Houston Heights Home Sales in 2021

Filed in The Heights & Greater Heights by on March 23, 2021

Monthly Heights Home Sales Spiked Last Quarter, Now What?

2020 was an unusual year for Heights home sales. Like all of Houston, sales of Heights homes died off from April through June of 2020 due to Covid concerns, the lockdown and general uncertainty. The fourth quarter picked up considerably though. Buyers felt more comfortable touring homes, open houses came back, and most importantly, concerns over job stability were eased for some sectors. Continued low interest rates helped home sales too.

Home-officing and home-schooling are also driving home buying.  That kitchen table might have worked for a part time home office, but it won’t work long term. Kids running in and out are doesn’t add anything to a Zoom meeting. Real home offices are critical now, as are bigger kitchens for all the meals now being prepared. Outdoor spaces are critical too. Sun and fresh air are the ultimate cure for being cooped up all day.

Chart of Heights Home Sales

The chart below compares Heights single family home sales in years 2019, 2020 and first two months of 2021. The red bar shows that the 4th Q 2020 averaged over 100 sales per month. Sales this high are normally seen only in peak buying season of Summer.
Heights Single Family Home Sales
Note: The “Heights” in this chart is not just Houston Heights, but all of the Heights neighborhoods. I just made a big square on the MLS map bounded by N Shepherd, 610 N Loop, I-45, and I-10 on the South. This is not totally accurate, it cuts off a few appendages that stick out beyond these bounds, but includes 95%+ of all “Heights” homes.

So-What Next for Heights Home Sales?

2021 homes sales re in blue. January sales are always slow.  If you were hunting for a home at the end of the year, you would want to close by December 31st so you can get the homestead exemption for the next year. (Thus the December bump in sales). After this house-hunting drops.

I was surprised that February home sales weren’t up dramatically. A week of freezing weather may have delayed some closings, especially if broken pipes needed to be repaired before closing. I now expect March to be fantastic. Home inventory has been low recently, but Spring brings out the sellers as well as the buyers, so March sales should much exceed last years March sales. We will see.

My next post will be a snapshot Heights Home Prices.

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