Houma, LA Housing Market
AI-powered market intelligence for the Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA metro area.
PropertyIQ Scores
Houma, LA Market Analysis
Market Overview
Houma, LA currently presents a weak housing market, reflected in a PropertyIQ Score of just 12 out of 100. The area’s median home value of $185,773 sits below the state average of $217,092, which may suggest relative affordability, but other indicators point to soft demand and sluggish conditions. The top score drivers include a 12-month home value momentum of 3.42%, a 3-month home value momentum of -1.24%, a median days on market of 100 days, and a share of listings with a price cut of 15.2%. Together, these figures show that while there has been some modest annual price movement, recent momentum has turned negative and homes are taking a long time to sell.
Compared with state benchmarks, Houma performs better on some economic measures. Unemployment in Houma is 3.8%, below the state average of 4.4%, and the median household income is $64,269, above Louisiana’s $60,023. The local rent index of $1,308 is also notably higher than the state average of $1,038. However, these strengths have not translated into housing market energy. The PropertyIQ Score of 12/100 places Houma well below what would be considered a moderate or strong market, driven primarily by slow sales, a high share of price reductions, and weak recent home value momentum.
A 3-month home value momentum of -1.24% indicates that prices have slipped in the near term, even as the 12-month figure remains positive at 3.42%. With a reported home value year-over-year change of only $10, price appreciation is essentially flat. The median days on market of 100 days further confirms that listed homes are moving slowly relative to healthy turnover expectations, and the 15.2% share of listings with a price cut suggests sellers are having to adjust expectations to attract buyers.
Key Trends
One key trend is cooling price momentum. The 12-month home value momentum of 3.42% shows some annual appreciation, but the 3-month momentum of -1.24% reveals a recent reversal. A year-over-year home value change of only $10 underscores how minimal price growth has been. This pattern suggests that earlier gains are fading and that home values are not currently on a strong upward trajectory.
A second trend is a slow sales environment. Houma’s median days on market is 100 days, meaning the typical listing takes more than three months to go under contract. Additionally, 15.2% of listings have had a price cut, which is a meaningful signal of buyer leverage and seller competition. With 764 homes for sale, inventory is substantial enough that buyers have time to compare options, negotiate, and wait for price reductions.
A third trend is stronger rental market performance relative to the state. Houma’s rent index of $1,308 is higher than the Louisiana average of $1,038. Combined with a median home value of $185,773 that is below the state average, this creates an interesting dynamic for investors: purchase prices are relatively low, while rental income may be comparatively strong.
A fourth trend is local economic resilience. Houma’s unemployment rate of 3.8% is below the state average of 4.4%, and the median household income of $64,269 exceeds Louisiana’s $60,023. These factors can support housing demand, but they have not yet overcome the weak price momentum and slow market pace reflected in the PropertyIQ Score.
Who Is This Market For
This market may suit patient first-time buyers who are attracted to a median home value of $185,773, which is well below the state average of $217,092. With a median household income of $64,269 that is above the state average, some local buyers may find homeownership more attainable here than in higher-priced parts of Louisiana. However, first-time buyers should be comfortable with the possibility of slow appreciation and a longer future resale timeline, given the 100-day median days on market and weak recent price momentum.
Long-term buy-and-hold investors may also see opportunity in Houma’s rental economics. The rent index of $1,308 is above the state average of $1,038, while the median home value remains relatively modest. This combination can support rental income potential. That said, the overall PropertyIQ Score of 12/100 and the 3-month home value momentum of -1.24% indicate that investors should not expect rapid equity gains. This market is less suited to short-term flippers or those needing quick resale, because price cuts are common and homes generally take 100 days to sell.
Move-up buyers may face challenges, particularly if they need to sell an existing home first. With 15.2% of listings reducing prices and a median days on market of 100 days, selling can be slow. The market currently favors buyers and tenants more than sellers.
Outlook
The near-term outlook for Houla, LA remains cautious based on the data. The positive 12-month home value momentum of 3.42% is offset by a negative 3-month momentum of -1.24%, suggesting that price growth has stalled or reversed in recent months. A median days on market of 100 days and a price-cut share of 15.2% point to continued buyer leverage. With 764 homes for sale, sellers are likely to face competition unless inventory levels decline or sales pace improves.
Supportive factors include an unemployment rate of 3.8% that is below the state average of 4.4%, a median household income of $64,269 that exceeds the state figure, and a rent index of $1,308 that is above Louisiana’s average. These could provide some underlying stability. However, population growth data is not provided, making it difficult to assess longer-term demand. Based solely on the available metrics, Houma is likely to remain a weak market by PropertyIQ standards until recent price momentum improves and days on market shortens.
AI-generated analysis based on current market data. Last updated September 8, 2026.
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Houma, LA market data
Houma, LA Housing Market Overview
Houma, LA's median home value is $186K, up 3.4% over the past year. Homes here sell in a median 100 days. Its PropertyIQ Score of 12 sits below the state average of 50, marking a market positioned to lag its state over the next three years.
Whether you're considering buying a home, investing in rental property, or weighing entry timing in the Houma, LA area, the PropertyIQ Score gives you a single, data-first read on relative market strength. It is validated against actual market outcomes from 2001 to 2023, with a positive score-to-return relationship in every validated year across LA and every other US state.
South Central housing markets are propelled by energy sector economics, corporate relocations, and rapid population growth. Texas metros in particular have seen explosive expansion, though affordability pressures are emerging in the fastest-growing areas. Within the South Central, Houma, LA's PropertyIQ Score of 12 runs below the South Central norm.
For the Houma, LA market, PropertyIQ calculates a single score each month from four inputs: twelve-month Zillow home-value momentum, three-month Zillow home-value momentum, median days on market from Realtor.com, and the Realtor.com price-reduced share. The score is computed nationally across all metros and calibrated so 50 equals the state average. Across the validation history, metro markets in the top score band have outperformed their state by roughly 1.7 percentage points more per year than bottom-band markets. Momentum here has been positive, with home values up 3.4% over the past year.
View Houma, LA's complete market profile including historical price trends, score history, and AI-generated analysis. Compare this market against any other US metro to find the best opportunities for your investment strategy.
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Market data through July 2026. Sourced from Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, U.S. Census Bureau, FRED, BLS, and BEA. Per-statistic source and date shown above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Houma, LA a good place to buy real estate in 2026?
PropertyIQ doesn't label markets simply good or bad. Instead, the PropertyIQ Score measures a market's demand momentum against its own state, where 50 marks the state average. Houma, LA currently scores 12, a very weak-momentum reading that leaves it positioned to lag its state over the next three years. For buyers, cooling demand usually brings more inventory, longer sale times, and real leverage to negotiate on price. Backing that up, the median home value here is $186K, up 3.4% over the past year. So whether Houma, LA is right for you comes down to your goals: a rising-momentum market can favor long-term appreciation but offers less room to negotiate, while a cooling one hands buyers more leverage. Treat the score as a timing signal to weigh alongside your budget, holding period, and plans for the property, not a verdict on the market's quality.
What is the PropertyIQ Score for Houma, LA?
Houma, LA's PropertyIQ Score is 12, indicating very weak momentum on a 1-to-99 scale. The score distills four transparent inputs into a single number: Zillow home-value momentum over the past 12 months, Zillow home-value momentum over the past 3 months, the median days homes spend on the market from Realtor.com, and the share of listings with a price cut, also from Realtor.com. Rising values and faster sales push the score up, while slow sales and frequent price cuts pull it down. The scale is calibrated so 50 equals the state average, meaning a score above 50 predicts the market will outperform its state over the next three years and a score below 50 predicts underperformance. PropertyIQ computes the score across every US market nationally, then recenters it against each state, so 12 places Houma, LA below its state benchmark.
Are home prices in Houma, LA rising or falling?
Home prices in Houma, LA are rising. Over the past year, the median home value increased 3.4%, reaching $186K. Over the latest three months, values slipped 1.2%, a sign near-term demand is softening. PropertyIQ derives these figures from Zillow's home-value index, which tracks the typical value across the market rather than only the homes that happened to sell, giving a steadier read than a raw median sale price. Both the 12-month and 3-month momentum readings feed directly into the PropertyIQ Score, so this price trend is one of the core signals behind Houma, LA's current score. Keep in mind that appreciation can vary widely by neighborhood and price tier across the metro area, so treat these figures as the market-wide baseline rather than a guarantee for any single property.
How quickly do homes sell in Houma, LA?
In Houma, LA, homes sell in a median of 100 days from listing to pending sale, based on Realtor.com market data. Median days on market is one of the clearest real-time reads on local demand: when homes move quickly, buyers are competing and sellers hold the advantage, while lengthening timelines signal cooling interest and more room to negotiate. Alongside sale speed, about 15% of active listings here have taken at least one price cut — a complementary demand gauge, since a rising share of reductions often precedes slower sales and softer prices. Both median days on market and the price-cut share feed directly into the PropertyIQ Score, where faster sales and fewer cuts push the score higher. As a general guide, medians under about 30 days indicate a brisk, competitive market, while medians well beyond 60 days point to buyers regaining leverage. Actual time on market still varies by price band, property type, and season, so treat the median as a market-wide baseline.
How current is this metro area data?
This Houma, LA market data is refreshed on a monthly cycle, with the latest figures current through July 2026. PropertyIQ ingests fresh data every month from a range of authoritative sources: home values and rents from Zillow, days on market and price-cut activity from Realtor.com, additional housing signals from Redfin, demographic and housing-stock data from the U.S. Census Bureau, mortgage and macroeconomic series from FRED, and employment figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The PropertyIQ Score itself is recomputed every month once the new source data lands, so the score and its four underlying inputs always reflect the most recent complete reporting period rather than a static snapshot. Because official housing data is typically released with a short lag, the current-through date usually trails the present by a few weeks, which is normal across the industry and not a sign the data is out of date.