Published October 4, 2026 in Market Update

The Primary market is splitting into fast and slower-moving pockets

By Morad Fiki, MBA | Fiki Properties

Real estate, Primary market

The Primary market is not one market right now. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 1,227 homes sold across ZIPs 77024, 77079, 77056, 77063, 77007, 77019, 77005, 77057, 77055 and 77027 in the three months ending July 31, 2026. That headline number is down just 1.9% from a year ago. But behind that calm average sits a real split.

Realtor.com reported that active listings are up 6.3% nationally, the fastest pace in at least six months. Locally, the Real Estate Data Aggregator shows the opposite: homes for sale across the Primary market fell 10.6% from a year ago, to 1,781. Fewer choices, but not every pocket is tight.

The gap between fast and slow is wide

The Real Estate Data Aggregator puts ZIP 77005 at 1.7 months of supply. It also shows 53.7% of homes there went under contract within two weeks of listing. That is the fastest pace in this market. ZIP 77057, by contrast, sits at 6.5 months of supply. Only 33% of its homes went under contract in two weeks. That gap changes what a seller should expect and what a buyer can ask for.

How fast homes are moving, ZIP by ZIP

ZIP 77005 had a median of just 14 days on market, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. The average sale came in at 100.1% of list price. That means sellers there were getting every dollar they asked, and then a little more. ZIP 77079 was close behind at 17 days and 99% of list price.

Prices are not all moving the same way either

The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows prices rising sharply in some ZIPs and dipping in others. ZIP 77024 saw a median sale price of $1,300,000, up 23.8% from a year ago. ZIP 77027 saw its median fall 22.8% to $749,000, even as sales volume there rose 24.5%. That kind of mix is a sign the market is sorting itself out, not collapsing.

Rates are making buyers cautious everywhere

Freddie Mac put the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.28% as of October 1, 2026. CNBC reported that mortgage rates surged to 7.58% on one day that same week, according to a Mortgage News Daily survey. Realtor.com noted that rates crossed 7% in late September for the first time since January 2025. That is real pressure on buyers in every ZIP code.

The National Association of Realtors reported that existing-home sales fell 2.0% in August 2026. Still, sales are up 1.6% year-to-date through the first eight months of 2026. The Federal Housing Finance Agency found U.S. house prices rose 2.1% year over year between the second quarter of 2025 and the second quarter of 2026. Nationally, things are moving slowly but not backward.

Pending sales across the Primary market fell 8% from a year ago, to 1,180, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator. New listings dropped 7.7% to 1,793. Fewer sellers and fewer buyers are both in the mix. In the slower ZIPs, buyers have more room to negotiate. In the tighter ones, they do not.