HAR report: "January is a traditionally slower month for home sales coming off the holidays, but the Houston market continues to benefit from low mortgage interest rates and a generally robust economy with healthy employment numbers,” said HAR Chairman John Nugent with RE/MAX Space Center. “All the January home buying activity lowered our housing inventory a little, but we expect to see that grow again as we approach the spring months when more homes typically hit the market."
The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to 3.45 percent last week, according to figures released by Freddie Mac. That is the lowest level since October 2016. As for the local jobs landscape, the Greater Houston Partnership (GHP) reported in its January 24 Houston Employment Update that Metro Houston created 88,000 jobs – a 2.8 percent increase – during the 12 months ended December 2019, according to Texas Workforce Commission data. The GHP also noted that Houston's unemployment rate was 3.6 percent in December, down from 3.9 percent in December 2018.