They found that the Westchase area, where the average home costs $1,095,758, saw an 11.1% increase in transactions year over year. Westchase was followed by Tanglewood at No. 2, Memorial Villages at No. 3, Rice/Museum District at No. 4 and Memorial West at No. 5.