Tim LaBorde Team: Real Estate & Hedge Fund Advisory

09/10/2026

The latest HAR numbers came out yesterday, and Houston is becoming a little more buyer-friendly.

Here’s what happened in August compared with last year:

• Single-family sales fell 11.5%
• Median price fell 1.5% to $330,000
• Inventory remained at 5.3 months
• Homes averaged 54 days on market, up from 52

Prices are mostly holding, with many homeowners still wearing golden handcuffs because of their low mortgage rates. But demand has clearly softened, giving buyers more time and negotiating room.

The part I’m watching most closely is the $250,000 to $499,999 range. Sales in that segment fell 13.7%. That covers a large portion of suburban Houston.

Another major factor is new construction. In any Houston-area market with heavy builder activity, resale owners are competing against builder inventory, subsidized mortgage rates and closing-cost assistance that an individual seller usually cannot match.

That means a resale should be priced against the builder’s effective monthly payment, not just the builder’s advertised price.

Oil complicates the picture. Brent crude closed above $100 on September 9. Sustained high oil prices can eventually bring more money and employment into Houston. But higher oil can also feed inflation and keep mortgage rates elevated. The latest average contract rate for a conforming 30-year mortgage reached approximately 6.85%.

My read: Houston remains stable, but buyers have gained some leverage as the market continues moving toward more normal conditions and better balance. In areas with substantial new construction, sellers need realistic pricing, a better location, a better lot or something else builders cannot easily duplicate.

Official HAR report:
https://www.har.com/content/department/mls

08/28/2026

Houston led the country in completed foreclosures in July.
According to ATTOM, 405 Houston-area properties went back to lenders last month. Texas also led the nation in foreclosure starts and completed foreclosures.

We’re still well below the foreclosure levels seen before the pandemic, so this isn’t 2008 all over again. But the trend is worth watching. Foreclosure filings nationally are up 10% from last year, and completed foreclosures are up 23%.

For Houston investors, this could mean more distressed inventory hitting the market over the next several months.

ATTOM reports 39,906 U.S. foreclosure filings in July, up 1% from June and 10% from July 2025, but still below pre-pandemic levels.

06/26/2026

A Houston real estate report just came out: New home prices slipped slightly in May while sales increased.

To me, the more interesting questions are these:

Are builders negotiating more?

From what I’m seeing, yes. Not necessarily by cutting the list price, but through closing cost credits, rate buy-downs, upgrades, and other incentives that don’t always show up in the MLS.

Should buyers ask for a lower price or a rate buy-down?

Ask for both. If you’re financing the purchase, a rate buy-down can often have a bigger impact on your monthly payment than a small price reduction.

Should resale sellers pay attention?

Absolutely. You’re no longer competing only against the house down the street. You’re competing against builders offering brand-new homes, warranties, and incentives.

The headline is that prices dipped a little.

The bigger story is that buyers may have more negotiating power than they realize.

What are you seeing out there? Are builders becoming more flexible in your area?

A new HomesUSA.com report tracking the sales of new homes in the Houston metro has revealed a promising increase in May's new home sales, and improving prices are allowing new homes to sell at a slightly faster rate than in April.

06/09/2026

Apparently some people think buyers hold secret meetings.

They all gather around a table...

Laugh evil laughs...

And agree to lowball every deal.

Except that's not what happens.

Independent buyers don't know each other.

They simply review the same house.

The same rehab.

The same risks.

And sometimes they arrive at the same conclusion.

One low offer is an opinion.

Five similar offers are information.

Consensus is expensive to ignore.

Sometimes the market gives you an answer.

You just don't like it.

Tim LaBorde

06/09/2026

"We just need a buyer."

I've heard that countless times.

The problem is that buyers don't create value.

They measure it.

If five buyers walk the same property, review the same numbers, and all reach the same conclusion, that's not bad luck.

That's feedback.

No offer.

Weak offer.

No interest.

Most people call that a buyer problem.

Experienced investors call it market feedback.

The market doesn't care what you hoped the deal was worth.

The market tells you what it's worth.

The buyers are just delivering the message.

Tim LaBorde

06/08/2026

Interesting housing data from Redfin.

Closed home sales just hit their highest level since 2022, helped by lower mortgage rates in April and increased inventory.

At the same time, pending sales have flattened as rates moved back up and buyers became more cautious.

A few takeaways:

• Inventory continues to rise
• Buyers have more negotiating power than they've had in years
• Many markets are seeing longer days on market
• Houston pending sales were down 12.5% year over year according to the report

The housing market isn't crashing.

But it's also not the frenzy we saw a few years ago.

It's becoming a market where ex*****on, pricing, and due diligence matter more than ever.

Home News Business Wire Rising Rates Stall Housing Market Momentum Just After Closed Home Sales Hit Highest Level Since 2022 Rising Rates Stall Housing Market Momentum Just After Closed Home Sales Hit Highest Level Since 2022 Provided by Business Wire Jun 8, 2026, 12:00:00 PM Rising Rates Stall Hous...

06/07/2026

After a deal falls apart, everybody starts looking for a complicated answer.

A legal issue.

A title issue.

A probate issue.

Sometimes the problem started much earlier.

During the first conversation.

During qualification.

During the questions that never got asked.

I've watched people spend weeks trying to solve problems that could've been uncovered with a simple question.

Who owns the property?

Is anybody else on title?

Has ownership changed recently?

Experienced investors don't ask better questions because they're smarter.

They ask better questions because they've learned what happens when they don't.

Tim LaBorde

06/06/2026

I've heard this countless times:

"We'll let title figure that out."

Maybe.

But the seller was already on the phone.

The seller was already answering questions.

The seller was already telling the story.

Some of the most expensive problems in real estate aren't hidden.

They're ignored.

Probate.

Ownership issues.

Unknown heirs.

Problems that often reveal themselves through questions nobody asked.

That's the uncomfortable part.

Every unanswered question doesn't become a title problem.

But every title problem starts as a question nobody asked.

The answer was available.

Nobody went looking for it.

Tim LaBorde

06/05/2026

I've heard this more times than I can count:

"Nobody could've seen that title issue coming."

Sometimes that's true.

Sometimes it isn't.

Because not every title problem appears out of nowhere.

Some leave clues.

The deceased owner.

The ownership mismatch.

The delinquent taxes.

The divorce nobody looked into.

The warning signs were there.

They just weren't investigated.

That's the uncomfortable part.

Finding a problem after contracting feels unfortunate.

Finding one that could've been discovered before contracting feels expensive.

Professional operators don't assume everything is fine.

They look for reasons it might not be.

Tim LaBorde

06/04/2026

Everybody wants to move fast.

Get the contract.

Find the buyer.

Get paid.

The problem is that title issues don’t care about your timeline.

I’ve watched deals that looked perfectly fine on the surface suddenly fall apart.

Not because the problem was new.

Because somebody finally found it.

A probate issue.

An ownership problem.

An heir nobody knew about.

And by that point, everybody was already counting money.

The seller.

The buyer.

The lender.

That’s why experienced investors ask different questions early.

The goal isn’t finding problems.

The goal is finding them before time, money, and expectations get attached to the deal.

Tim LaBorde