Houston Realtor & Real Estate Agent — Your Guide to Houston, TX
Houston is a city of about 2.4 million people and hundreds of neighborhoods, spread across roughly 640 square miles — and a Houston mailing address reaches well past the city limits. I’m Kevan Pewitt, a Houston REALTOR® and real estate agent, and the broker behind Houston Prime Realty. The Houston neighborhoods I work run from the Heights through Spring Branch to Cy-Fair, and I’m adding local neighborhood guides as I write them. This is your starting point for the market, the areas, and the move that fits your life.
The Whole Metro
From the Inner Loop to Cypress and Katy, I work across Greater Houston — so I can help you compare areas honestly instead of guessing from listing photos.
Local Detail
School district, tax rate, HOA dues, MUD districts, and flood history change neighborhood to neighborhood in Houston. I put those differences in front of you before you fall for a floor plan.
Start to Close
Whether you’re buying or selling, you get one point of contact from the first showing through the closing table — with a plan you can hold me to.
Trusted by Houston Buyers & Sellers
5-Star Rated on HAR.com
Read my reviews on HAR.com →
Top-Rated on Google
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“He helped me through every step of the process and even added extra guidance after the signing was complete.”
— Paige P., first-time buyer · HAR.com
“He walked us through every step of getting the home fully prepared, made sure everything was in top shape before listing, and kept us informed with consistent updates along the way.”
— Leena S., seller · Google
Working with a Houston REALTOR®
Searching for real estate agents in Houston, TX brings back thousands of names — big teams, national portals, and every franchise in town. The person you’d work with is me — the broker-owner of Houston Prime Realty, an independent Houston real estate agency — and my full background is on my About page. If you’re buying, my Buying guide walks the process step by step; if you’re selling, start with how I price and market homes.
Houston Prime Realty is a full-service brokerage, and I represent both buyers and sellers in Greater Houston, Cypress, Katy, Hockley, and Waller. For buyers, that means helping you compare areas honestly, find homes that fit as soon as they’re listed on the MLS, and negotiate the contract. For sellers in any of those areas, it means pricing your home to the actual recent sales nearby and marketing it to get it sold.
A quick word on what “real estate agency” means, since a lot of people search for one: an agency — a licensed real estate brokerage, in Texas terms — is the firm a real estate agent works under, and it’s responsible for every transaction its real estate agents handle. At many Houston agencies you’ll work with whichever team member picks up. Houston Prime Realty is deliberately smaller: I hold the broker’s license, and the person showing you homes, pricing your listing, and negotiating your contract is the same person from the first call through closing.
Quick Facts About Kevan Pewitt
- Kevan Pewitt is a REALTOR® and real estate agent serving Houston, TX, and has held a Texas real estate broker license since 1989.
- Kevan Pewitt is the broker-owner of Houston Prime Realty.
- Houston Prime Realty is an independent real estate agency — a licensed Texas real estate brokerage — with its office in northwest Houston (ZIP 77095).
- Kevan Pewitt holds the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) designation.
- Kevan Pewitt has been named a Five Star Professional real estate agent in Texas Monthly for 11 years.
- Clients rate Kevan Pewitt 5.0 out of 5.0 across 231 verified client surveys on HAR.com.
- Houston Prime Realty serves home buyers and sellers across Houston, from the Heights through Spring Branch to Cy-Fair, plus Cypress, Katy, Hockley, and Waller.
How buyer representation works in 2026:
Since the National Association of REALTORS® settlement took effect in August 2024, a real estate buyer’s agent’s compensation is agreed up front, in writing, before we start touring. I’ll walk you through exactly how that works on our first call. The details are in how real estate buyer’s agents get paid in Texas.
In this guide
Houston, TX at a Glance: Quick Facts
- The City of Houston covers about 640 square miles of land, with 2,304,580 residents in the 2020 Census and an estimated 2,397,315 on July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau). About 96% of the city’s area is in Harris County, about 3% in Fort Bend County, and about 1% in Montgomery County.
- A Houston mailing address isn’t always the city: 144 ZIP code areas touch the city limits, and many are only partly inside. The appraisal-district record settles it (see “Is my Houston address actually in the city?” below).
- Bellaire, West University Place, Southside Place, the six Memorial Villages, Jersey Village, Pasadena, Humble, and other separate cities sit inside or against Houston, each with its own city taxes, police, and water.
- The city has 1,070,556 housing units; about 41% of occupied homes are owner-occupied, 42% of all units are detached single-family homes, and the median home was built in 1985 (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).
- Houston has no zoning. Recorded deed restrictions shape what can be built in many neighborhoods, and the City’s Legal Department can help enforce them.
- Houston ISD covers about 45% of the city’s area and is rated “B” (85) by the Texas Education Agency for 2026; 24 other school districts serve the rest of the city (see Houston Schools below).
- Inside the city, the 2025 combined property tax rates in the five in-city stacks shown below run from $2.125220 to $2.367118 per $100 before exemptions; the school district, the college district, and any water district make the difference.
- About 24% of the city’s area is in FEMA’s high-risk flood zones, so flood risk is checked address by address (see Flood Risk in Houston below).
The Houston Real Estate Market
As of HAR’s September 2026 report, the median single-family home across Greater Houston sells around $325,000, a typical listing takes about 58 days to go under contract, and inventory sits near 5.5 months — a more balanced market than the peak, with more choice and more negotiating room for buyers, while well-priced homes still move.
That’s a metro-wide median across an enormous range, though. Across 16 ZIP codes almost entirely inside the city, the 12-month median sale price ran from about $266,000 in 77075 (South Belt) to about $1,269,000 in 77019 (River Oaks), and the real story is area by area, which is what the rundown below is for. Market figures per the Houston Association of REALTORS® (HAR) September 2026 report, released October 14, 2026; contact me for today’s numbers in your area.
Here’s what 16 ZIP codes that sit almost entirely inside the city limits (97–100% by area) did over the 12 months to October 19, 2026: 5,085 single-family sales and about 4.5 months of inventory combined (HAR MLS). HAR’s single-family figures include townhomes and patio homes; high-rise condos are counted separately.
| ZIP code and area | Median sale price | Median days on market | Months of inventory |
|---|---|---|---|
| 77008 — The Heights | about $680,000 | 19 | 4.5 |
| 77007 — Washington Ave / Rice Military | about $565,000 | 23 | 6 |
| 77006 — Montrose / Neartown | about $855,000 | 25 | 6.5 |
| 77019 — River Oaks / Neartown | about $1,269,000 | 24 | 5.5 |
| 77018 — Oak Forest / Garden Oaks | about $611,000 | 20 | 4 |
| 77092 — Oak Forest west / Langwood | about $330,000 | 24 | 5 |
| 77080 — Spring Branch | about $400,000 | 29 | 5 |
| 77079 — Memorial / Energy Corridor | about $945,000 | 7 | 3 |
| 77077 — Briar Forest / Eldridge | about $440,000 | 22 | 4.5 |
| 77042 — Westchase / Walnut Bend | about $657,000 | 13 | 5 |
| 77096 — Meyerland / Westbury | about $485,000 | 22 | 5.5 |
| 77036 — Sharpstown / Gulfton | about $290,000 | 26 | 4.5 |
| 77075 — South Belt / Ellington area | about $266,000 | 27 | 5.5 |
| 77062 — Clear Lake | about $329,000 | 23 | 3 |
| 77023 — East End / Magnolia Park | about $315,000 | 27 | 8 |
| 77345 — Kingwood | about $418,000 | 21 | 3 |
Single-family sales in the 12 months to October 19, 2026, HAR MLS; medians rounded to the nearest $1,000. These 16 ZIP codes aren’t a citywide sample.
Featured Houston Homes For Sale
A live look at the newest homes for sale in Houston, pulled from the HAR MLS and refreshed through the day:
$280,000
Active
1007 Doral Lane Houston, Texas
4 Beds 3 Baths 2,454 SqFt 0.285 Acres
$255,000
Active
16211 Noblewood Way Houston, Texas
3 Beds 2 Baths 1,362 SqFt 0.127 Acres
$315,000
Active
8121 Venus Street Houston, Texas
3 Beds 3 Baths 2,280 SqFt 0.063 Acres
$224,579
Active
7555 Katy Freeway 166 Houston, Texas
2 Beds 2 Baths 1,306 SqFt
$299,900
Active
614 Thornton Road D Houston, Texas
3 Beds 3 Baths 1,600 SqFt 0.046 Acres
$335,000
Active
11807 Glenway Drive Drive Houston, Texas
4 Beds 3 Baths 2,257 SqFt 0.23 Acres
Scan with your phone camera
Houston Communities and Areas
Houston is easiest to understand by area — the City itself groups its neighborhoods into 88 Super Neighborhoods. Inside the city limits, the address decides the school district, any water district, and the flood zone, so here’s the quick orientation:
- The Inner Loop & Central — Downtown, Midtown, Montrose, the Heights, River Oaks, the Museum District, Third Ward, and Washington Avenue / Rice Military. Bungalows and cottages from the 1900s to the 1950s, a lot of townhome infill since the 2000s, and mid- and high-rise condos, mostly in Houston ISD. Many neighborhoods here are City historic districts or have civic clubs and deed restrictions. Bellaire, West University Place, and Southside Place are separate cities.
- Memorial & West — Spring Branch, Memorial, Briar Forest, Westchase, the Energy Corridor, and Eldridge. Mostly 1950s–1970s ranch homes with newer townhome pockets, in Spring Branch, Houston, Katy (far west), and Alief (south) ISDs. Neighborhoods along Buffalo Bayou here are downstream of the Addicks and Barker dams, and the Memorial Villages are separate cities.
- Northwest, inside the city — Oak Forest, Garden Oaks, Timbergrove, Acres Homes, Greater Inwood, and Fairbanks / Northwest Crossing. Single-family homes from the 1940s to the 1970s, with larger lots in Acres Homes, mostly Houston ISD with Cy-Fair, Aldine, and Klein ISD at the edges. Jersey Village is a separate city.
- North & Lake Houston — the Northside, Greenspoint, Kingwood, and Lake Houston. Older single-family homes near the core and master-planned Kingwood, built from the 1970s to the 2000s, inside the city; Aldine, Humble, Spring, Sheldon, Huffman, and Houston ISDs. Kingwood’s villages each have their own association.
- East & Southeast — the Fifth Ward, Denver Harbor, the East End, Magnolia Park, Pleasantville, Clear Lake, and Edgebrook. Early-1900s cottages near the core and 1960s–1980s single-family homes in Clear Lake, in Houston, Galena Park, Pasadena, Clear Creek, and Sheldon ISDs. Clear Lake’s water comes from the Clear Lake City Water Authority.
- Southwest — Alief, Sharpstown, Gulfton, Meyerland, Westbury, Braeswood Place, and the city’s Fort Bend County section. Mostly 1950s–1980s single-family homes and 1970s–80s apartments, in Alief, Houston, and Fort Bend ISDs; Meyerland and Braeswood sit along Brays Bayou, with a flood history worth checking.
- South — Sunnyside, South Park, South Acres, the Hobby Airport area, and South Belt. Single-family homes from the 1940s to the 1970s, with some newer sections, mostly Houston ISD with Pasadena ISD at the edges.
Northwest Houston addresses, outside the city — my home base. Many of the neighborhoods I work have a Houston mailing address but sit in unincorporated Harris County, zoned to Cy-Fair ISD, with no City of Houston property tax. Each has its own local guide: Copperfield, a master-planned community; the lake community of Copper Lakes; Copper Village, a built-out subdivision of 644 lots east of Queenston Boulevard, with West Road running through it; Aberdeen (Aberdeen Trails and Aberdeen Green), the twin Telge Road subdivisions; Hearthstone, the 27-hole golf-course neighborhood off FM 529; Stone Gate, the Houston National Golf Club community along Queenston Boulevard; Riata Ranch, next door on Barker Cypress Road; Concord Bridge, at West Little York and Eldridge Parkway; Copperbrook, the West Road subdivision across Huffmeister Road from Copperfield’s Easton Commons; and Sheffield, the four-plat neighborhood beside Langham Creek High School off FM 529. My office sits in the middle of it.
Nearby cities and communities. Beyond Houston, I also work the separate City of Jersey Village, Cypress (Bridgeland, Towne Lake, and more), Katy, and, farther out the US-290 corridor, Hockley and Waller — each has its own page.
Ready to browse? See homes for sale in Copperfield →, Copper Lakes →, Copper Village →, Aberdeen →, Hearthstone →, Stone Gate →, Riata Ranch →, Concord Bridge →, Copperbrook →, and Sheffield →, or ask me for the listings in any other area on this page.
Houston communities in red and nearby Cypress communities in navy, along US-290, Highway 6 and FM 529. The numbers match the list below. Each pin marks the center of a community’s recorded plats, not its boundary. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Houston communities (red pins)
Nearby Cypress communities (navy pins)
In-Depth Community Guides
Your Aberdeen Realtor’s guide to Aberdeen Trails & Aberdeen Green in Houston 77095 — 2026 prices, Cy-Fair ISD schools, taxes,…
Explore the Guide »
Concord Bridge Realtor Kevan Pewitt's guide to Houston 77041: two MUDs (2.19% or 2.25% taxes), Cy-Fair ISD schools, flood checks,…
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Copper Lakes Realtor guide to Houston 77095 — the built-out lake community off Barker Cypress: two-MUD taxes, Cy-Fair schools, HOA,…
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I'm Kevan Pewitt, a Copper Village REALTOR® and real estate agent. My Houston 77095 guide: prices, Cy-Fair schools, MUD 172…
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Copperbrook Realtor Kevan Pewitt's guide to Copperbrook, a built-out 293-home Cy-Fair neighborhood on West Road in Houston 77095: debt-free MUD…
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Copperfield homes for sale in Houston 77095 — a local's guide to the seven villages, prices, Cy-Fair ISD schools, taxes,…
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Your Hearthstone Realtor's guide to this 27-hole golf community in northwest Houston (77095) — taxes, the multi-HOA structure, Cy-Fair schools,…
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Riata Ranch Realtor Kevan Pewitt's guide to this Cy-Fair ISD community in Houston 77095: A-rated schools, 2.32% taxes, HOA, and…
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Sheffield Realtor Kevan Pewitt's guide to this Cy-Fair ISD neighborhood in Houston 77095: 2.45% taxes, Langham Creek UD, the HOA,…
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Stone Gate Realtor Kevan Pewitt's guide to the Houston National Golf Club community in 77095: 2.21% taxes, schools, HOA dues,…
Explore the Guide »Not sure which area fits? Tell me your commute, budget, and school priorities and I’ll point you to the right ones — and send what’s for sale there now.
Property Taxes in Houston — City, County, and School District
Every home inside the City of Houston pays the City of Houston and the Harris County units (or the Fort Bend or Montgomery County units on those sides). The school district, the college district, and any water district are what change from one part of the city to another. The City’s rate was $0.519190 per $100 for 2025, and City Council kept it at $0.519190 for 2026 at its October 14, 2026 vote. Here are five in-city stacks, each read from a Harris Central Appraisal District record, with the tax on a $400,000 home:
| Where in the city (school district) | 2025 combined rate per $100 | Tax with no exemptions | With a homestead exemption |
|---|---|---|---|
| Houston ISD (for example, the Heights) | $2.125220 | about $8,500 | about $5,600 |
| Alief ISD | $2.254120 | about $9,000 | about $6,600 |
| Spring Branch ISD (no college district) | $2.171218 | about $8,700 | about $5,500 |
| Humble ISD, Kingwood (with Lone Star College) | $2.359318 | about $9,400 | about $6,900 |
| Clear Creek ISD, Clear Lake (with the Clear Lake City Water Authority) | $2.367118 | about $9,500 | about $6,800 |
2025 adopted rates on a $400,000 appraised value, rounded to $100. The Houston ISD and Alief ISD stacks include Houston Community College (listed on HCAD records as “Houston City College”). HCAD also lists a management district on some Alief- and Spring Branch-side records; it isn’t included here, so check the property’s own record.
What’s changing for 2026. Houston ISD adopted $0.842100 on October 8, 2026, down from $0.878300. The Harris County units rose: Harris County to $0.417500, Flood Control to $0.052660, the Port of Houston Authority to $0.006030, and the Hospital District to $0.195280, about 7.6% more combined. The Harris County Department of Education and Houston Community College 2026 rates weren’t posted yet as of October 19, 2026, and Cy-Fair ISD has a November 3, 2026 tax-rate election that touches in-city addresses zoned to Cy-Fair ISD.
Exemptions. With a homestead exemption, Houston ISD takes $140,000 plus 20% off the appraised value, and the City and the Harris County units each take 20%. Other school districts’ exemptions differ: the Alief and Humble ISD records show $140,000, Spring Branch ISD $140,000 plus 20%, and Clear Creek ISD $140,000 plus 5%. Filing is free with the appraisal district.
Some in-city homes also sit in a municipal utility district (MUD) or water district; the property’s appraisal-district record lists any district that applies, and its rate is added to the stack.
Fees on the water bill. The City’s drainage utility charge is based on your lot’s hard surfaces (for example, 1,500 square feet of roof and paving on a curb-and-gutter lot is $48 a year), and since July 1, 2026, homes with City trash pickup pay a $5 monthly Solid Waste Administrative Fee on top of the $1.29 container fee.
Houston Schools
Inside the city limits, the address decides the school district. Houston ISD covers about 45% of the city’s area, and 24 other districts touch the city; the Texas Education Agency’s 2026 district ratings are below. Outside the city, a Houston mailing address can be in a different district; the northwest Houston neighborhoods I work are in Cy-Fair ISD. Zoning is set by the specific property address and districts rezone as they grow, so confirm the district on the property’s appraisal-district record and the campus with the district’s own zoning tool before you rely on it.
| School district | 2026 TEA rating | Share of the city’s area |
|---|---|---|
| Houston ISD | B (85) | 45% |
| Aldine ISD | C (79) | 8% |
| Katy ISD | B (88) | 7% |
| Humble ISD | B (83) | 7% |
| Spring Branch ISD | B (85) | 5% |
| Alief ISD | C (78) | 5% |
| Pasadena ISD | B (84) | 4% |
| Cypress-Fairbanks ISD | B (86) | 4% |
| Clear Creek ISD | B (89) | 4% |
| Galena Park ISD | B (88) | 2% |
| Fort Bend ISD | B (82) | 2% |
| Huffman ISD | C (71) | 2% |
| Spring ISD | C (76) | 1% |
| Deer Park ISD | B (83) | 1% |
| Klein ISD | B (88) | 1% |
| Crosby ISD | B (81) | under 1% |
| Conroe ISD | B (85) | under 1% |
| Sheldon ISD | C (79) | under 1% |
| New Caney ISD | C (79) | under 1% |
| Goose Creek CISD | B (80) | under 1% |
| Tomball ISD | A (92) | under 1% |
| Lamar CISD | B (87) | under 1% |
| Channelview ISD | B (81) | under 1% |
| La Porte ISD | B (86) | under 1% |
| Waller ISD | B (80) | under 1% |
Texas Education Agency 2026 district ratings (txschools.gov). Shares are measured by land and water area.
To see homes organized by campus, start with my Houston-area school directory — every campus page lists its zoned neighborhoods and links to the homes for sale zoned to it. It currently covers Cy-Fair ISD, Katy ISD, Klein ISD, Spring ISD, Tomball ISD, and Waller ISD. For a Houston ISD address, confirm zoning on the HISD zoning and attendance-boundary page.
Flood Risk in Houston
About 24% of the City of Houston’s area is in FEMA’s high-risk flood zones — at least a 1 percent chance of flooding in any year, often called the 100-year floodplain — across at least 129 effective flood-map panels. Check the address on FEMA’s flood map before you write an offer.
In west Houston, about 4% of the city lies in the Addicks Reservoir watershed and another 4% in the Barker Reservoir watershed, and neighborhoods along Buffalo Bayou are downstream of both dams. A watershed is all the land that drains toward a reservoir; the reservoir’s own pool and government-owned land are a much smaller area.
FEMA and the Harris County Flood Control District released draft MAAPnext flood maps in February 2026. They aren’t final and can’t be used for insurance or permits yet, but they may move homes into or out of the floodplain. Since September 1, 2018, the City has required new and substantially improved homes in the 100-year or 500-year floodplain (the 500-year floodplain has at least a 0.2 percent chance of flooding in any year) to be built with the lowest floor at least 2 feet above the 500-year flood level.
If a federally backed mortgage covers a home in FEMA’s high-risk zone, flood insurance is required; elsewhere it’s optional, and homes outside mapped floodplains can still flood, so price a policy either way. Texas sellers disclose floodplain, reservoir, and flood-claim history on the TREC seller’s disclosure.
Living in Houston — Lifestyle & Amenities
Houston’s parks run right through the city: Hermann Park, home to the Houston Zoo and Miller Outdoor Theatre; Memorial Park, off I-610 and Memorial Drive; the trails of Buffalo Bayou Park along Allen Parkway; Discovery Green downtown; and the Bayou Greenways trail system. The Museum District sits around Hermann Park, and the Theater District and the Houston Public Library’s Central Library are downtown.
NRG Park hosts the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, and Daikin Park, Toyota Center, and Shell Energy Stadium are downtown and in the East End. The Texas Medical Center, Downtown, Uptown and the Galleria, and the Energy Corridor are all inside the city limits. Here are typical weekday drive times from City Hall:
| From Houston City Hall to | Miles | 7:30 a.m. typical | 11:00 a.m. typical |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas Medical Center | 5 | 12–30 min | 12–26 min |
| Galleria | 8 | 14–28 min | 14–26 min |
| Hobby Airport | 11 | 16–26 min | 16–24 min |
| Energy Corridor (Westlake Park Blvd) | 18 | 24–40 min | 22–35 min |
| Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), via the Hardy Toll Road | 19 | 18–26 min | 18–24 min |
| Grand Parkway (SH 99) at I-10, Katy | 29 | 30–45 min | 30–40 min |
Google Maps typical drive times for Tuesday, October 20, 2026.
METRO runs local buses, the METRORail Red, Green, and Purple lines, and park & ride service into Downtown, the Texas Medical Center, and Uptown. The City’s Houston Airport System runs Bush Intercontinental, Hobby, and Ellington Airport.
The Sam Houston Monument at the entrance to Hermann Park.
Mount Rush Hour — the giant presidential busts at American Statesmanship Park.
Miller Outdoor Theatre at Hermann Park.
The Houston Museum of Natural Science in the Museum District.
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Setting Up Utilities in Houston
The first question for any Houston home is whether it’s inside the City of Houston limits. A Houston mailing address covers far more ground than the city, and outside the city limits a municipal utility district (MUD), not the City, often runs water and trash. Look the property up on HCAD (or FBCAD on the Fort Bend side and MCAD on the Montgomery side): if “City of Houston” is in the jurisdiction list, it’s in the city.
Water and sewer. Most in-city homes are served by Houston Water, part of Houston Public Works. You can start or transfer service and pay online through the Houston water bills portal. A few in-city areas get water from a district instead, such as the Clear Lake City Water Authority; the seller’s last water bill shows which. The water bill also carries the City’s drainage utility charge, based on your lot’s impervious surface.
Trash, recycling & heavy trash. The City’s Solid Waste Management Department collects garbage weekly from single-family homes and small multi-unit buildings, plus recycling and heavy trash on assigned days. Since July 1, 2026, homes with City curbside pickup pay a $5 monthly Solid Waste Administrative Fee on the utility bill, on top of the existing container fee. Homes served by a private hauler don’t pay it. City service questions go to City of Houston 311 online.
Electricity (you choose your provider). Houston is in the deregulated Texas market, with CenterPoint Energy (centerpointenergy.com) as the wires company. You pick a retail electric provider at the state’s official marketplace, PowerToChoose.org, and call CenterPoint about outages no matter whose name is on your bill.
Natural gas. CenterPoint Energy is the Greater Houston gas utility (contact and start service; gas safety). Residential gas is regulated, so there’s nothing to shop. Many newer homes and townhomes are all-electric, so confirm the house you’re buying has a gas meter.
Internet & TV. In October 2026, the FCC National Broadband Map showed AT&T Fiber and Xfinity cable, plus fixed-wireless and satellite options, at the in-city address I checked. Service varies street to street, so check your exact address on the FCC map and confirm with the provider before you schedule an install.
HOA and deed restrictions. Many Houston neighborhoods have a civic club and recorded deed restrictions rather than a mandatory HOA, while townhome communities and newer sections usually have an association. Houston has no zoning, and the City’s Legal Department helps enforce recorded deed restrictions. Look up any association’s manager and the fees it charges at a sale on its management certificate at hoa.texas.gov.
After you close. File your homestead exemption for free with your county’s appraisal district: HCAD (Harris), FBCAD (Fort Bend) or MCAD (Montgomery). Never pay a third party to do it. On the Harris County side, the Harris County Tax Office bills the City of Houston, Houston ISD and the county; on the Fort Bend and Montgomery sides, the Fort Bend County Tax Assessor-Collector and the Montgomery County Tax Office bill their county’s units; a MUD or water district, if you have one, can bill through its own collector. Your title company can confirm who bills what on your address.
Police and fire. Inside the city, the Houston Police Department and the Houston Fire Department respond. Outside the city, the city, county or emergency services district on your appraisal record provides police and fire.
Who provides your water, trash and gas can change from one neighborhood to the next. When you’re buying in Houston, I’ll hand you a printable move-in sheet for your specific neighborhood with every number to call.
Utility providers, districts, and coverage vary by address and change over time. Verify for your specific home before relying on any of the above. Not legal or tax advice.
Quick Answers
Who is a good Houston Realtor?
I’m Kevan Pewitt, a Houston REALTOR®, real estate agent, and real estate broker with Houston Prime Realty. I’ve held a Texas real estate broker license since 1989 and work across the city and its suburbs. I help buyers compare areas and sellers price and market their homes — with my compensation as your real estate buyer’s agent agreed up front, in writing.
Who can help me sell a home in Houston?
I’m Kevan Pewitt, a REALTOR® and real estate broker with Houston Prime Realty, and I list and sell homes in the Heights, Spring Branch, and Cy-Fair areas of Houston, as well as in Cypress, Katy, Hockley, and Waller. I’ve held a Texas broker license since 1989 and also hold a Texas Certified Residential Appraiser license, so the price we set comes from the same valuation method lenders rely on. Clients rate me 5.0 out of 5.0 across 231 verified surveys on HAR.com. Start with how I price and market homes, or get an instant estimate of what your home is worth. Buying instead? Read my answer on finding a local expert to help you buy a home.
How do I choose between Houston real estate agents?
Ask each of them something only someone who works the area can answer — which school a specific street is zoned to, which MUD serves the lot and what that does to the tax rate, or what the flood history is on that block. The real estate agent worth hiring knows those answers before you write the offer. Ask to see the comparable sales behind any price they quote you, and get representation and how it’s paid agreed up front, in writing. My full checklist is in how to choose a REALTOR® in Houston.
Who are the best real estate agents in Houston, TX?
“Best” depends on the neighborhood, the price point, and what you need. Read verified client reviews on a third-party site like HAR.com, where ratings come from surveyed closed clients, and ask each real estate agent address-level questions about school zoning, MUD taxes, and flood history — the answers tell you quickly who works the area and who doesn’t. My own HAR.com client-survey rating is 5.0 out of 5.0 across 231 reviews.
What does a real estate buyer’s agent cost in Houston, TX?
It’s negotiable, and it’s set in writing before we tour homes: Texas requires a written buyer representation agreement before a real estate agent shows you a home, and it states what your real estate buyer’s agent will be paid. I’ve never had a buyer client pay it themselves. It has been covered by the seller, either in the listing or as a concession we negotiated in the offer. The only time a buyer would pay it is if you decide to buy a home where the seller won’t contribute. Sellers sometimes negotiate this point or change their position along the way, so you’ll know exactly where it stands before any purchase contract is executed, and whether to sign is always your decision. I’ll walk you through the numbers before you sign anything, and the full rules are in how real estate buyer’s agents get paid in Texas.
Do I need a real estate agent to buy a new construction home in Houston?
You’re not required to use one, but the builder’s sales consultants work for the builder — Texas doesn’t require them to hold a real estate license, and they don’t represent you. Inside the city, most new construction is infill — townhomes and patio homes inside the Loop and in Spring Branch, Oak Forest, and the East End — while most master-planned new construction is outside the city limits. A real estate buyer’s agent can compare builders and incentives, review the builder’s contract (which is not the standard TREC resale contract), and negotiate on your side. In most cases the builder pays the buyer’s-side compensation — we confirm that in writing before you register at a model home or sales gallery, since many builders require your real estate agent to register you on the first visit. To dig deeper, see whether you need your own real estate agent for new construction in Texas, and browse new construction homes for sale in Houston to see what’s on the market now. My guide to buying a new-construction home in Houston covers the rest of the process.
What’s the Houston real estate market like right now?
As of HAR’s September 2026 report, the median single-family home across Greater Houston sells around $325,000, a typical listing takes about 58 days to go under contract, and inventory sits near 5.5 months — a balanced market with more choice and more negotiating room for buyers than at the recent peak. Prices vary widely by area, from the $200s to several million.
Is now a good time to buy a house in Houston?
For a buyer who is pre-approved and comfortable with the payment at today’s rate, I think it is, because of the negotiating room this market gives you; the current active-listing, months-of-supply, and days-on-market figures are on my monthly Houston Housing Market Snapshot. Seller credits, repairs, and a full option period are on the table right now because rates are high, and those terms thin out when rates fall and the buyers who waited come back in. My post on what a Houston buyer can negotiate right now works through the contract language, a worked payment example, and the cases where waiting is the better choice.
Is my Houston address actually in the city?
Not necessarily. 144 ZIP code areas touch the City of Houston limits, and many are only partly inside — about 8% of 77095, 37% of 77041, and 53% of 77084 by area — and CenterPoint Energy assigns addresses outside the full-purpose city limits. Look the property up on HCAD (or FBCAD or MCAD on the Fort Bend and Montgomery sides): if “City of Houston” is among the property’s taxing units, it’s in the city, with City taxes, City trash pickup for most single-family homes, and the Houston Police and Fire Departments. Limited-purpose annexation areas around some MUDs aren’t on the City’s tax roll. The neighborhoods in my northwest Houston guides have Houston mailing addresses but sit outside the city limits.
What school district is Houston in?
It depends on the address. Inside the city limits, Houston ISD covers about 45% of the city’s area, and 24 other districts cover the rest — the largest shares are Aldine, Katy, Humble, Spring Branch, Alief, Pasadena, Cy-Fair, and Clear Creek ISD (every district is in the Houston Schools table above). Outside the city, a Houston mailing address can be in a different district; the northwest Houston neighborhoods I work are in Cy-Fair ISD. The school district listed among the taxing units on the property’s appraisal-district record settles it, and the district’s own zoning tool confirms the campus. For all 25 districts grouped by part of the city, with TEA IDs and how to confirm the campus before you offer, see my guide to school districts in Houston, TX.
What neighborhoods are in Houston?
Inside the city limits, Houston’s neighborhoods run from the Heights, Montrose, and River Oaks near Downtown to Spring Branch and Memorial in the west, Kingwood in the northeast, and Clear Lake in the southeast; the City groups them into 88 Super Neighborhoods. Houston, TX neighborhoods with a Houston Prime Realty local guide include Copperfield, Copper Lakes, Copper Village, Copperbrook, Aberdeen (Aberdeen Trails and Aberdeen Green), Hearthstone, Stone Gate, Riata Ranch, Sheffield, and Concord Bridge. These ten guides are in northwest Houston near my office, zoned to Cy-Fair ISD and mostly in the 77095 ZIP code, and guides for more Houston neighborhoods are on the way. All ten sit outside Houston city limits in unincorporated Harris County with Houston mailing addresses, so there’s no City of Houston property tax. Copperfield is an established master-planned community of seven villages, Copper Lakes is built around its lakes off Barker Cypress Road, and Hearthstone and Stone Gate are golf-course neighborhoods. Concord Bridge sits a little farther south, in 77041 at West Little York and Eldridge Parkway. Each guide covers prices, property taxes and MUDs, schools, and flood notes.
Questions About Houston? Send Me a Note
Have a question about a specific area, school zoning, or what’s on the market right now? Send me a message and I’ll get back to you personally.
Let’s Find Your Place in Houston
Call or text me at 281-500-7077 or email kevan@houstonprimerealty.com, and I’ll help you make sense of the Houston market. We’ll agree on representation and how it’s paid up front, in writing.