Published October 25, 2026 in Market Update

Luxury has more new listings, but inventory is still lower than last year

By Lisa Marie Sanders

Real estate, Luxury

If you have been watching the Luxury market, here is the one number that changes what you should do next. Inventory fell 4% from a year ago, even as new listings rose. More fresh choices are coming in. Fewer total homes are sitting. That is a different market than most people picture.

These numbers cover the three months ending August 31, 2026.

What the inventory gap means for you

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 1,735 new listings across Luxury in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 4.8% from the same months of 2025. More sellers stepped up.

But total homes for sale came in at 1,505, down 4% from a year before. New listings are arriving faster than the pool is growing. Homes are moving. The market is not flooded.

For buyers, that means real choices without a glut. For sellers, new competition is real. Price carefully and your home can still find a buyer.

Nationally, rates and prices add context

Realtor.com reported that active listings topped 1.16 million homes nationally in September 2026. Supply is rising across the country, not just here.

Realtor.com also reported that mortgage rates climbed above 7% for the first time since January 2025. The Wall Street Journal reported rates have surged above 7% recently. Higher rates slow some buyers down.

Realtor.com reported that price cuts hit 20.8% of listings nationally in September, the highest share since October 2022. That is a reminder that list price still matters.

How each ZIP code looked

Not every ZIP moved the same way. Some tightened fast. Others slowed.

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 78 homes sold in ZIP 77059 in the three months ending August 31, 2026. The median sale price there rose 6.5% from a year before, to $436,750. Homes sat a median of just 24 days, 12 days shorter than a year ago.

ZIP 77546 in Friendswood saw 267 homes sold, up 17.6% from a year before. The median sale price dipped 14.2% to $446,000. More homes sold, at a lower price. Both things can be true at once.

ZIP 77565 in Kemah tells a different story. The Real Estate Data Aggregator recorded a median of 91 days on market, though that is 29 days shorter than a year ago. Pending sales jumped 55.9%. The pace is picking up, even if it starts from a slower base.

ZIP 77518 in Bacliff had only 15 homes sold, down 40% from a year before. Months of supply reached 8.4, up 3 months from last year. Prices rose 26.8%, but fewer homes changed hands. Small ZIP codes can swing hard on thin volume.

Speed: where buyers moved fastest

The Real Estate Data Aggregator found that in ZIP 77059, 45.6% of homes went under contract within two weeks of listing. That share rose 21.5 points from a year before. Nearly half of homes there did not sit long.

ZIP 77062 in Houston saw 38.4% of homes go under contract within two weeks, up 4.7 points. ZIP 77581 in Pearland reached 35.7%, up 0.3 points.

What sellers got at closing

Sellers in most ZIPs closed close to their asking price. ZIP 77062 averaged 98.4% of list price. ZIP 77059 averaged 98.1%. ZIP 77586 in Seabrook averaged 96.9%, the lowest of the group.

Price cuts nationally are at their highest share since October 2022, Realtor.com reported. Locally, homes priced right are still closing near list. Homes priced too high are the ones giving ground.

One street can read very differently from the whole ZIP code. A home near the water in Kemah sits in a different market than one a mile inland. The numbers above are a starting point, not a final answer for your address.