When Is the Best Time to Sell a House In Houston?

Two top priorities for anyone selling a home are getting the highest possible sale price and a fast closing process. For Texas sellers in Houston’s hot housing market, who may be mulling over when is the best time to list their home to achieve either of those goals, it’s worth digging into the numbers and longer-term trends.

With an influx of newcomers to the Houston market, sellers are looking to capitalize on the spike in demand for homes, but there’s stiff competition. The average sold home price in Houston hit $410,923 in March, climbing over the $400,000 mark for the first time, according to the Houston Association of Realtors (HAR).

“We are experiencing unprecedented market conditions in Houston with a frenetic pace of homebuying despite limited inventory, rising prices and steadily climbing interest rates,” explains HAR Chairperson Jennifer Wauhob.

In addition to preparing your home for sale with maintenance, staging, and deciding on the right asking price, the timing of your house entering the market is also a crucial factor. If it’s listed during a period when there’s a lull in buying activity it could languish needlessly or may not spark sufficient interest to generate competing offers.

In general, you’re going to want to target the spring and early summer months to list your home to get the best outcome, keeping in mind that it often takes three months to close the transaction.

Here are some more stats about the Houston market:

Median listing home price: $344,900
Median listing home price per square foot: $176
Median days on market: 35

Source: Houston Association of Realtors as of April 2022

Next, we’ll not only dig into HomeLight’s real estate transaction data but learn about what’s actually happening on the ground from top real estate agent Natasha Simon, who has 22 years of experience representing Houston sellers. These insights will give you the information you need to sell faster and get more money.

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When is the best time to sell a house in Houston?

In order to sell a house within a certain targeted time frame, sellers should first consider the best time to list their property. There’s not one easy answer to that question as it can vary between neighborhoods, differ based on whether the home is located in an urban core or suburb, or any unique characteristics about the property. Additionally, the best month to list a home to achieve the highest sale price isn’t necessarily the same month for the speediest transaction.

When looking broadly at the Houston market, sales transaction data suggests you aim to list your home sometime between the months of June and September if you’re targeting the highest sale price. For the fastest sale, target May, June, or early July.

According to Simon, especially in Houston suburbs, there’s a strong trend of buyers with children wanting to square away moving plans before school starts in late August. For these buyers, the summer months of June and July are often prime buying opportunities because they may be taking advantage of vacation time before returning to busy fall schedules.

“June and July are the peak,” says Simon. “I try to advise sellers against listing in August because many people have already made their decision and are getting their kids ready for school and don’t want the extra burden during that time.”

It’s important to note that trends vary based on location, and some buyers, especially childless urbanites, don’t necessarily have the same pressure to close on a home before the school year starts.

Based on HomeLight real estate transaction data, here are the targets for Houston and a few surrounding communities:

Best times to sell a house in Houston

Best times to sell a house in The Woodlands

Best times to sell a house in Sugar Land

Best times to sell a house in Pasadena

Best times to sell a house in Pearland

Best times to sell a house in League City

Best times to sell a house in Conroe

All charts based on historical home sales data, 2014-2021

To see home-selling trends in your city, check out our Best Time to Sell Calculator.

If you’re looking for the most precise estimate about when to list, talk to a top-performing Houston real estate agent.

10 Houston trends sellers should know

Now we’ll go into some of the trends that are driving the Houston market.

1. “Everything is booming,” said Simon, adding that investors are particularly active among buyers in the city.
2. Properties are getting multiple offers driven by an influx of buyers coming in from outside the area.
3. The strong Houston job market is also making the city attractive to migrants.
4. Relative to other regions, Houston’s relative housing affordability and livability also make it enticing, fueling the boom.
5. U.S. Census Bureau data shows that the city grew by almost 10% over the past decade.
6. Buying activity picked up in Houston triggered by the coronavirus pandemic with 8,320 single-family homes sold last year and 107,000 sold so far this year, according to Greater Houston Partnership.
7. Year-over-year home values have increased by 17.6%.
8. The Neartown-Montrose neighborhood is Houston’s most expensive with a median listing price of $584,900.
9. Sharpstown comes in as the most affordable with a median listing price of $170,000
10. There’s only 1.6 months’ worth of inventory on the market.
11. Although new home construction is buzzing in Houston, they’re not necessarily getting built fast in part due to shortages in building materials.

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Insider tips for a high and fast home sale in Houston

Regardless of when you decide or need to sell your home, here are some essential tips to help you get a fast sale and top dollar for your Houston property.

• If you list in the spring or summer months, provide some backyard staging such as outdoor seating or a backyard fire pit. Spruce up the landscaping.
• Stage a home office to appeal to the subset of out-of-town buyers who may be working remotely.
• Make sure the listing highlights proximity to good school districts, colleges, or jobs centers, if applicable.
• Show that your home is ready for hurricane season by installing storm-proof windows or shutters.
• When cleaning, don’t forget your home’s exterior. Powerwash all dirt, cobwebs, or red clay.
• Dogs are popular pets in Houston, so adding or repairing fencing is helpful.
• City buyers need storage, so declutter the garage and spruce up the shed.

Answers to other Houston home-selling questions

Here are some additional insights to consider if you’re selling a home in Houston.

How do appreciation rates in Houston compare to other cities?

Although Houston didn’t experience the highest home value appreciation between 2020 and 2021, the greater metro area saw a jump by $45,250 in home values, according to a Zillow study that demonstrated home appreciation rivaled many yearly salaries. Topping the list was the greater San Jose area, skyrocketing by $229,277. Meanwhile, the Dallas-Fort Worth area grew by $69,488. Overall, the U.S. grew by $52,667 on average, underscoring Houston’s relative affordability.

If you’d like to see what happened with your own home’s value growth, take a look at HomeLight’s free Home Value Estimator.

What if I need a fast sale and closing in Houston?

If you’re facing a life change that requires a fast home sale, or you don’t have the time or money to make needed repairs, consider requesting an all-cash offer using HomeLight’s Simple Sale platform. Simple Sale provides cash offers for Houston homes in almost any condition. You can skip the repairs and showings and close in as few as 10 days. Complete a short questionnaire and receive a no-obligation cash offer within 48 hours.

What’s a common mistake that people make when selling a home in Houston?

According to Simon, Houston sellers sometimes pick agents just because they are family or friends, but this isn’t a good approach.

“Not everyone has the tools to negotiate the best deal,” says Simon. “Any agent can list, but can they sell it for top dollar?”

Is Houston the fastest growing city by population?

No, but it’s high on the list. Census Bureau shows that the Houston metro population grew by 69,094 residents between July 2020 and July 2021. The only U.S. metros with more population growth were Dallas Fort Worth-Arlington, which gained 97,290 people, and the greater Phoenix area, which had 78,220 newcomers.

Find a top agent in Houston for a successful sale

To recap, the general approach for timing the Houston market for a fast sale means you’re going to want to get started with a listing in May. For the highest price, shoot for September. The caveat to this is if you’re selling in suburban areas or within competitive school districts. For these areas, consider listing in June for both a fast sale and the highest price.

Now that you know when to list a house to sell in Houston, keep in mind that even the best timing of the market will only go so far without the assistance of a top real estate agent to guide you.

It’s one of the best ways to ensure a successful sale. Our data shows that the top 5% of real estate agents across the U.S. sell homes faster and for as much as 10% more than the average agent.

Partner with a top Houston agent by using HomeLight’s free Agent Match platform. Our matching service tool analyzes over 27 million transactions and thousands of reviews to determine which agent is best for you based on your needs.

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