Though the Houston area may be infamous for it’s sprawling neighborhoods of suburban-style detached housing, that character, especially for the inner city, is changing rapidly.  Here’s more from Nancy Sarnoff of the Houston Chronicle…

Sales of townhouse and condominium properties in the Houston area grew faster than the single-family market during the first five months of the year as more buyers sought out an urban, low-maintenance lifestyle in close-in neighborhoods, a new report shows.

Buyers closed on 2,678 townhouse and condominium units from January to May, a 6 percent increase over the same period in 2013, according to the 2014 Texas Condominium Mid-Year Sales Report released Tuesday by the Texas Association of Realtors. The single-family market was flat during that time.

[…]

Demand for high-density living grew across the state, according to the report. San Antonio saw the biggest increase in sales at 18 percent, followed by Austin at 14 percent. In Dallas, sales were up 4 percent.

“There is little available land for housing development in Texas’ major metro areas, particularly in its urban centers where housing demand is strongest,” Gaines said in the report. “Developers are now looking upward for opportunities to build and invest in multifamily developments both in these centers and even in some suburban areas. Condo sales will likely be a strong driver in the Texas housing market for the rest of the year.”

Developer Randall Davis said rising single-family housing prices are driving expansion in the condominium market. Builders can put multiple units on one site, he said, and “deliver a product that’s almost equivalent but at a lesser price.”

Indeed in Houston and all over the country, this long-held 20th century notion of how people are supposed to live in a single family home with their own yard space, etc. is being re-written.  Today, more and more people want to trade the long drive, crippling traffic and volatile gas prices in for increased family time, an array of transportation options, and less stress overall.

One careful distinction:  this article refers to the rate of urban-style housing increasing more than the rate of suburban development.  When you measure the whole region (both city and suburbs), detached homes are still being built and sold far ahead of any multi-family projects.  But if trends hold, urban options are destined to gain a significant share of the area’s market.  Either way, its exciting to see such a rapid transformation in the Bayou City.