Houston home sales continued to rise in April, but homes priced less than $150,000 declined on a month-to-month and yearly basis. The largest monthly gains were seen in the $250,000 – $500,000 range.  Inventory of single-family homes increased to a 3.6-months supply, the highest it has been in 2018.  The average days on the market shrank to 56 days. Days on the market is closely tied to pricing the home correctly when initially listed. Homes that are overpriced, and do not correlate with location and condition, tend to sit on the market longer.

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

Harris County has changed the property tax protest deadline to Tuesday, May 15th.  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 15th.

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.

 

Are you looking to buy new appliances or water-efficient products for your home? If you wait until Memorial Day weekend,  you can take advantage of the Energy Star and Water-Efficient Products Sales Tax Holiday.

During Memorial Day weekend, Saturday, May 26th – Monday, May 28th, 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 26th and ends at midnight on Memorial Day, May 28th.

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
• programmable thermostats

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.

Internet and Catalog Sales
The tax free holiday also applies to internet and catalog sales of eligible products, provided that the item is paid for and delivered to the purchaser during the exemption period; or the purchaser orders and pays for the item and the retailer accepts the order during the exemption period for immediate shipment, even if delivery is made after the exemption period. An order is considered “for immediate shipment” even if delivery or shipment is delayed because of a backlog of orders or because an item is temporarily out of stock or on back order by the seller.

Delivery Charges

Delivery, shipping, handling or transportation charges connected to the sale of a qualifying item purchased tax free during the sales tax holiday also qualify for the exemption. Such charges are included as part of the sales price of qualifying products sold during the holiday whether separately stated or not.

>>>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.