In 2015, Houston was at the center of many spotlights. The one thing that just about every noticed, however, was how much of a roller coaster the oil industry was. Even for the folks who don’t pay attention to oil saw plummeting prices at the gas pumps. The crash of the oil industry prompted a lot of worry and debate throughout the year—the economic future for Houston was on the line.

But how did things really pan out? And more important for real estate investors, how will the oil slump affect Houston real estate going into 2016?

If there’s one thing we’ve learned over the past year about Houston, it’s that this city knows how to keep going. While many predicted that this year’s ongoing oil slump would cause a cooling in Houston’s real estate market, it just hasn’t happened. Despite layoffs in the energy sector and dropping oil prices, Houston, on the whole, has barely flinched.

Despite a somewhat flat August (by Houston’s standards, anyway), Houston home prices jumped to a record September high with 4.5% year-over-year growth: hitting a $208,000 median and defying predictions that Houston’s real estate prosperity was coming to an end. (You can see the full September report from the Houston Association of Realtors here.)

What’s keeping things going strong in the face of so many negative predictions? With so much attention on their market—one of the hottest in the country, along with fellow Texas city, Dallas—how has Houston managed to succeed time and time again, even with big oil in question? The answer dips deep into economic history...and how a city once dependent on energy is holding its own in every way.

Want more information on 'How To' invest in Memphis, Dallas or Houston?  Click here for a personal Jump Start Packet with everything you need to know to get you started!

What's Been Happening In Houston Real Estate...?

For the past few years, Houston has been the place to be for real estate. After the housing bubble burst, Houston fared better than the vast majority of comparable markets. A strong local economy was a big contributing factor to mitigating the effect of the market crash: continuing to attract young professionals and industry where other cities slumped.

Houston wound up at the forefront of housing market recovery, bringing in the eyes and ears of real estate experts, investors, Realtors, homeowners and job-seekers alike. For many, Houston became a model of recovery.

With that kind of pressure and attention, some were afraid Houston’s real estate would buckle, resulting in a crash and burn.

Some think it might still happen. Why? It boils down to Houston doing too well. The scales are tipped highly in favor of sellers with skyrocketing prices and exponential demand. A tighter inventory on top of sluggish home building only kept that trend going.

But what’s really been going on in Houston?

As we all know, Houston has been making real estate headlines for quite some time now. Space City took a softer blow during the recession and, consequently, has been experiencing a thriving real estate market (comparatively speaking). Most analysts saw Houston as top dog in 2015 as the local economy continued to grow along with housing demands.

The Houston real estate market wasn’t without its problems and complications of course (which market doesn’t?), but all seemed smooth sailing…

There’s no denying that Houston, TX is a cool place.Between it’s booming local economy, legacy of space travel and melting pot population, Houston is doing pretty well for itself. For businesses, entrepreneurs, young graduates — and, you guessed it — real estate investors, Houston is the place to be!

Our TEAM at Memphis Invest began looking for a third market two years ago.  Dallas, TX. has been an incredible market for our company over the past few years and continues to perform very well for our clients.  For our next step and the growth of our company, we really wanted to stay in a state where we were already licensed, highly familiar with the market and there had to be compelling reasons to open the new office.

As investors, we always need to keep pace with the markets we have our hands in and have our eyes peeled for what’s growing. Memphis Invest grew into the Dallas, TX market going on three years ago and that market has really taken off.  Today we have an incredible team at Dallas Invest, which is simply a satellite office.  A brand name if you will offering the same quality as Memphis and developing the same standards and culture as Memphis and the market is really responding well.

Lat year, we turned our eyes toward Houston, Texas as demand for more property from our clients continued to grow.  We wanted to offer choice.  But not just any choice...

Should cool factor matter to real estate investors? You bet it should. “Coolness,” while not typically a quantifiable measurement, certainly is something to pay attention to when looking at real estate. Where are young people flocking to? Which cities are experiencing rapid growth?  

Cool does not pay the bills...or does it?  Cool is an important factor for today's millennials as you will read here in a second.  They are your potential renters and are the ones who will drive the values and demand for your properties into the future.  So does a "Cool" city matter?  I think it matters a lot...

Real estate investors have always looked for the little subtle advantages they can get.  When you are investing in a city away from where you live, you need to look for every advantage you can get.  Those advantages are found in locating the best team possible to do business with.  The best property management available.  Highly qualified people to help you locate the best neighborhoods, streets and properties.  And lastly, the city itself plays a HUGE factor in your decision.  You want to invest in real estate located in cities where people want to be.  Good culture, good potential and good outlook are all important...but so is the cool factor!  Whether we want to consider the coolness of a place as a contributing factor or as a matter of opinion, the fact remains — people will go where the “action” is.