Published October 5, 2026 in Market Update

One part of this market is still moving fast despite higher rates

By April Aberle

Real estate, Webster/Clear Lake/Seabrook/Kemah Buy Box

Rates are up. That is real. Freddie Mac put the 30-year fixed rate at 7.28% as of October 1, 2026. CNBC reported Mortgage News Daily clocked it even higher, at 7.58%, earlier that same week. For a lot of buyers, that changes the math. But here is what the numbers from the Real Estate Data Aggregator show for the three months ending July 31, 2026: this market is not reading the same in every ZIP code. One part is still moving quickly. Another part has slowed. Knowing which is which matters a lot right now.

The fastest corner: ZIP 77059

ZIP 77059, the Clear Lake area near the Space Center, stood out from everything else in this buy box. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 81 homes sold there in the three months ending July 31, 2026. The median sale price came in at $443,500, up 7.5% from the same three months a year before. That is a meaningful gain in a high-rate environment.

Nearly half of all homes listed in 77059 went under contract within two weeks. That share jumped 24.5 points compared with the same period a year ago, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. Median days on market dropped to just 13 days, which is 18 days shorter than the year before. Inventory fell too: the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted only 61 homes for sale, down 23.8% year over year, and just 2.3 months of supply. For sellers in 77059, a well-prepared home is still drawing serious attention. For buyers, a clean offer matters here more than in most of this market.

ZIP 77062 is close behind

ZIP 77062 also showed real strength. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 103 homes sold in the three months ending July 31, 2026, with a median sale price of $325,000, up 5.7% from a year before. Median days on market held steady at 22 days. Supply sat at 2.1 months. And 41.7% of homes went under contract within two weeks, up 7.4 points from the year before. Sales volume dipped just slightly, down 2.8%, but the pace of the market did not slow.

How the ZIP codes compare on speed

The slower end of the market

Not every ZIP code in this buy box is reading the same way. ZIP 77565, which covers the Kemah area, had a median of 82 days on market and 5.7 months of supply, according to the Real Estate Data Aggregator. That is the most supply of any ZIP code here. Only 2.6% of homes sold above list price, and just 22.9% went under contract within two weeks. Prices did nudge up 3.9% to $333,977, and pending sales rose 20%, so there is activity. It is just moving at a different pace.

ZIP 77058 also sat on the slower side. The Real Estate Data Aggregator showed a median sale price of $194,000, down 17.4% from a year before. That is a notable drop, and it is worth understanding before drawing conclusions. Median days on market came in at 43 days. Only 9.8% of homes sold above list price. Pending sales did jump 30.2%, and supply fell 1.3 months, so there are signs of life. But this is a different buyer pool and a different product than 77059.

The whole buy box together

Across all six ZIP codes combined, the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 454 homes sold in the three months ending July 31, 2026. That is up 6.1% from the same period a year before. Pending sales across the buy box came in at 479, up 8.6%. New listings totaled 599, up 3.6%. Homes for sale dropped to 516, down 8.8%. So overall, more homes are selling and fewer are sitting. That is a steady picture, even with rates where they are.

What rates mean right now

Freddie Mac put the 30-year fixed rate at 7.28% as of October 1, 2026. The 15-year fixed averaged 6.60% the same week. CNBC reported that the Mortgage Bankers Association saw weekly mortgage demand fall 6% as rates climbed. These are real headwinds for buyers. But the local numbers show that well-priced homes in the right ZIP codes are still finding buyers. The rate environment shapes what buyers can afford. It does not stop the market from moving where supply is tight.