homebuyer power play
Houston declared one of the top 3 buyer's markets in U.S. right now
Houston's housing market has been saturated with sellers.
The tide has turned for the Houston housing market, and buyers now have more power than ever to negotiate on their forever home, a new real estate report has confirmed.
Houston has now become one of the top 10 strongest buyer's markets in the nation with sellers outnumbering buyers by about 131 percent, Redfin's newest market trends report found.
Nationally, sellers outnumbered buyers by 58 percent in August 2026, which Redfin says is the largest gap on record. Out of the 49 most populous metros in the U.S., only five are considered seller's markets, and eight are considered "balanced" markets where the number of buyers and sellers are nearly equal.
That leaves the remaining 36 most populated U.S. metros as buyer's markets, which includes the biggest cities in the Lone Star State. In fact, four Texas cities rank among the 10 strongest buyer's markets in the country right now: Houston (No. 3), San Antonio (No. 6), Austin (No. 7), and Dallas (No. 8).
There were 46,759 sellers on the market in Houston last month, more than double the amount of buyers (20,250). The market's tilt in favor of house hunters allows more legroom to be picky with the increased supply of available housing, while falling demand indicates less competition with other buyers.
"In most markets, buyers should negotiate on price and ask for concessions like repairs or help with closing costs," said Redfin senior economist Asad Khan. "Buyers shouldn’t assume every seller will budge, especially on a desirable home that’s already priced well, but they don’t need to rush into a deal that doesn’t feel right."
For sellers that want to stand out in a saturated market, Redfin suggests they should price their homes competitively and be prepared to negotiate.
A separate Redfin report found mid-September is the best time for Houstonians to buy a home, but other experts say hesitant shoppers have until early October to take the plunge.
Regardless of the timeline, the report warns that the recent surge of available housing is only beneficial for homebuyers that can afford it.
"High housing costs and widespread economic uncertainty have caused many would-be buyers to back off in recent years, creating the imbalance of buyers and sellers we see today," the report said.
The median price of a Houston home came out to $331,821 in August, though 77 percent of all home sales in the city sold for below their original asking price.
The top 10 strongest buyer's markets in the U.S. are:
- No. 1 – Nashville, Tennessee
- No. 2 – Miami, Florida
- No. 3 – Houston, Texas
- No. 4 – Orlando, Florida
- No. 5 – Las Vegas, Nevada
- No. 6 – San Antonio, Texas
- No. 7 – Austin, Texas
- No. 8 – Dallas, Texas
- No. 9 – Atlanta, Georgia
- No. 10 – Phoenix, Arizona
