According to the Houston Association of Realtors’ January 2026 Housing Market Update, single-family home sales dipped 1.0% compared to January 2025, marking the fewest transactions recorded since January 2023. On a month-to-month basis, sales declined 33%.

Despite the slowdown in closed sales, buyer interest remains active. Pending sales rose 8.5% year-over-year and increased 13% from December, signaling continued demand heading into the spring season.

As inventory expanded, homes spent an average of 66 days on the market, up from 61 days a year ago and 64 days last month. This marks the longest average days on market since February 2020, when homes averaged 68 days.

Across all property types in the Greater Houston area, total sales declined 2.2% year-over-year and 30.1% month-to-month in January.

Meanwhile, active listings continue to rise, up 15.7% compared to January 2025 and 3.5% higher than last month, giving buyers more options than they’ve had in recent years.

Per HAR / MLS: