East Houston is splitting into faster and slower pockets
East Houston is not one market right now. Some ZIP codes have under four months of supply. Others are sitting at more than eight. That gap changes everything about how you price, how long you wait, and how much room you have to negotiate.
Rates are not helping. CNBC reported the average 30-year fixed rate climbed to 7.49% as of October 7, 2026. Realtor.com noted rates topped 7% in September 2026. Buyers are cautious. In a slower pocket, that caution gives them leverage. In a tighter one, well-priced homes are still moving.
How far apart are these pockets?
The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 786 homes sold across East Houston in the three months ending August 31, 2026, with 1,186 homes for sale and 813 pending sales. That aggregate hides a lot. The ZIP codes below six months of supply are reading like a different market than the ones above it.
The tighter side: 77346, 77396, 77050, 77044, 77016
ZIP 77346 had 3.8 months of supply, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Homes there sold in a median of 47 days, and buyers paid 98.5% of list price on average. Sales were up 1.3% from the same period a year ago. Prices dipped 3.1% year over year to a median of $315,000, so buyers are getting a little more for their money, but sellers are still closing deals.
ZIP 77396 was close behind at 3.9 months of supply. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 132 homes sold there, up 26.9% from a year ago. Median days on market was 36. Prices fell 6.3% year over year to $280,500, but pending sales rose 16.5%. More buyers are moving, even if they're paying less per home.
ZIP 77044 had 4.3 months of supply. Median sale price was $319,950, down 11.1% from a year ago. That's the honest part. The better news: homes sold 11 days faster than last year, and nearly 1 in 4 homes went under contract within two weeks of listing, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator.
| 77346 | 77396 | 77044 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Months of supply | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.3 |
| Median sale price | $315,000 | $280,500 | $319,950 |
| Median days on market | 47 | 36 | 43 |
| Sale to list | 98.5% | 98.2% | 98.3% |
The slower side: 77039, 77093, 77078, 77028
ZIP 77039 had 8.8 months of supply, the highest in East Houston. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted only 14 homes sold there, down 30% from a year ago. Median price rose 14.9% year over year to $182,000, but with so few sales, that number can move a lot from one quarter to the next. Buyers who are paying attention have real room to negotiate here.
ZIP 77093 had 8.2 months of supply. Homes sold at 95.7% of list price on average, meaning sellers gave back about 4 cents on every dollar of asking price. Median price fell 5% year over year to $190,000. Days on market dropped sharply, 56 days shorter than a year ago per the Real Estate Data Aggregator, which is a good sign. But supply is still high.
ZIP 77078 had 8.1 months of supply, with homes for sale up 57.1% from a year ago. That is a big jump in inventory. Sales fell 24.2%. Buyers there have more choices and less competition.
ZIP 77028 had 7.6 months of supply. Median days on market was 64, which is 20 days longer than a year ago. Sellers in 77028 are waiting. Realtor.com reported that 21.6% of listings in the South took a price reduction in September 2026. That context matters here.
| 77039 | 77093 | 77078 | 77028 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Months of supply | 8.8 | 8.2 | 8.1 | 7.6 |
| Median sale price | $182,000 | $190,000 | $215,000 | $279,000 |
| Median days on market | 26 | 30 | 43 | 64 |
| Sale to list | 98% | 95.7% | 99.1% | 97.2% |
What this means if you own a home here
Sellers in the tighter ZIP codes still have an edge, but prices have softened in most of them. Pricing sharp matters more now than it did a year ago. Realtor.com reported median list prices in the South fell 2.4% year over year in September 2026. East Houston is feeling that.
Sellers in the slower ZIP codes need to be honest about where buyers are. With 7.49% rates per CNBC, buyers are already stretching. A price that is even a little high will sit. The Federal Housing Finance Agency put national year-over-year home price growth at 2.6% through July 2026, but local conditions here are pulling in different directions than that national number suggests.
Buyers in the slower pockets have something they have not had in a while: options and time. Use both.
- East Houston spans from 3.8 months of supply to 8.8 months, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator.
- That is not one market.
- It is at least two.
- Which side your home sits on changes your strategy completely.
These numbers cover the whole ZIP code. One street can read very differently from the ZIP code around it. If you want to know what is happening on your block, send me your address.
Your next step
(617) 921-5263Text me your address and I will send back where your East Houston home sits on that supply range, and what homes near you actually sold for in the three months ending August 31, 2026. Takes a day, costs nothing.
Text me- Real Estate Data Aggregator numbers for ZIPs 77044, 77078, 77016, 77028, 77050, 77039, 77093, 77032, 77396 and 77346, the three months ending August 31, 2026, compared with the same months of 2025. Real Estate Data Aggregator last updated them on Oct 7, 2026.
- Realtor.com: August 2026 Rental Report: Rents Fall for 37th Straight Month as Concessions Give Renters More Leverage, Sep 17, 2026
- Realtor.com: September 2026 Monthly Housing Trends: Price Cuts Hit 4-Year Highs as Mortgage Rates Top 7%, Sep 30, 2026
- Federal Housing Finance Agency: FHFA House Price Index® Up 0.3 Percent in July; Up 2.6 Percent from Last Year | FHFA, Sep 29, 2026
- Redfin: Soft September Jobs Report May Give Fed Reason to Pause Rate Hikes, Slowing Ascent of Mortgage Rates, Oct 2, 2026
- CNBC: Refinance demand is now half what it was a year ago, as mortgage rates rise again, Oct 7, 2026