Houston sold 11.5% fewer homes in August than it did a year ago, and the median price slipped just 1.5%. That combination isn't a market falling apart. It's a market where buyers stopped rushing and a lot of sellers haven't caught up yet.
Here's what HAR's August report says, and what I'd do with it if I were buying or selling right now.
By the numbers
Single-family sales: 7,100 homes, down 11.5% from August 2025
Median price: $330,000, down 1.5%
Average price: $426,760, up 1.2%
Active listings: 38,947, up 0.5%
Months of inventory: 5.3, the same as a year ago
Days on market: 54, up from 52
Pending sales: 7,939, down 3.5%
Townhomes and condos: 8.8 months of inventory (up from 8.1), median price $195,000, down 7.1%
If you're buying right now
The average home took 54 days to sell. So a listing that's been up for a month isn't damaged goods. It's normal. That gives you room to see a house twice, get a real inspection, and ask for repairs or help with closing costs without feeling like you're about to lose it.
Where most Houston buyers shop, from $250,000 to $499,999, sales were down 13.7%. Fewer people chasing the same homes is exactly when a clean, well-prepared offer gets taken seriously, even if it isn't the highest number on the table.
Rates didn't do you any favors. HAR cites a 30-year rate of 6.67%, a touch higher than 6.59% a year ago. Your leverage this fall comes from time and selection, not from cheaper money. Your actual monthly number should come from a licensed lender, and I'm happy to connect you with ones I trust.
If you're shopping townhomes or condos, negotiate harder. At 8.8 months of inventory with the median down 7.1%, that corner of the market is leaning clearly toward buyers.
If you're selling right now
Prices held. That's the good news. The straight talk is that stable isn't the same as rising, and there were fewer buyers this August than last. Every showing you get matters more.
Pending sales fell only 3.5% while closings fell 11.5%. Buyers haven't disappeared. They're writing contracts, just more carefully. In a market like this, the homes that sell are the ones priced on the comps.
If your home has sat past the 54-day average with no offers, the market has already given you its answer. It's usually about the price, not the photos.
The honest take
Here's the number that will get misread: the average price went up 1.2% while the median went down 1.5%. Expect to see "Houston prices rise" somewhere this month. That's not quite the story.
The median is the home in the middle, and it got cheaper. The average got pulled up because the top of the market barely flinched. Sales over $1 million were down just 2.1%, while the middle slowed the most: homes from $250,000 to $499,999 were down 13.7%, and $500,000 to $999,999 was down 16.5%.
So luxury is holding, and the middle is where buyers are hesitating. If your home falls between $250,000 and $1 million, you're in the part of Houston with the most choices for buyers and the fewest buyers deciding. Price for that reality, and you give yourself the best shot at being the listing they pick.
September's numbers land later this month, and I'll break those down here too. If one month is a blip, two months is a trend, and that's when strategy should shift.
HAR's video and the full report
Data from the Houston Association of REALTORS® August 2026 Housing Market Update. Read HAR's full report or the one-page snapshot (PDF).
If you have any questions, call me — 281.944.5484. LaShambra Ewing, MBA, Broker Associate, Keller Williams Realty Southwest. Serving Houston and surrounding communities.
