The pandemic has forced many Conroe and Montgomery residents to spend more time at home. Realtors and developers said they are noticing homebuyers searching for more office space to work from home and space for their children to do schoolwork as well as yards and access to trails.

“I think the walls started to cave in on a lot of people, and they felt the need to maybe find larger houses with a little bit more space,” said Heath Melton, executive vice president of MPC Residential for the Howard Hughes Corp., which is the developer for The Woodlands Hills.

A total of 73 homes have sold in the community this year as of June 28 compared to 58 at the same time last year. In June, 14 homes were sold—twice the number sold in June 2019.

In some cases, the ability to offer more space helped offset some of the subdued home sales that were seen statewide. Woodforest along Fish Creek Thoroughfare, developed by Houston-based Johnson Development Corp., sold just 19 fewer homes than last year to date, at 172 sales so far this year, Marketing Director Faith Pitman said in June.

“We were expecting a hiccup in sales, but we did not see that happen here,” Pitman said. “I firmly believe it’s because Woodforest ... offers so much space, so there was room to roam.”•