May News You Can Use

Housing Stats • Property Tax Deadline • Who's Who 2021 • Memorial Day Sales Tax Holiday

BIDDING WARS AND LOW INVENTORY DEFINE THE HOUSTON AREA HOUSING MARKET

If your home is priced per market data, it won’t be on the market long. Low inventory and high demand are elevating home prices and decreasing the days on the market.

Single-family home sales are up 47.4 percent compared to last April. Overall, homes sales are 24.4 percent ahead of last year’s sales. Homes priced at $750,000 and above are 164.3 percent better than they were in 2020. Sales of all property types are up 58.3 percent.

Per HAR / MLS:

Month-to-Month Comparison:

CategoryJan.
2021
Feb.
2021
Mar.
2021
Apr.
2021
May
2021
June
2021
July
2021
Aug.
2021
Sept.
2021
Oct.
2021
Nov.
2021
Dec.
2021
Total Property Sales7,5197,46411,69211,34812,10012,10012,38312,03611,28510,75610,21611,432
Total Active Listings26,27123,93322,60222,79422,60722,60727,26827,55527,23826,85125,01622,496
Single-Family Home Sales6,0886,0499,3479,1059,7029,70210,1599,8909,2268,7038,3209,272
Townhome/Condominium Sales450485788817835887827789729681679805
Single-Family Months of Inventory1.81.61.41.41.41.41.81.91.81.81.61.4
Single-Family Pending Sales8,8098,28811,18211,14010,90910,90910,36810,4319,5409,4929,0697,527
Days on Market484845403434262629323537

Single-Family Sales by Price Range (Harris, Fort Bend, Brazoria & Montgomery Counties)

Price RangeJan.
2021
Feb.
2021
Mar.
2021
Apr.
2021
May
2021
June
2021
July
2021
Aug.
2021
Sept.
2021
Oct.
2021
Nov.
2021
Dec.
2021
$1 - $99,999565360485350465261514739
$100,000 - $149,999213170215182179170175171158136150122
$150,000 - $249,9991,8941,7242,3732,2722,0652,1152,0302,0031,9471,7231,5491,675
$250,000 - $499,9992,3432,4323,9304,1534,2644,8364,7124,5624,3954,1784,0654,617
$500,000 - $749,9993574237898199151,059960891796751747936
$750,000 and above214267478513598689586487436430441520

Leslie Lerner recognized as one of Houston Agent Magazine’s Who’s Who 2021

Leslie Lerner was recognized as one of Houston Agent Magazine’s Who’s Who 2021. Read more about Leslie, Houston’s first full service flat fee Realtor. Leslie Lerner Properties is The Home of Flat Fee Listings and Rebated Commissions.

>>>Click here for the full story.

Harris County Property Tax Deadline is May 17th

Harris County property tax protest deadline to Monday, May 17th, since the 15th is on a weekend.  If property owners have not received their property value notice, you will have 30 days from when then notice was sent to file a protest. Your protest deadline will be printed on your property value notice.

A Notice of Protest Form can be downloaded from the HCAD website. Protests may be filed online, brought to HCAD’s office at 13013 Northwest Freeway, or mailed to P.O. Box 922004, Houston, TX 77292-2004, but must be postmarked by May 17th.

Property owners are urged to use HCAD’s online iFile system to submit their protest. Homeowners who file their protest through the Internet using iFile may also have an opportunity to settle their value online with HCAD’s iSettle system.  If a settlement through the online system isn’t possible, the homeowner will be scheduled for a hearing with the Appraisal Review Board.

 

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND ENERGY STAR & WATER EFFICIENT PRODUCTS SALES TAX HOLIDAY

It is time to take advantage of the Energy Star and Water-Efficient Products Sales Tax Holiday. During Memorial Day weekend, Texas shoppers avoid paying state and local sales and use taxes on purchases of certain energy-efficient and water-efficient products.

The Sales Tax Holiday begins Saturday, May 29th and ends at midnight on Memorial Day, May 31st.

The energy-efficient products that qualify for the tax exemption are:

  • air conditioners priced at $6,000 or less
  • refrigerators priced at $2,000 or less
  • ceiling fans
  • incandescent and fluorescent light bulbs
  • clothes washers
  • dishwashers
  • dehumidifiers

Qualifying products will display the ENERGY STAR logo, which may appear on the appliance, the packaging or the Energy Guide label. There is no limit on the number of qualifying items one can purchase during this sales tax holiday, and an exemption certificate is not required.

Online Purchases and Telephone Orders

During the Energy Star Sales Tax Holiday, you can buy qualifying ENERGY STAR® energy-efficient products online or by telephone, mail, custom order or any other means (including in-store purchases) tax free, when either

  • the item is both delivered to, and paid for, by the customer during the exemption period; or
  • the customer orders and pays for the item, and the seller accepts the order during the exemption period for immediate shipment, even if delivery is made after the exemption period ends.
    A seller accepts an order when the seller has acted to fill the order for immediate shipment.

An order is filled for immediate shipment regardless of whether the shipment is delayed due to a backlog of orders or because stock is currently unavailable to, or on back order by, the seller.

Delivery Charges

Delivery, shipping, handling, and transportation charges by the seller are part of the item’s sales price. Charges for installing free-standing items are also part of the item’s sales price. If the item you buy is not taxable, then these charges are not taxable.

>>>For more information visit the Texas Comptroller’s website.

Water-Efficient Products

You can buy certain water-efficient and water-conserving products tax free during the Water-Efficient Product Sales Tax Holiday.

WaterSense Products

You can buy any product tax free that displays a WaterSense label or logo. These items can be bought for personal or business use.

Water-Conserving Products

These items can only be bought for residential/personal use.

You can buy items tax free during the holiday that are used or planted for:

  • conserving or retaining groundwater;
  • recharging water tables; or
  • decreasing ambient air temperature, and so limiting water evaporation.

Examples of items that qualify for the exemption include:

  • a soaker or drip-irrigation hose
  • a moisture control for a sprinkler or irrigation system
  • mulch
  • a rain barrel or an alternative rain and moisture collection system
  • a permeable ground cover surface that allows water to reach underground basins, aquifers or water collection points
  • plants, trees and grasses
  • water-saving surfactants
  • soil and compost

>>>For more information visit the Texas Comptroller’s website.