What’s New in November?
November in Houston is my favorite kind of in-between, still warm enough for a patio dinner, but with the holidays close enough to start planning for them. Here's a look at how our neighborhoods closed out the third quarter, what's worth getting out for this month, and a short checklist to get your home ready for guests and cooler nights.
Q3 2026: How Our Neighborhoods Closed the Quarter
(Source: Houston Association of Realtors, September 2026 Housing Market Update, released Oct 14, 2026.)
The third quarter told a consistent story across Greater Houston: fewer closings, steady prices, and more choice for buyers. Metro-wide, Q3 2026 closed 22,357 home sales, down 5.6% from a year earlier, with a median price of $330,990 (down 1.2%) and 5.6 months of inventory, up from 5.2 months a year ago. Homes typically stayed on the market 88 days.
September closed the quarter the same way: 7,030 single-family closings across Greater Houston, down 5.7% year over year, with the median price holding at $325,000 and inventory up 6.3% to 40,192 active listings, or 5.5 months of supply. Mortgage rates climbing above 7% were the main headwind, buyers took more time, and pending sales fell 11.6% to 6,789.
What that means here: prices in our neighborhoods are holding, not falling, but sellers need to price sharply from day one, and buyers have real room to negotiate on price, repairs, or closing costs. If you want to know what this means for your street or your price range, let's talk!
Q3 2026 by neighborhood - single-family homes sold
77096: 65 → 56 homes sold; $607,924 → $591,331 average sales price; $256,000–$2,150,000 → $212,000–$1,836,000 price range
77025: 63 → 61 homes sold; $694,999 → $769,943 average sales price; $215,000–$1,865,000 → $220,000–$2,300,000 price range
77030: 16 → 10 homes sold; $1,273,000 → $1,257,500 average sales price; $431,000–$2,250,000 → $575,000–$2,100,000 price range
77401: 55 → 51 homes sold; $1,295,448 → $1,335,841 average sales price; $310,000–$3,950,000 → $425,000–$3,100,000 price range
77005: 68 → 57 homes sold; $1,999,444 → $1,900,297 average sales price; $550,000–$10,425,000 → $650,000–$3,670,000 price range
Same format as Amy's Q2 2026 piece (by zip code: homes sold, average sales price, min-max sales price; HAR single-family data). Figures pulled Oct 27, 2026 from the HAR member area via Matrix MLS Market Analysis - Single-Family, Status Sold, sold 07/01-09/30 of each year. Q3 2026 counts are lower across the board, while average prices are mixed: up in 77025 and 77401, down in 77096, 77030, and 77005.
Sellers are cutting prices to make deals
Nationally, the same story is playing out. With the average 30-year mortgage rate surging as high as 7.4% in October, its highest in nearly three years, sellers now outnumber buyers and are losing leverage. The national median listing price fell in September from a year earlier for the 11th month in a row, down 1.2% to $419,250, and about 21% of September listings had their initial price cut, a four-year high, according to Realtor.com. Sellers who stay on the market are increasingly cutting prices and offering concessions, from closing cost help to rate buydowns. One Texas seller outside Dallas listed at $750,000 in April 2025, cut the price several times, took the home off the market, relisted at $725,000, and finally sold at $650,000 plus $9,000 toward repairs. The takeaway lines up with what I tell sellers here: price sharply from day one, because buyers now have room to negotiate.
(Source: Associated Press, Alex Veiga, October 2026
Around Town
Beetlejuice, the Musical, November 3-8, Hobby Center
The touring Broadway hit takes over Sarofim Hall for one week only, with evening shows at 7:30 p.m. and matinees Saturday, November 7 at 2 p.m. and Sunday, November 8 at 1:30 p.m. It's loud, funny, and a great excuse for a downtown night out before the holiday rush.
Tickets & details: Here
Source: Houston.broadway.com. SeatGeek tour listings; Hobby Center, 800 Bagby St.
TXU Energy presents Zoo Lights, November 19 through January 3, Houston Zoo
Houston's favorite holiday lights return, nightly 5:30-10:30 p.m. (last entry 9:30 p.m.). Wander animal lantern displays, Candy Cane Lane, s'mores stations at Campfire Canyon, and snow in the Frosted Forest every night. New this year: Wine Fest on Friday, November 20, and a first-ever opening on Christmas night. The Zoo is closed December 9 and Christmas Eve. Zoo Lights is a favorite annual event of mine, and I highlighted it in my inaugural Houston Edit!
Tickets & details: Here
(Source: houstonzoo.org)
77th Annual H-E-B Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, November 26, 9 a.m., Downtown
Houston's Thanksgiving tradition since 1949 fills more than 20 downtown blocks with giant balloons, marching bands, floats, and performers, with Houston's own Lizzo as this year's Grand Marshal. Street viewing is free, arrive around 7:30 a.m. for a good curbside spot along Smith or Walker Street; grandstand seats near Smith and McKinney are also available. More info: Here
New around town: 55 Seventy opens November 27 in Upper Kirby
The Dallas-born private wine and social club opens its Houston location Friday, November 27, at 3015 Richmond Ave., overlooking Levy Park. Members get wine storage, a main lounge and dining room, and Canopy Bar, a 10,000-square-foot rooftop restaurant with a Mediterranean menu and pizza oven. It's members-only, so this one is for the wine lovers on your list to know about before it fills up.
Membership info: Here
Photo: 55 Seventy on Facebook. (Sources: CultureMap, Oct 2, 2026; FSR Magazine)
Local love: Dirt Bag, Montrose
One more small business worth your Saturday: Dirt Bag, the cute woman-owned plant shop at 701 W Gray St. in Montrose. It's known for its cheeky pots, rare houseplants, and its signature $10 bag of house soil mix, plus free repotting if you bring a plant in. I stopped by this week and the storefront alone is worth the trip. I picked up a gift there, and my friend loved it. Shop info: Here
Photo source: Amy Greene
For more of the things I'm loving each week, follow @amy.adores on IG and TikTok.
November Home Checklist: Ready for Guests and Cooler Nights
Source: Amy Greene. 3752 Robinhood St (har.com), currently pending, listed by Anne McAllister.
- Test your heating system now, before the first real cold snap, and change the filter.
- Check smoke and carbon monoxide detectors when the clocks change
- Clear gutters and downspouts after the leaves drop, so the next heavy rain has somewhere to go.
- Insulate exposed outdoor pipes and know where your main water shutoff is, before any freeze warning.
- Have the chimney inspected and cleaned if you plan to use the fireplace this season.
- Seal drafts around doors and windows, a quick fix that shows up on the energy bill.
- Prep the guest room early: fresh linens, a cleared closet, and working chargers beat a last-minute scramble.
And if holiday hosting has you eyeing new furniture, a quick read before you spend: Southern Living's designers on the upgrades not worth paying for and Real Simple's furniture trends designers are leaving behind in 2027. The shared message lines up with what I tell clients: buy fewer, better pieces, especially anything you sit on every day, and skip the fast furniture. Articles can be found here and here.
A Final Note
Thanksgiving week brings a lot of extra cars and foot traffic to our neighborhoods, so keep porch lights on and walkways clear for guests, and if you're hosting out-of-towners, Zoo Lights and the parade are two easy ways to show them Houston at its best. I'm so THANKFUL for this community, and for every one of you who reads this each month.
Don't forget to follow along on Instagram and TikTok @amy.adores and see what I'm buying, selling, designing, loving and so much more!