Affordability continues to be a challenge in housing, and a new report from the National Association of Home Builders shows how that’s influencing both buyers and builders in 2026. 

Realtors helped sellers add 3,344 listings to the market, down from 3,378 new listings during the same week in 2025.

After five years of worsening, housing affordability has finally started to improve, according to a new Redfin study. 

With mortgage rates approaching 6%, 5.5 million additional buyers that could not qualify for a mortgage one year ago would qualify at today’s lower rates, the National Association of REALTORS® said. 

An estate on Chevy Chase Drive listed for $13 million tops the list of the 10 most expensive homes sold in greater Houston January.

In a rare housing market shift, newly built homes saw price reductions more frequently than existing homes in late 2025 for the first time in recent history, according to a new report from Realtor.com.  

Pending sales increased 8.5%, with 6,813 listings going under contract, indicating strong sales in the coming weeks.

Transactions increased most in Brookshire, where sales were up 124.6% year over year and had an average sales price of $311,463.

As the housing market continues to adjust, design and community strategy have become drivers of buyer preference, according to Jenni Nichols, vice president of design at John Burns Research and Consulting.

Texans are particularly open to relationships, with people in the state searching dating-related terms at higher rates than singles in other states.

HAR tracked the top 10 ZIP codes with the greatest year-over-year increases in home sales and found that 77484 — Waller — was the hottest in the entire Houston metro area.

Realtors assisted clients with 43,206 showings, up from 37,205 during the same week in 2025.

The typical monthly homeownership cost — including mortgage payment, principal, taxes and insurance — was $2,280, down from $2,490 a year prior.

Zillow’s Home Value Index shows that in 13 of the past 20 years, home values in the metro area of the Super Bowl champion grew faster than the national average.

A 20,000-square-foot estate with a $29.9 million price tag tops this past month’s ranking of the most expensive new listings in Texas.

The second-hottest community was Waller, which had previously been the hottest Houston community for three quarters in a row.