The housing market in the city of Houston has not struggled nearly as much as anticipated following Hurricane Harvey. Though the impact of the hurricane did slow sales inside the city, surrounding Brazoria County has emerged with a housing market that continues to demonstrate strong growth. As reported by the Houston Chronicle, the county has underdone some of the strongest growth in South Texas.

The sale of new homes across Brazoria County rose by 88 percent in 2017, according to the report. This included the purchase of 1,299 new homes across the county in the range of $200,000 per home. Developers noted that it wasn’t unusual to see between 10 and 15 home sales per month in the many residential communities across the county. According to reports, communities such as Meridiana, Sierra Vista, and Sterling Lakes were all anticipating a hot housing market over the following year.

Natural Gas Industry Ignites

The reason behind much of this growth? As covered in the Houston Chronicle, the natural gas industry contributed to a job boom across the county. South Texas is home to a number of facilities that extract natural gas, but some of the gas is refined to produce plastic pellets. These pellets are shipped overseas and later used in electronics that are shipped back and sold in the United States. 

Thanks to this international exchange of plastics and electronics, job growth has been steady in Brazoria County since 2015. This has created an ongoing need for new residential communities to house the surge of new employees moving into the region. The promise of jobs has continued to drive growth in the county in a trend that looks to continue in 2018.

In response, home developers have been busy expanding existing master-planned communities or building new ones. In 2018, Merdiana will be one of those that begins expanding. This community is located 30 minutes south of Houston and is well connected to the city alongside Texas State Highway 288. Not far away, Sterling Lakes is also planning an expansion through its sister community, Sierra Vista. The Sierra Vista community will be opening with 2,600 homes in 2018, adding to the 3,000 homes already located at Sterling Lakes. 

Further north in the Pearland area, Houston residents will also find the master-planned communities of Shadow Creek Ranch and Rodeo Palms. Situated a little closer to Houston for those who enjoy living near the city, Shadow Creek Ranch features a sports complex and appeals to recreation lovers. Rodeo Palms is positioned further south but still enjoys convenient access to the city through nearby Highway 288. These communities are well connected both to the refinery facilities that employ many local residents and the interior of Houston.