hot houston 'hood

Booming Houston suburb boasts No. 3 rank in hottest ZIP code in U.S. for buyers list

Katy's ZIP code is the third hottest in America, per a new ranking.

Photo courtesy of City of Katy

Arguably Houston's hottest suburb is once again making national news as the hottest 'hood in Texas and tops in the U.S.

Katy ranked No. 1 in Texas and an impressive No. 3 in overall in America in OpenDoor’s 2022 Hottest ZIP Codes in America report. Specifically, Katy’s 77494 is the highest-scoring ZIP in the Lone Star State.

For those keeping score, Katy has now scored back-to-back No. 3 ranks in the OpenDoor report, following last year's ranking. For those familiar with the suburb, Katy is a huge draw for buyers due to its strong school system and family-first developments.

“Half of first-time home buyers say ‘family’ is the top reason they decided to purchase a home in 2022. Katy, TX and Yukon, OK continued their reign on our hottest ZIPs list,” OpenDoor says. “They draw homeowners for their proximity to major employers while still being a good fit for families.”

Proving that the Houston area is arguably the hottest market in America, another local suburb, Cypress’ 77433, comes in at No. 7. Also a hub for families, Cypress has seen impressive growth — so much so that Houston pitmaster Ronnie Killen chose the area for a new location for his wildly popular Killen’s Barbecue, as CultureMap reported.

OpenDoor analyzed data from the local Multiple Listing Services (MLS) where Opendoor Brokerage operates, they say. The neighborhoods were ranked by total homes that went into contract within 90 days of listing in 2022.

Elsewhere in Texas

Hill Country hot spots in the Austin-San Antonio fared well on the list: No. 4 is 78130 in New Braunfels, and No. 9 is 78641 in Leander. The San Antonio ZIP of 78253 is No. 11.

A small town east of Dallas is a big magnet for homebuyers. Forney's 75126 was the fifth most popular ZIP code for buyers around the U.S. last year. It moved up from No. 8 in the 2021 report.

Another North Texas town — Aubrey — was deemed a top “emerging” ZIP for 2022. Its 76227 lands at No. 13 on the list. It had been No. 15 in the 2021 report.

With a population of just 6,500, Aubrey is home to sprawling ranches and considered the “horse capital of Texas.”

“We are seeing homeowners vie for that sense of belonging in cities and towns accessible to major metros via short commutes – like Aubrey,” OpenDoor says.

The hottest ZIP code in the country is 37042 in Clarksville, Tennessee, which has “a thriving, close-knit local community while still being close to the action in Nashville,” OpenDoor says.

Here are the top 20 ZIP codes in the U.S. for 2022 , per OpenDoor:

Clarksville, Tennessee (37042)
Yukon, Oklahoma (73099)
Katy, Texas (77494)
New Braunfels, Texas (78130)
Forney, Texas (75126)
Summerville, South Carolina (29486)
Cypress, Texas (77433)
Kissimmee, Florida (34747)
Leander, Texas (78641)
Murfreesboro, Tennessee (37128)
San Antonio, Texas (78253)
Loganville, Georgia (30052)
Aubrey, Texas (76227)
Winter Garden, Florida (34787)
Cumming, Georgia (30040)
Suwanee, Georgia (30024)
Gallatin, Tennessee (37066)
San Diego, California (92101)
Port Saint Lucie, Florida (34953)
Parker, Colorado (80134)

REAL ESTATE NEWS

More Houston homeowners are becoming 'accidental landlords,' study finds

For Lease Real Estate Sign Hangs in Front Yard of House

Getty Images

An increasing number of San Antonio homeowners are bcoming "accidental landlords"

Houston homeowners unable to sell their properties are increasingly becoming “accidental landlords,” according to Zillow. The real estate marketplace’s newest analysis says that 4.2 percent of its local for-sale listings recently converted to rentals, making the Bayou City the second-worst U.S. city for the market trend.

Only Denver (4.9 percent) ranks higher, with Austin (4.1 percent) and San Antonio (3.9 percent) not far behind. Seven of the top 10 metros are in Texas or Florida.

Zillow senior economist Kara Ng says today's dynamic is driven by choice rather than panic. Homeowners aren't being forced to sell; they're simply unwilling to accept what the market will actually pay.

"As the market continues to rebalance, sellers are facing a different reality than they did a few years ago," Ng said in a statement. "Bargaining power is tilting toward buyers, and homes are taking longer to sell, making renting out a property one way to buy time rather than compete aggressively on price. After all, today's sellers are rarely forced to sell, and it appears they are often unwilling to budge off of what their heart says their home is worth."

Nationally, the trend is nearing a record high. 2.3 percent of all Zillow rental listings were recently for-sale properties, second only to November 2022, when mortgage rates had doubled in a single year, and sellers were scrambling. That spike was shock-driven, but now stubbornness is likely fueling the shift.

Single-family homes make up the largest share of accidental landlord properties, but condos are seeing the fastest rise. Metros with the hottest buyer competition, including Boston, New York City, and Providence, Rhode Island, have the lowest accidental landlord rates.

For both local buyers and sellers, Goldilocks thinking is increasingly the norm. Sellers, especially those who bought during the COVID-19 boom, are holding their asking price firm to avoid taking a loss. Buyers, for their part, are refusing to compromise on concessions and repairs.

Meanwhile, the city's rental market keeps getting larger. In 2025, rental listings website Point2Homes placed the Houston area among the top 10 U.S. metros building the most new homes for rent.

home market renting home ownership zillow rankings real estate