Housing

Despite glut of existing homes for sale, Houston leads nation in new-home permitting

For-sale signs are dotting Houston neighborhoods, but real estate developers are still filing permits, pouring concrete and acquiring land for new projects.

Abandoned properties are making Houston hotter. Could these changes turn down the heat?

Abandoned buildings and paved-over vacant lots are cranking up the heat in Houston. Local leaders have some avenues for turning down the temperature — without having to break out the bulldozer.

New research from a Texas A&M University team shows that empty buildings and vacant lots are raising land surface temperatures by up to 20 degrees in parts of Houston, exacerbating record-high heat across the region. 

Houston reports fewest available beds in 20-plus years as unsheltered homelessness rises

A growing number of Houstonians are living on the street, and there’s a big factor playing into the rise.

The number of available beds for the region’s homeless population has plummeted to the lowest level in at least two decades, as providers have increasingly struggled to keep shelters open and running at full capacity, according to data collected for the federal Housing Inventory Count.

FEMA buyouts vs. risky real estate: New maps reveal post-flood migration patterns across the US

New research and maps show most people with homes in flood-prone areas sell their properties instead of taking a federal buyout.

Hurricane Beryl remains a disruptive force for some Harris County residents, survey shows

Time hasn’t healed all wounds from Hurricane Beryl for some Harris County residents.