REAL BIG NEWS

Houston booms as No. 1 city in U.S. for new home construction in 2023

Three major Texas metro areas have the highest new home construction rates in the nation, with Houston right at the top.

Photo by Josh Olalde on Unsplash

While Houston already holds the crown for the most active real estate market over the last decade, the city has now earned the title for the highest new home construction rate in 2023, according to a recent analysis by Chamber of Commerce.

The booming housing construction is just one way Houston is trying to keep up with it's remarkable population growth.

The June edition of the "Cities with the Most New Homes" analysis discovered that despite new home permits being down over 20 percent year-over-year from 2022, Houston's housing market is still on the rise.

"Numerous factors such as limited inventory in the existing home market, high mortgage rates, and supply chain issues have created a bottleneck for new home construction," the report's authors said. "It remains to be seen whether new home construction will catch up with the current demand, but it’s clear that some cities are experiencing a building boom when it comes to new homes."

Over 23,000 new home construction permits were issued for the city thus far, consisting of both single- and multi-family residential homes. H-Town also ranks at the top with just under 15,400 single-family home permits issued this year.

In the ranking of multi-unit residential homes, only 7,671 permits have been issued in the same time frame, knocking Houston down to No. 3. New York City (No. 1) and Dallas-Fort Worth (No. 2) had higher multi-family construction permits issued, at 10,155 and 7,887 each, respectively.

On average, 5,766 Houston home permits are being issued every month in 2023, which is also the highest rate in the nation. In layman's terms, our real estate market is definitely pretty hot.

The top 10 metro areas that have the highest new home construction in 2023 are:

No.1 – Houston
No. 2 – Dallas-Fort Worth
No. 3 – New York City
No. 4 – Phoenix
No. 5 – Atlanta
No. 6 – Charlotte, North Carolina
No. 7 – Austin
No. 8 – Orlando
No. 9 – Nashville
No. 10 – Los Angeles

The study analyzed data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development to determine the total number of new home construction permits issued in 2023 throughout 225 metro areas in the country.

The full report and its methodology can be found on chamberofcommerce.org.

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take a ride

2,100-acre Houston-area development with bike trails galore will open in 2027

Homeplace housing development sign rendering

Courtesy of Homeplace

Homeplace will open phase one next summer.

A massive new housing development in far north Houston aims to be the city’s most bike friendly place to live. Homeplace will be a 2,100-acre community in Montgomery.

Bound by Highway 105 on the north, Lake Creek High School on the south, FM 2854 on the east, and FM 149 on the west, Homeplace is located about five minutes from Lake Conroe and 30 minutes from The Woodlands.

Designed to appeal to bicycle enthusiasts who frequently schedule rides along Lake Conroe and the Sam Houston National Forest, it will offer 17 miles of dedicated bake lanes as well as both paved and unwaved trails for walking, riding, and mountain biking. In addition, the community will offer The Hub, a 43-acre amenity complex that includes sports fields a dog park, a playground, swimming pools, and more.

Developer Will Randall and his family have owned property in the area since the late 1800s and operated the Homeplace Enterprises cattle ranch on 500 acres that are now part of the project.

“The component of health and nature is near and dear to our hearts,” Randall said in a statement. “Saving trees, creating trails, having ponds — these things are important. And this land is next to Lake Conroe. We grew up there, enjoying the water. An aspect of living in Montgomery is being active and outside. These are the connections we wanted to share.”

“As Homeplace was a Montgomery fixture for the Randall family for four generations, we wanted to embrace this local tradition. We want Homeplace to be centered on activity, connection, outdoors and fun,” Rochester Development executive Chad Rochester added.

A network of mountain biking trails will connect the community’s homes to the community’s two schools, including a tunnel under Homeplace Boulevard to separate riders from vehicles. They’re being designed in collaboration with the National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA), the national league for youth mountain bike racing.

“What makes Homeplace especially exciting is its commitment to integrating cycling into the fabric of the community from the beginning,” J.J. Cawelti, executive director of the Texas Interscholastic Mountain Bike League,” said. “It's rare to see a residential development in Texas embrace outdoor recreation in such a meaningful way. By creating an environment where riding is part of everyday life, Homeplace is helping introduce more families and young people to the joy and lifelong benefits of cycling."

Phase I, a collection of more than 300 homes, is expected to begin sales in the summer 2027.

homeplace housing development