Houston isn't one place. It's a metro of 7 million people spread across nine counties — and the real question isn't whether to move here. It's which part.
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Prices have flattened, inventory is at a record high, and homes are sitting long enough that you have time to think. You will not be forced into a same-day decision the way buyers were in 2021.
The metro median is around $345,000, essentially unchanged from a year ago. Homes typically take 45 to 60 days to sell. About 40% of Houston-area households can afford a median-priced home — up from 36% last year — which works out to roughly $102,000 in household income and a payment near $2,550 a month including taxes and insurance.
What that means practically: you have leverage, you have selection, and you have room to negotiate.
This is the section where people relocating to Texas get surprised. The sticker price is only part of the picture.
Texas has no state income tax — but property taxes are among the highest in the country. Rates around Houston typically run 1.8% to 3.1% of appraised value per year, depending entirely on where you buy.
On the same $400,000 home:
That's a $433 per month difference on identical homes, driven entirely by which side of a district line you land on. It is the single most important number nobody tells you to check.
A Municipal Utility District is how newer communities outside city limits fund water, sewer, and drainage. Instead of a city utility bill, it's bundled into your tax rate — often adding 0.5% to 1.2%. Not a scam, just a different structure. MUD rates typically decline over time as the original construction debt is paid off.
If it's your primary residence, you file with the county appraisal district. Free, one time, and Texas raised the school-district exemption to $140,000 for 2026. Heads up: your first-year escrow may be based on the prior owner's status and come in high.
Wind and hail exposure make Texas premiums high — plan on $2,500–$4,000+ a year on a typical suburban home, more near the coast. Get a real quote before you're under contract, not after.
Not included in homeowners insurance and not automatic. Required in high-risk zones with a federally backed mortgage, and carried voluntarily by many Houston owners — a meaningful share of Harvey flooding happened outside mapped high-risk areas. Always check the map.
Most of the metro is on Texas's deregulated market — you pick your retail provider and plan rather than being assigned one. Shop it at powertochoose.org when you move in.
Most suburban communities have mandatory HOAs, typically $500–$1,600 a year. Also budget $500–$1,800 in one-time closing charges — transfer fees, resale certificates, and sometimes a capitalization fee.
Two homes at the same price, ten minutes apart, can differ by more than $400 a month in taxes alone. When you're comparing houses, compare the monthly payment — not the list price.
Houstonians navigate by rings and radials — inside the Loop, outside the Beltway, off 59. Here's what's in each direction, what it costs, and who tends to end up there.
Urban core · Houston ISD · Shortest commutes
Older housing stock, smaller lots, real walkability, and the shortest drives to downtown and the Texas Medical Center. Highest price per square foot in the metro.
The Heights — historic bungalows and new townhomes, walkable retail on 19th Street, the hike-and-bike trail.
Montrose — dense and eclectic, next to the Museum District and Rice.
Museum District / Rice Village — eleven museums, Hermann Park, and a short hop to the Medical Center.
West University & Bellaire — independent cities inside Houston, tree-lined and heavily rebuilt.
River Oaks — Houston's most expensive established neighborhood.
Midtown / EaDo / Downtown — townhomes and high-rises, dense dining and nightlife, Discovery Green, the sports venues.
Memorial / Energy Corridor — Memorial Park's 1,500 acres, and a major energy employment center.
Galleria / Uptown — one of the largest malls in the country, high-rise living, central access.
Sugar Land · Missouri City · Richmond · Fulshear · US-59 / I-69
Sugar Land Town Square functions as the city's downtown — retail, restaurants, a plaza. Constellation Field hosts the Astros' Triple-A club. Smart Financial Centre is a major concert venue. First Colony Mall anchors the Highway 6 retail.
Communities: First Colony, Sweetwater, Telfair, Riverstone, New Territory, Greatwood, Avalon, Lake Pointe, Imperial.
Adjacent to Sugar Land, generally lower price points for comparable square footage. Sienna is the largest master-planned community — golf club, fitness centers, multiple pools, trails, and ongoing new construction. Quail Valley is an older established area built around a golf course.
Further out along 59, more square footage per dollar, and heavy new construction. Communities include Aliana, Harvest Green, Long Meadow Farms, Veranda, and Cross Creek Ranch in Fulshear. Brazos Town Center is the retail hub.
Katy ISD · I-10 · Master-planned country
One of the largest concentrations of master-planned communities in the metro. Cinco Ranch is the best known (median around $550,000). Others include Cross Creek Ranch, Firethorne, Elyson, Tamarron, Jordan Ranch, and Sunterra.
Retail: Katy Mills, LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch, Katy Asian Town, and the Grand Parkway corridor.
Along I-10 between Beltway 8 and Highway 6, and one of Houston's major employment centers for energy companies. Housing runs from mid-century ranches to large newer builds.
Terry Hershey Park and George Bush Park provide an extensive connected trail system — one of the better running and cycling networks in the city.
That commute gap is why so many energy employees live west.
Cy-Fair ISD · US-290 · Lake communities
Heavy master-planned development: Bridgeland and Towne Lake are both built around large lake systems with extensive trails and water amenities. Also Fairfield, Coles Crossing, and Miramesa.
Retail: Houston Premium Outlets, Towne Lake Boardwalk, the 290 corridor.
Further out. More land per dollar, walkable small-town downtowns, and a noticeably slower pace than the master-planned communities closer in.
Conroe & Klein ISD · I-45 · Pine forest
A large master-planned community built into pine forest about 30 miles north. Extensive trail system, Lake Woodlands, and The Woodlands Waterway.
Retail & entertainment: Market Street, The Woodlands Mall, Hughes Landing, and the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion — one of the busiest outdoor concert venues in the country.
Generally more affordable than The Woodlands with similar I-45 access. Old Town Spring is a historic shopping district of converted houses.
Further north around Lake Conroe. More affordable, more land, and the longest commute of the northern options. The natural fit if you want acreage or lake access.
Humble ISD · US-59 north · Near IAH airport
Known as "the Livable Forest" — heavily wooded, with a greenbelt trail system running through the whole community. Master-planned in the 1970s, so the trees are mature and the neighborhoods are established. Close to Bush Intercontinental (IAH).
Adjacent to Kingwood at generally lower price points, with Lake Houston access. Deerbrook Mall and the FM 1960 corridor cover most retail needs.
Clear Creek & Pearland ISD · NASA · Galveston Bay
Rapid growth over the past two decades. Pearland Town Center is a mixed-use retail and dining hub, and Shadow Creek Ranch is the largest master-planned community. The short Medical Center commute drives a lot of the demand.
Anchored by NASA's Johnson Space Center and the healthcare corridor. Clear Lake and Galveston Bay mean real boating and waterfront access — rare in Houston. Kemah Boardwalk and Space Center Houston are both here.
A smaller established community between Houston and Galveston, with its own independent school district and generally higher price points than the areas immediately around it.
This is the most common relocation question I get, and I want to give you a straight answer about how to get real information.
I don't rank districts or tell clients which schools are "better." That isn't me dodging the question — school fit is genuinely personal, ratings measure a narrow slice of what matters, and there are legal reasons agents shouldn't be steering buyers toward or away from areas based on school characterizations. What I can do is tell you exactly which district serves an address and point you at the real sources.
| Area | District(s) serving it |
|---|---|
| Inside the Loop | Houston ISD |
| Sugar Land / Missouri City | Fort Bend ISD, Lamar CISD |
| Stafford | Stafford MSD |
| Richmond / Rosenberg / Fulshear | Lamar CISD |
| Katy | Katy ISD |
| Cypress | Cypress-Fairbanks ISD |
| Tomball / Magnolia | Tomball ISD, Magnolia ISD |
| The Woodlands / Conroe | Conroe ISD |
| Spring / Klein | Klein ISD, Spring ISD |
| Kingwood / Humble / Atascocita | Humble ISD |
| Pearland | Pearland ISD, Alvin ISD |
| Friendswood | Friendswood ISD |
| League City / Clear Lake | Clear Creek ISD |
Zoning follows boundaries, not proximity. A school can be visible from the front porch and belong to a different district. Homes in the city of Stafford are zoned to Stafford MSD even though Dulles High School is directly across the street.
Boundaries change. Districts redraw attendance zones as they open new campuses. If you're buying for a specific school, confirm current zoning with the district in writing — don't rely on the listing, on Zillow, or on me.
Public transit exists — METRO buses and a light rail line serving downtown, Midtown, the Museum District, and the Medical Center — but most people drive.
Toll roads are everywhere. Get an EZ TAG in your first week.
A 20-mile drive can take 25 minutes at 10am and 60 minutes at 5pm. Before you commit to an area, drive the commute at the actual time you'd be driving it — both directions. Nothing else you do will tell you as much.
George Bush Intercontinental (IAH) on the north side is the main international hub. William P. Hobby (HOU) on the southeast is largely Southwest Airlines plus some international service.
Summers are hot and humid — June through September regularly in the 90s. Winters are mild; hard freezes happen but aren't common.
Hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30. Most years pass without direct impact, but you should know your flood zone, understand what your insurance covers (wind and flood are usually separate policies), and keep a basic supply kit. It's a normal part of living here — just go in informed.
A few things work differently here than in most states. Here's the sequence.
Before you look seriously. It tells you your real budget, and sellers generally won't consider an offer without it.
As of 2026, Texas requires a written agreement before I can represent you as a buyer. It spells out what I do and how I'm paid — and we can ask the seller to contribute toward that.
Texas uses standard promulgated contract forms. Your offer covers price, financing terms, closing date, and the option period.
This one is Texas-specific and it matters. You pay a small option fee for a defined window — usually 7 to 10 days — during which you can terminate for any reason and get your earnest money back. This is when inspections happen.
Always do one. Even on brand-new construction.
Your lender sends an independent appraiser to confirm the home is worth what you're paying. It protects the lender — and it protects you.
Your lender finalizes the loan while the title company confirms clear ownership and prepares closing.
In Texas, closings happen at a title company. Contract to closing typically runs 30 to 45 days.
Get pre-approved. Tell me your must-haves, your budget, and where you'll be commuting. I'll set up a search so you're seeing homes the day they hit the market instead of after they're gone.
Drive the commute at rush hour. Visit the grocery stores, not just the listings. Tour any school you're serious about. See at least two different areas so you have a comparison. Go back at night — areas feel different after dark.
If you can, lease for 6 to 12 months before buying. Houston is big and the areas are genuinely different from each other. Renting first lets you learn the city before you commit to a mortgage and a school zone. I help with leases too — I'd rather you get it right than get it fast.
Compared to most large U.S. metros, yes — the median home is around $345,000. But factor in property taxes and insurance, which run higher here than in most states. Your monthly payment tells you more than the price does.
It depends on the specific property. I check the flood map on every home I show. Never take anyone's word on this — including mine — without seeing the map yourself.
Real, but manageable if you pick your area around your commute rather than the other way around. The people who struggle are the ones who chose a house first and figured out the drive second.
July and August are genuinely hot. Everything is air conditioned. Most people adjust within a season, and the mild winters are a real trade — you'll be outside in January.
There isn't one. It depends on your budget, your commute, and what you want daily life to look like. That's exactly the conversation I'd want to have with you.
Sometimes. New builds have real advantages and some specific pitfalls — builder contracts differ from resale contracts, and most builders require your agent to register you on your first visit or you may lose representation entirely. If you're considering new construction, talk to me before you tour one.
A Municipal Utility District — how newer communities outside city limits fund water, sewer, and drainage. It's bundled into your property tax rate instead of billed separately, which is why some areas carry a 3% rate and others carry 2%. Rates typically decline over time as the district's construction debt is paid off.
I went to Dulles High School in Sugar Land and I work across Fort Bend, Harris, and the surrounding counties. If you're thinking about a move — even if it's a year out — I'm happy to answer questions with nothing attached.