What $350K Buys in Katy, TX Right Now (September 2026)

If you’re shopping for homes for sale in Katy under $350K this fall, the honest question isn’t just what the money buys — it’s what the monthly payment lands at with rates hovering near 7%. That’s exactly where this budget gets interesting in Katy, because $300,000 to $350,000 is the rung where a brand-new build with a builder rate incentive goes head to head with an established Katy ISD resale that hands you more house. Here’s what $350K actually gets you in September 2026, the payment math behind it, and a live look at real listings in the heart of this budget further down the page.

The Katy market at a glance

The greater Katy area’s median sale price for a standard single-family resale is running in the low-to-mid $300,000s this year, which means $350,000 now sits right around the middle of the market rather than below it — a real shift from a couple of summers ago. Inventory has climbed to a multi-year high: the Katy area is sitting near four to five months of supply (I treat roughly four to six months as balanced), active listings are up in the low double digits year over year, and homes are averaging around 38 to 40 days on the market. You can pull the current figures any time on HAR.com’s Katy price-trends page. In the $300K–$350K band specifically, the live count moves daily — the IDX feed below shows exactly how many are active right now.

New construction: a smaller house, but a payment builders will help you reach

At $300K–$350K, new construction still exists in Katy — you just have to look to the far-western and southwestern edges, out around 77493 and the newest sections pushing toward Fulshear and Brookshire. Expect a 3- to 4-bedroom, roughly 1,800 to 2,200 square-foot home with an open plan, an attached two-car garage, and a modest yard. What matters most at this rung in 2026 is that builders are leaning hard on rate buydowns and closing-cost credits to keep the monthly payment reachable. At today’s rates, a builder covering two points to drop your rate can do more for your payment than a few thousand dollars off the sticker — so always ask what the advertised incentive is actually worth in dollars per month. The catch: nearly every one of these communities sits inside a MUD, which adds to your tax rate. I break down what a MUD district does to your property taxes so the escrow line doesn’t blindside you.

Resale: more square footage, no incentive, full price at today’s rate

Spend the same $350,000 on a resale and you’re usually buying more house in an established, grown-in neighborhood — a 4-bedroom, roughly 2,300 to 2,900 square-foot two-story from the 1990s or 2000s with mature trees, a genuine backyard, and now and then a pool. Older Katy ISD sections in Cinco Ranch, Nottingham Country, Grand Lakes, and Kelliwood regularly have homes here. Two things balance out: there’s no builder buydown, so you’re financing the full price at whatever rate you can lock — but the MUD in an older section is often further into paying down its bonds, so its tax rate can run lower than a brand-new community’s. That’s the quiet variable that decides which home is really cheaper each month.

What the payment actually looks like

Here’s the number that matters. At this week’s 30-year average of about 6.95% — I keep the current figure on my Houston mortgage rates page — a $325,000 home near the midpoint of this band runs roughly $1,940 to $2,050 a month in principal and interest, depending on whether you put 10% or 5% down. That’s before Texas property taxes and homeowner’s insurance, which are the two wildcards, and in a newer Katy MUD those escrow lines can add several hundred dollars a month on top. It’s why the “cheaper” new build and the “more house” resale can land at surprisingly different all-in payments even at the identical price — and why I always build the full monthly number on the specific homes you’re weighing, not the list price.

Is this a buyer’s or a seller’s segment?

At this rung, the tilt is gently in the buyer’s favor. Inventory at a multi-year high, homes taking around six weeks to sell, and more listings than a year ago all mean a seller who overprices sits while fairly-priced homes still go under contract. You have room to keep your inspection and option period instead of waiving everything, and room to ask — whether that’s a builder credit on a new home or seller help on a resale. The genuinely good homes at a fair price still move quickly, though, so being pre-approved and ready to tour is what puts you in position. If you’re early in the process, my first-time home buyer roadmap for Houston and the home-buying process guide walk through each step in order.

Two local tips for this budget

First, check the school zoning for the exact address, not the community name. Most of Katy feeds Katy ISD, but the far-western edge where the new builds are can fall into Lamar CISD or Waller ISD block by block — and that changes the schools your kids attend. Second, get the full tax rate (MUD included) and any HOA dues in writing before you fall for a listing price; on newer sections those line items are what separate an affordable payment from an uncomfortable one. My guide to how much down payment you really need is a good next read once you’ve got a target.

A live look: Katy homes from $300K to $350K

These aren’t hand-picked examples that will be gone by the time you read this — they’re active HAR MLS listings in the heart of this budget, pulled straight from my live IDX feed. The grid updates itself as homes sell and new ones come on:

$349,000 Active

3111 Lantern Bay Lane Katy, Texas

4 Beds 3 Baths 3,304 SqFt 0.14 Acres

$349,000 Active

200 Catalina Cove Drive Katy, Texas

4 Beds 2 Baths 2,131 SqFt 0.141 Acres

$348,015 Active

24031 Breezy Bank Trail Katy, Texas

4 Beds 3 Baths 2,046 SqFt 0.098 Acres

$340,000 Active

24739 Scarlatti Cantata Drive Katy, Texas

3 Beds 2 Baths 1,725 SqFt 0.121 Acres

$339,900 Active

27319 Clear Breeze Drive Katy, Texas

4 Beds 3 Baths 2,012 SqFt

$339,900 Active

24519 Colonial Maple Drive Katy, Texas

4 Beds 3 Baths 2,352 SqFt 0.126 Acres

That’s just a sample — you can browse every Katy home from $300K to $350K, step up to the $350K to $400K band, or start from all Katy homes for sale and set your own filters.

See every Katy home in your budget right now

Prefer to hunt on a map? You can see every active listing in Katy right now on the map search on my site, draw your own boundary, and filter to your price range. Prefer your phone? The free Houston Prime Realty app runs on a live MLS feed, so you’ll see new Katy listings and price drops the moment they happen — not the delayed data the national portals show. And if you’d rather I just do the digging, tell me what you’re after and I’ll set up a tailored search, flag the homes actually worth your time, and tell you what a listing photo won’t — about the street, the flood history, the schools, and resale. Want to get to know the area first? Start with my local’s guide to living in Katy.

Get new Katy listings the day they hit the market

If you’d like this search working for you around the clock, sign up below. I’ll set up an alert for your exact budget, and you’ll get an email the moment a new Katy home in your range is listed or drops its price — no spam, and you can opt out anytime.

Kevan Pewitt is a licensed Texas REALTOR® and Broker. Houston Prime Realty supports Equal Housing Opportunity. Market figures are general and current as of publication; verify current conditions for any specific home. Listings shown are pulled live from the HAR MLS and change throughout the day.

Last updated: September 2026

More on this topic: buying a home in Houston →