Real estate
BY KARA WILLIS
Home Edition
2026
Welcome to the annual CI Home Edition! This guide features news ranging from key real estate trends and new developments to insights on the local housing market. All of the stories were written by our team of local journalists, and all of the advertisements are from nearby businesses who support our mission to provide free, useful news. Show them your gratitude by supporting local businesses. In this edition, we look at year-over-year changes in the real estate market, including the changes in local home sales in relation to interest rates. We also dive into news homeowners will want to know about ood zone mapping in Montgomery County. In addition, out cover story features an in-depth look at the luxury multifamily market in The Woodlands. Be sure to check out our Q&A with the president and CEO of the Houston Association of Realtors to gain some other insights into the regional real estate landscape.
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Interest rates high amid 5 years of fluctuating home sales
30-year xed mortgage rate annual ranges 0% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6% 7% 8% 2020 ~3.11%-3.38%
Several local real estate experts said interest rates remain a concern for buyers in The Wood- lands area, as data shows interest rates as of late April were more than double the all-time low of 2.65% from January 2021, according to The Wood- lands-based Christine Hale Realty Group. What you need to know Data shows home sales decreasing in The Wood- lands after 2021 alongside the rise in interest rates, according to Christine Hale Realty Group. Home interest rates are the percentage that a lender charges to borrow money to purchase a home. In The Woodlands market, data from the Texas A&M Real Estate Research Center shows that there were 1,700 home sales in 2025, which compares to 3,100 in 2021. “Since 2021, mortgage interest rates began to steadily increase through 2025 and now we are starting to see a little bit of a downward trend with rates at their lowest this month in the past three
spring purchasing seasons,” Realtor associate Christine Hale said. What else? Despite the hike in interest rates, Chanel Raesis, director of agent development for CB&A and board member for the Houston Association of Realtors, said buyers are still purchasing because they want stability in long-term equity, especially in the luxury property market. The highest-priced homes now represent a larger portion of home sales, according to recent data from the Texas A&M Real Estate Research Center. In 2025, 18.94% of home sales in The Woodlands were $1 million or more, while in 2021, those homes represented 9.77% of home sales, according to the data. The impact Raesis said buyers are adapting and being more selective and strategic with purchasing now.
~2.96%-3.15%
2021 2022 2023 2024* 2025*
~5.34%-5.53%
~7%-7.79%
~6.9%
~6.66%
~6.23%-6.4%
2026**
*AVERAGE **AS OF APRIL NOTE: NUMBERS ARE APPROXIMATE RANGES EXCEPT WHERE NOTED SOURCE: CHRISTINE HALE REALTY GROUPCOMMUNITY IMPACT
Other Realtors said desirable properties will remain competitive. “Sellers will have to continue to price aggres- sively and present a top-tier product,” The Woodlands Realtor Melody Pevateaux said.
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THE WOODLANDS EDITION
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