Summer 2026 Market Wrap-Up: Montgomery County and The Woodlands

Summer is the loudest season in real estate, and this one had a lot to say. Inventory climbed, buyers got room to breathe for the first time in years, and the market split into segments that behaved very differently from one another. Here is an honest read on where Montgomery County and The Woodlands landed as we head into fall.

The headline: buyers finally have options

The defining story of this summer was inventory. Listings across the area rose substantially compared with a year ago, and in The Woodlands the increase has been dramatic, with reports of active listings up sharply year over year. Months of inventory in The Woodlands moved to roughly 2.7 in the spring, which is still a seller's market by the traditional definition but a meaningfully looser one than the market of two and three years ago.

For buyers, that is the best news in several years. More choice, more time to think, and real negotiating room on homes that have been sitting. For sellers, it means the era of naming a price and waiting is over.

Days on market told the real story

Homes are taking longer to sell, and the gap between well-priced and overpriced widened into a chasm.

Countywide, days on market ran roughly in the thirty to fifty day range, with sellers netting something on the order of 97 to 98 percent of list price. In The Woodlands, median days on market drifted up toward the fifty-plus range depending on the source and the segment.

But the average conceals the actual dynamic. Correctly priced homes in good condition went under contract in two to four weeks. Overpriced listings sat sixty, ninety days and beyond, then usually sold after one or two reductions for less than they would have brought with accurate pricing from day one. Price reductions rose noticeably year over year. That is the market disciplining sellers who priced to last year's conditions.

Prices held up, but read the number carefully

Median sale prices across Montgomery County ran in the neighborhood of $420,000, while The Woodlands landed in a much higher band, with various sources reporting medians ranging from roughly $615,000 to figures well above that depending on the geographic definition and the month.

That spread is a reminder of something we have written about before: be careful which number you are looking at. Average price figures in The Woodlands have been quoted near $990,000, but that is a mean pulled upward by a handful of multi-million-dollar estate sales. The median, the home in the exact middle, is the honest answer to what a typical home costs. And even the median across an area as varied as The Woodlands blends villages with completely different price structures.

The market is not one market

This is the point that mattered most this summer. Segments diverged sharply.

Waterfront and luxury on Lake Conroe and in Bentwater remained a genuine seller's market, because comparable supply is finite. When waterfront lists, qualified buyers move. Scarcity beat price, which is exactly what you would expect where they cannot make more of the product.

Inside The Woodlands, individual villages ran their own races. Sterling Ridge showed inventory as tight as roughly 1.2 months in the spring, dramatically tighter than the township-wide figure. Older villages like Grogan's Mill, Panther Creek, Cochran's Crossing, and Indian Springs carry established housing stock with age-related inspection considerations, while newer sections trade on different terms entirely.

Meanwhile, new construction kept coming. Permit activity across the Houston and Woodlands metro stayed elevated, and builder inventory competes directly with resale in overlapping price bands, which slows resale velocity when a new home offers similar value.

Rates stayed the backdrop

The thirty-year fixed hovered near the 6 percent range through much of the year, below the peaks of 2024 and 2025 but far above the 3 and 4 percent era that shaped everyone's expectations. That kept monthly payments front of mind, kept some would-be sellers locked into old loans, and rewarded sellers who priced accurately and marketed with a real value story.

What it means going into fall

Three practical takeaways.

If you are buying, this is the most room you have had in years. Use the days-on-market and price-reduction data. A home that has sat for sixty days is a negotiation, not a lottery ticket. Do not be afraid to make a considered offer below list on a listing that has been sitting.

If you are selling, pricing is the whole game now. There is still strong, qualified demand, but the market will punish an aspirational number by making you chase it down. Accurate pricing, sharp presentation, and real marketing separate the homes that sell from the ones that linger.

If you are waiting for a crash, understand what is actually happening. Inventory rose from historic lows, which is normalization, not collapse. Population and job growth across North Houston continue to put a floor under prices, and Montgomery County remains one of the fastest-growing counties in the country.

Fall has historically been an underrated selling season here, with thinner competition and more serious buyers. If you are thinking about a move, we will give you a straight read on your specific village, price band, and timing. Start with a complimentary professional valuation grounded in real comparable sales, or an active property search built around what your money actually buys right now.

Call or text 713-303-5039.

The Keegan Group | Montgomery County, Texas / Residential · Commercial · Land · Investment · Property Tax Consulting.