Published market hub · 2026-06
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: start in ZIP 77083 before you widen the search
Selective yes: use Houston, TX rent as a city-level estimate, then confirm local rent before you pursue a property. If local rent and home-value metrics are favorable, the 6.2 % loan rate could support attractive DSCR loans. Start in ZIP 77083, where the current setup looks strongest today. Before deeper deal work, check insurance, taxes, and fee load on the actual property.
DSCR quick screen
Use about $1,316/mo as a first-pass monthly payment ceiling at a 1.20x DSCR floor, then reject deals that need materially more room before taxes, insurance, vacancy, and capex.
- Selective yes: use Houston, TX rent as a city-level estimate, then confirm local rent before you pursue a property.
- City rent proxy: $1,579/mo (Houston, TX).
- Directional only. Pressure-test the payment range in the calculator before application.
Rough max payment
$1,316/mo
Public directional screen only. Validate against your actual scenario.
Rent proxy
City rent proxy: $1,579/mo (Houston, TX)
Public city screen derived from the strongest ZIP watch rows.
ZIP lead
ZIP 77083
Typical home value $262,579 with avg rent $1,906/mo → annual rent $22,872 → gross R/V = 8.7 %.
Market map preview
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX dashboard with city, metro, and ZIP evidence labeled separately.
Lead ZIP
ZIP 77083
Rent proxy
City rent proxy: $1,579/mo (Houston, TX)
Rough max payment
$1,316/mo
Investor read
What this market means right now
- Investors should verify local rent and home-value figures (e.g., Zillow) before finalizing DSCR calculations. The available loan-rate data suggest financing is moderately priced; however, without rent-to-value context the cash-flow cushion cannot be precisely quantified.
- Best fit when stabilized monthly payment can stay comfortably below $1,316/mo.
This page gives you the city screen, the submarket watchlist, and the related article in one place so you can decide whether the market deserves more time and where to start first.
Execution posture
How the setup looks for acquire, refi, and hold
Acquire
Selective yes: treat this as a ZIP-by-ZIP acquisition market, not a blanket citywide buy call; start with ZIP 77083 and only pursue deals that still clear conservative DSCR math.
Refi
Refi only when refreshed rent comps and real operating costs still keep stabilized monthly payment comfortably below $1,316/mo.
Hold
Hold stabilized units that remain comfortably inside the public $1,316/mo payment range after real taxes, insurance, vacancy, and capex.
Acquisition setup
What the current setup means for execution
If local rent and home-value metrics are favorable, the 6.2 % loan rate could support attractive DSCR loans.
- If local rent and home-value metrics are favorable, the 6.2 % loan rate could support attractive DSCR loans.
- Investors can leverage the relatively modest DSCR requirement (1.20×) to acquire properties with modest cash-flow cushions.
- Nearly 49% YoY price decline creates attractive entry points for DSCR investors seeking discounted acquisition costs.
- Low-basis ZIPs such as 77036 and 77084 offer attractive entry points with gross R/V ratios near the DSCR sweet-spot, allowing investors to lock in cash-flow at modest financing costs.
- The steep metro-wide price decline creates upside potential if rents stabilize or increase, especially for watch-list ZIP 77015 where price discounts are still sizable.
Application next step
Ready to move from this market screen into a real application?
If this market still fits your strategy, continue into Sphinx Capital's loan application. DSCRInfo will carry this market context into the application start.
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ZIP watch
Where the submarket edge is concentrated
ZIP 77083
77083
Typical home value $262,579 with avg rent $1,906/mo → annual rent $22,872 → gross R/V = 8.7 %. The ratio exceeds the 8 % DSCR sweet-spot and the purchase price is below the metro median, giving a strong cash-flow cushion at the 6.2 % loan rate. basis: gross rent to value ratio.
ZIP 77083
77036
Typical home value $165,006 with avg rent $1,003/mo → annual rent $12,036 → gross R/V = 7.3 %. Very low basis combined with a rent level near the city median makes the DSCR read favorable despite a slightly lower ratio. basis: gross rent to value ratio.
ZIP 77083
77084
Typical home value $267,577 with avg rent $1,579/mo → annual rent $18,948 → gross R/V = 7.1 %. The ZIP sits at the top of the city’s rent distribution while the price is modest, supporting a solid DSCR margin. basis: gross rent to value ratio.
Watch ZIP
77015
Typical home value $202,568 with avg rent $1,079/mo → annual rent $12,948 → gross R/V = 6.4 %. The ratio is below the 8 % target but the price is still discounted; investors should watch rent-growth trends before committing. basis: gross rent to value ratio.
Caution ZIP
77077
Typical home value $394,737 with avg rent $1,394/mo → annual rent $16,728 → gross R/V = 4.2 %. High purchase price and low rent-to-value ratio make it unlikely to meet the 1.20× DSCR requirement at current financing costs. basis: gross rent to value ratio.
Next 90 days
How the setup could improve or deteriorate next
Given the steep price discount and ample inventory, the market is buyer-friendly for DSCR investors. Prioritize acquisitions in the identified low-basis ZIPs where gross R/V ≥ 7 % and the 6.2 % loan rate still yields a DSCR > 1.2. Monitor inventory trends and loan-rate announcements; a rise above 6.5 % would tighten margins, particularly for ZIPs with R/V < 8 %.
- city read centers on rough max monthly payment $1,316/mo; metro acquisition pressure points to metro median listing price yoy at -48.92%; ZIP layer still shows 3 promising ZIP pockets.
- If local rent and home-value metrics are favorable, the 6.2 % loan rate could support attractive DSCR loans.
- Investors can leverage the relatively modest DSCR requirement (1.20×) to acquire properties with modest cash-flow cushions.
- Nearly 49% YoY price decline creates attractive entry points for DSCR investors seeking discounted acquisition costs.
- Low-basis ZIPs such as 77036 and 77084 offer attractive entry points with gross R/V ratios near the DSCR sweet-spot, allowing investors to lock in cash-flow at modest financing costs.
Acquisition leverage
flat · mediumIf local rent and home-value metrics are favorable, the 6.2 % loan rate could support attractive DSCR loans.
Rent cushion
flat · mediumAbsence of city-level rent and home-value data prevents precise cash-flow modeling.
Refi window
flat · mediumUse the dashboard as a first-pass read, not as a property-level decision.
Opportunity set
Why this market deserves attention
- If local rent and home-value metrics are favorable, the 6.2 % loan rate could support attractive DSCR loans.
- Investors can leverage the relatively modest DSCR requirement (1.20×) to acquire properties with modest cash-flow cushions.
- Nearly 49% YoY price decline creates attractive entry points for DSCR investors seeking discounted acquisition costs.
- Low-basis ZIPs such as 77036 and 77084 offer attractive entry points with gross R/V ratios near the DSCR sweet-spot, allowing investors to lock in cash-flow at modest financing costs.
- The steep metro-wide price decline creates upside potential if rents stabilize or increase, especially for watch-list ZIP 77015 where price discounts are still sizable.
Risk review
What could break the thesis
- Absence of city-level rent and home-value data prevents precise cash-flow modeling.
- DSCR loan rates may vary by lender and investors credit profile; the reported average may not reflect all financing options.
- Potential market volatility in Houston’s residential sector is not captured by loan-rate data alone.
- Elevated inventory (7,050 homes) may drive further price declines and compress future rent growth.
- High inventory (7,050 homes) and a 48.9 % YoY price drop could pressure future rent growth, especially in higher-priced ZIPs like 77077.
Geography & method
How to read this page correctly
ZIP watch rows can diverge materially from city or metro averages.
Geography warnings
- ZIP watch rows can diverge materially from city or metro averages.
- City-level rent and home-value data (Zillow) were not located in the searched sources; the read therefore omits rent-to-value ratios.
- City metrics are not interchangeable with metro metrics; keep city, metro, and ZIP reads visibly separate.
- ZIP watch can diverge materially from city averages on both basis and rent.
Methodology notes
- Use the dashboard as a first-pass read, not as a property-level decision.
- Keep city rent/value proxies, metro acquisition pressure, and literal ZIP evidence visibly separate.
- Public DSCR estimates exclude taxes, insurance, vacancy, capex, lender overlays, and deal-specific rehab assumptions.
- Release dates and methodologies differ by source, so investor judgment should follow the metric-level labels rather than assume one unified feed.
- Loan-rate figures were extracted from DSCR-focused publications covering the Houston market in June 2026.
Metric framework
What this public page is prioritizing
City Max monthly payment at 1.20x DSCR
mixed$1,316/mo
Derived from City rent proxy at a 1.20x DSCR read floor for public first-pass only.
Houston, TX · June 27, 2026
City buyer leverage
mixedSale-to-List 95.12% (100 homes with price drops)
Sale-to-List ratio below 100% and 100 homes with price drops suggest heightened buyer leverage.
Houston, TX · June 27, 2026
Metro Median Listing Price YoY
mixed-48.92%
Median listing price fell 48.92% year-over-year.
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX · June 27, 2026
Metro Median Days on Market
mixed322 days
Median days on market is 322, indicating slow turnover and seller pressure.
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX · June 27, 2026
Reader Q&A
Top questions this page should answer
Is this market workable for a DSCR acquisition investor right now?
Selective yes: treat this as a ZIP-by-ZIP acquisition market, not a blanket citywide buy call; start with ZIP 77083 and only pursue deals that still clear conservative DSCR math.
What rough monthly payment boundary does the public quick read imply?
$1,316/mo using the current dashboard math. City rent proxy: $1,579/mo (Houston, TX).
Where should an investor start inside the market?
Start with ZIP 77083 (promising) and ZIP 77083 (promising). Typical home value $262,579 with avg rent $1,906/mo → annual rent $22,872 → gross R/V = 8.7 %. The ratio exceeds the 8 % DSCR sweet-spot and the purchase price is below the metro median, giving a strong cash-flow cushion at the 6.2 % loan rate. basis: gross rent to value ratio.
What is the main thing that could break the thesis?
Absence of city-level rent and home-value data prevents precise cash-flow modeling.
What should an investor verify next before acting on this dashboard?
If local rent and home-value metrics are favorable, the 6.2 % loan rate could support attractive DSCR loans.
Freshness & method
How this page is built
This page combines a public rent proxy, a rough max monthly payment screen at 1.20x DSCR, local pricing and inventory pressure, and ZIP-level dispersion. It is built to help you decide whether the market deserves deeper deal work and where to start first.
Page updated
June 27, 2026
The current published market screen for Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: start in 77083 before you widen the search.
Metric release window
Latest: June 27, 2026
Oldest on-page metric: June 5, 2026
Sources and method
This dashboard keeps city rent support, rough max monthly payment, local pricing pressure, and ZIP-level dispersion separate so you can decide whether the market is worth pursuing before deeper deal review.
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX dashboard with city, metro, and ZIP evidence labeled separately.. Public pages summarize the sources and method behind each read without exposing the underlying research record.
Application next step
Found a market that still works for your DSCR criteria?
Continue into Sphinx Capital's loan application when you are ready to turn this public market screen into a real DSCR loan application. DSCRInfo will carry this market context into the application start.