Houston home sales continued to heat up in June on a month-to-month and yearly basis.  Homes in the $150,000 – $250,000 range had the largest monthly gains.  June sales of all property types totaled 10,115, which is the first time in history to reach the 10,000 mark. Inventory of single-family homes increased to a 4.1-months supply,  while the average days on the market fell to 48 days.

Category	Jan. 2018	Feb. 2018	Mar. 2018	Apr. 2018	May 2018	June 2018	July 2018	Aug. 2018	Sept. 2018	Oct. 2018	Nov. 2018	Dec. 2018
Total Property Sales	5,468	6,375	8,274	8,453	9,721	10,115	9,559	9,978	7,842	8,127	7,400	7,709
Total Active Listings	33,945	33,939	35,004	36,882	39,478	40,198	41,459	41,991	41,560	41,061	40,530	37,554
Single-Family Home Sales	4,104	5,260	6,810	7,070	8,157	8,518	8,108	8,358	6,548	6,716	6,159	6,543
Townhome/Condominium Sales	357	459	603	591	669	696	594	648	492	523	484	505
Single_Family Months of Inventory	3.3	3.2	3.4	3.6	4.0	4.1	4.2	4.1	4.0	3.9	3.9	3.5
Single-Family Pending Sales	6,313	6,912	8,327	8,766	8,991	8,396	8,467	8,084	6,630	7,039	6,052	5,120
Days on Market	67	65	63	56	52	48	48	49	52	57	60	64

Price Range	Jan. 2018	Feb. 2018	Mar. 2018	Apr. 2018	May 2018	June 2018	July 2018	Aug. 2018	Sept. 2018	Oct. 2018	Nov. 2018	Dec. 2018
$1 - $99,999	206	207	223	192	205	180	153	182	134	187	164	155
$100,000 - $149,999	458	514	577	529	586	620	517	563	453	540	410	455
$150,000 - $249,999	1,568	1,836	2,284	2,387	2,791	2,903	2,806	2,960	2,338	2,368	2,247	2,249
$250,000 - $499,999	1,247	1,548	2,091	2,284	2,688	2,780	2,636	2,577	1,920	2,038	1,917	2,168
$500,000 - $749,999	176	238	349	369	462	515	442	424	325	311	290	333
$750,000 and above	110	156	207	250	317	341	292	292	200	222	200	260

“We just completed the sale of our house with Leslie.  We were very pleased with the quality of the listing, her responsiveness to our questions and her professional handling of issues that arose.  Clearly her pricing structure was a major part of our decision, but we didn’t feel that we had any less representation than we would have had with a full price realtor.  No reservations in saying that this was full-priced service at a flat rate!”

– Sharon and David B.

 

Mosquitos

• Clean your gutters.
• Plug in a fan or install a ceiling fan.

Doors That Stick

• Wooden doors can swell, outgrowing their jams on humid days, causing a sticky situation.
• Tighten the hinge screws. The door may have slipped out of alignment.
• Scale back the weather stripping. If installed during the winter to keep out drafts, it could be too thick for the summer.
• Shave down the door. As a last resort, use a planer or sander to slightly trim down the door, concentrating on the area with a visibly worn finish. Seal the newly exposed edge with paint or wood sealant to block out future humidity.

Carpenter Ants and Carpenter Bees

• Carpenter ants and carpenter bees often make their nests by burrowing into your home’s wood, which can cause damage.

Air Conditioning That Causes You to Freeze in One Room and Sweat in Another

• Check your ductwork. Look for unsealed joints and make sure ducts are properly sized. Both can affect your system’s ability to deliver conditioned air to each room.
• Set your whole house fan to “on.” This continuous circulation will mix the air evenly.

Fruit Flies

• Fruit flies lay their eggs on decaying organic material, fresh fruits, vegetables, wine and more.
• Keep sinks, drains, and disposals clean. Even dirty dishes can harbor fruit flies.
• Freeze food waste. Place rotting fruit, meat scraps, etc. in a bag in your freezer until garbage day.
• Throw away overripe fruit. Until you eradicate the flies, keep all other produce in the fridge or a sealed container.
• Pour bleach or boiling water down the drain. This will kill any eggs or remaining adult flies.

Weeds in Patio Cracks

• Block new growth. Fill the weed-free cracks with asphalt or cement crack filler, sand, or corn gluten meal, which prevents future germination.
• Pull them.

Faded Furnishings from Harsh Sun

• Transparent window film shuts out 99% of UVA and UVB rays without blocking sunlight or a view. Today’s films are undetectable when properly installed and won’t tint the light coming into your home.
• Spray furnishings with a protectant. Spritz upholstery, curtains, and rugs with a UV-blocking fabric protector and treat wood with a varnish — which provides better sun protection than other types of sealant.

Splinters on the Deck

• Resurface it. Apply one of the newer deck restoration products that essentially gives your deck a coating that will prevent splinters. This works best for small splinters, before they’ve gotten too bad.
• Sand it. Best if splinters are deep and big. Then apply a water-repelling, UV-resistant sealer.

Dust Mites

• Dust mite populations peak in summer’s heat and humidity, inflicting stuffy noses, sneezing, and coughing upon those who are allergic.
• Make your home inhospitable. Clean more frequently and use your AC to keep indoor humidity to 50% or less.
• Get a new pillow. If your pillow is older than three years and has not been washed (experts recommend it twice a year), toss it: It’s likely loaded with dust mites.

Slamming Screen Doors

• Adjust your door closer. If your door has a closer, find the perfect bang-free tension by simply turning the screw on pneumatic models or rotating the body on hydraulic styles.
• Add a closer. It costs just $10 to $20 to retrofit an older screen door.
• Apply felt pads to the door frame.

A Patio or Deck That Burns Your Feet

• Make some shade. Position an umbrella or pergola over frequently used areas.
  Add an outdoor rug. Choose a lighter color that won’t absorb as much heat. Plastic styles, are touted for keeping cool.
• Refinish the surface. Again, choose a lighter color. Resurfacing products and overlays are available for all types of patio and deck surfaces.

Ugly, Dried-Out Brown Grass

• Widespread browning, rather than patches of brown grass, has two common causes: lawn care oversights and a cool-season grass going dormant.
• Sharpen or replace your mower blades. This could be all that’s needed if just the tips of your grass are brown and jagged.
• Set the blade height to 3 inches. When you take less off the top, it helps grass absorb water before it evaporates.
• Water less frequently, for longer periods of time. This helps grass develop deeper, drought- and disease-resistant roots. Aim for 1 to 1.5 inches of water a week, and even a cool-season grass can keep its green during the summer.

Adapted from Houselogic.