Houston homeowners are staying put
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Houston-area homeowners are staying in their houses for the longest time in at least 25 years, largely thanks to their low mortgage rates, data shows.
By the numbers: Houston metro sellers at the end of 2025 had owned their homes for an average of 8.4 years.
- That's the highest it's been in data going back to early 2000, when the average was just 1.7 years.
Zoom out: Homeowner tenure has increased steadily in almost every major metro area over the past two decades, according to ATTOM, an industry data provider.
Yes, but: Many Sun Belt and Midwest markets are still seeing comparatively shorter ownership periods than those in coastal and Northeast metro areas, ATTOM CEO Rob Barber tells Axios.
State of play: For the first time since 2020, the share of U.S. homeowners with mortgage rates of 6% or higher exceeds those with rates below 3%, a new Realtor.com analysis finds.
The latest: Houston single-family home sales dipped about 1% year-over-year in January, but pending sales rose 8.5%, according to the Houston Association of Realtors — a sign that some homeowners may be starting to test the market even as turnover remains historically low.
What they're saying: "With rates expected to ease a little this year, buyers who have been waiting on the sidelines may start to feel more confident and enter the market. That should help maintain demand and create additional opportunities for sellers throughout the year," HAR Chair Theresa Hill said in a statement.