HOUSTON — (HAR Report-April 14, 2021) — A shortage of available homes priced at $250,000 and below combined with frenzied shopping among high-end homes produced a surge in pricing when compared to a Houston housing market in the grips of a pandemic-related lockdown a year earlier, in March 2020. Record low interest rates continued to fuel the buying bonanza.
According to the latest Houston Association of Realtors (HAR) Market Update, single-family homes sales jumped 24.4 percent in March with 9,347 units sold versus 7,511 a year earlier. That marks the tenth straight positive month of sales. On a year-to-date basis, homes sales are running 16.9 percent ahead of 2020’s record pace.
Homes priced between $500,000 and $750,000 led the way in sales volume in March with a 96.8 percent year-over-year surge. That was followed by the luxury segment ($750,000 and above), which soared 89.9 percent. With high-end home shopping dominating the market, pricing was pushed to historic highs. The single-family home average price climbed 19.9 percent to $370,847 and the median price increased 16.0 percent to $290,000.