Published November 2, 2026 in Market Update

Crystal Beach and Port Bolivar sales picked up even with higher rates

By April Aberle, REALTOR® | RE/MAX Crossroads Realty

Real estate, Crystal Beach/Port Bolivar

The big news for Crystal Beach and Port Bolivar is simple. More buyers showed up. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 71 homes sold in ZIP 77650 in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 24.6% from the same stretch a year before. And 91 homes went pending, up 44.4%. Demand here did not stall, even as rates climbed.

Nationally, Realtor.com reported mortgage rates topped 7% in September 2026. CNBC reported the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.37% as of late October. That is a real headwind for buyers everywhere. But buyers in Crystal Beach and Port Bolivar kept moving.

Prices dipped a little, and that is part of why buyers came back

The Real Estate Data Aggregator put the median sale price at $390,000 for the period, down 4.3% from a year before. A small price dip, combined with more inventory to choose from, gave buyers a reason to act. That is a reasonable trade for sellers who want to close.

For context, Redfin reported the national median home-sale price at $389,601 for the four weeks ending October 25, 2026. Crystal Beach and Port Bolivar are sitting right in line with that national figure, which may surprise some people who think of this area as a premium beach market.

Supply is tighter, and that is a shift worth knowing

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 275 homes for sale in the period, down 15.1% from a year before. Months of supply dropped 5.5 months, landing at 11.9 months. That is still a buyer's market by most measures, but the gap is closing. Sellers have more company on the market than they did two years ago, but less than they did last year.

New listings came in at 109, up 16% from a year before. So fresh supply is arriving. But sales are growing faster than listings, and that is what pushed supply down.

Homes are selling at 93.8% of list, and that has held steady

The Real Estate Data Aggregator put the average sale-to-list ratio at 93.8% for the period, unchanged from a year before. That tells you buyers are still negotiating, and sellers who price right are getting close to their number. Overpriced homes are the ones sitting.

Only 1.4% of homes sold above list price, up 1.4 points from a year before. That is a small share, but it moved in the right direction. And 7.7% of homes went under contract within two weeks of listing, up 4.5 points from a year before. The fastest-moving homes are moving faster than they were.

That 131-day median is the honest number. Most homes here take time. This is a second-home and short-term rental market on the Bolivar Peninsula, and buyers tend to be deliberate. Four days longer than a year before is not a big shift, but it is worth knowing if you are planning a timeline.

What buyers should know about this market

Crystal Beach and Port Bolivar sit on the Bolivar Peninsula, outside the Galveston seawall. That means windstorm coverage through TWIA matters, and a WPI-8 certificate can affect both insurance and a sale. Elevation certificates matter here too. Raised homes on pier-and-beam or stilts can carry real insurance advantages. Ask about both before you make an offer.

If you are buying with a rental plan in mind, know that Galveston County has its own rules around short-term rentals, and rental math varies a lot by lot type. Beachfront, canal, bay, and interior lots are different products with different buyers and different prices. Do not treat them as one.

One more thing worth saying: the numbers above cover all of ZIP 77650. One street, one lot type, or one price range can read very differently from the ZIP as a whole. A beachfront home and an interior lot are not the same market, even if they share the same ZIP code.