Although single-family home sales have slowed in the first quarter of 2017, the Pearland and Friendswood residential markets continue to see high demand as developers invest in new construction.


Residential communities, such as Pomona, Sterling Creek, West Ranch and Lakes of Savannah, have added homes and are attracting a diverse range of home buyers.


The top selling points are high-performing school districts and community amenities as well as access to the burgeoning 288 corridor, developers said.


Cooling housing market


According to Will Holder, president at Trendmaker Homes and former president at the Greater Houston Builders Association, the Greater Houston area single-family home market is holding up well across the city and particularly in the Pearland and Friendswood areas.


“The market in general has slowed as the oil market slowed, but we have maintained a pretty high level of demand,” Holder said. “You can tell that by the number of days on the market, the number of houses on the market and the number of transactions.”


Homes on the low end of the single-family housing market had the most sales activity in 2017.


The average price of a sold home in Pearland and Friendswood varies from the low $200,000s to $300,000s, according to data from the Houston Association of Realtors.


Home sales in May were slower than sales in May 2016 for both Pearland and Friendswood. The exception is in the 77581 ZIP code. While April was a slower month year over year for the 77581 ZIP code, 79 homes were sold in May compared 63 homes sold in the same with period last year.


Homes stayed on the market longer in the first five months of 2017, compared with the first five months of 2016.


Homes in Pearland can stay on the market for less than a month to about three months on average in 2017, depending on the ZIP code, according to HAR.


While homes in the 77584 and 77581 ZIP codes were on the market longer in April 2017 than April 2016, demand ticked back up in May, and they spent fewer days on the market in May than a year earlier. Homes in the 77089 ZIP code saw the greatest drop in days on the market year over year.


“In any market, you have two halves of an equation: supply and demand,” Holder said. The demand side is strong by any measure, but there is also a high level of supply. It doesn’t mean we aren’t selling, it just means that we have to work hard for each sale.”


Savvy consumers


School districts can be top of mind for homebuyers with families. Homes zoned to Pearland or Friendswood ISDs see the most demand, especially homes in the lower price bracket, said Pearland area Realtor Jennifer Duguay of RE/MAX Pearland.


“Anything that is under $250,000 that is zoned to Pearland ISD seems to be flying,” Duguay said. “Same for anything under $350,000 that is zoned to Friendswood ISD.”


While homeowners are buying into new residential communities like Pomona and Sterling Ranch, existing home sales are strong in communities under development like Lakes of Savannah and West Ranch.


Kayla Stewart, senior land analyst and marketing coordinator at the Friendswood Development Company,  said 106 existing home sales took place in the past 12 months in Lakes of Savannah, and 48 existing home sales in West Ranch in the same 12-month period.


Brian Gibson, community development manager at Lakes of Savannah, said the master-planned community is popular because of its location, amenities and access to entertainment, medical facilities and schools.


To accommodate the market, more homes are being built along the Hwy. 288 corridor.


“[The Pearland area], especially along [Hwy.] 288, is a very active development,” Holder said.


Although being zoned to a school district helps homes sell, that is not the only reason a home can be hot on the market. Staging homes to look their best for homebuyers can improve a home’s desirability, Duguay said.


“Homes that are staged are going so much quicker than homes that are not,” said Duguay.


Other trends in the Pearland and Friendswood market include homes that have granite countertops and wood floors.


Homes come online


Friendswood’s Sterling Creek, like many other communities in Pearland and Friendswood, is continuing to grow. Adam Hill, partner at Sterling Creek developer HH Development LLC, said 40 home sites have been built so far this year, in contrast to 35 sites for 2016, and he expects 25 more residents in the next year.


“We are a gated community—we have the largest lots in Friendswood,” Hill said. “There are no [municipal utility district] taxes and low homeowners association dues.”


Hill said he expects Sterling Creek will be built out in 2024.


Similarly, Pomona is growing quickly, said Paulina Baker, an account executive at Pomona.


“We are expecting build-out in 2023 or 2024, but we are looking into buying more land,” Baker said.


Baker said the first phase of development for Pomona, which consists of 300 lots, is not sold out. However, Pomona developer Hillwood Communities is already preselling lots for Phase 2, which will have 150-200 lots.


Baker said she thinks the amenities the community offers and its location are what make the development popular for homeowners of varying ages.


While many of the Pearland and Friendswood single-family home developments have been underway for years and are still growing, a new development is coming online as well.


Friendswood Trails is a 276-acre development being built on the abandoned golf course in the Sunmeadow community.


Friendswood Trails is a master-planned community with an anticipated 400 lots. In addition to homes, the community will offer amenities, such as parks, trails and ponds.


The developer, Parke Patterson Land Development, started removing old pavement, tennis courts and parking lots this spring. Infrastructure and street construction is expected to begin in early August. The first round of homes should be completed in spring 2018.


The builders for the community will be Perry Homes, and homes will range from the mid-$300,000s to the $600,000s.


“We’ve very excited to be in Friendswood,” said Parke Patterson, the owner of the development company. “It’s a great market.”