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HAR: More homes, easing prices benefit area homebuyers in May Staff Reports Houston-area homebuyers are springing into action as expanding inventory and easing home prices create new opportunities across the region. This activity is a clear indicator of the ongoing shift toward a buyer’s market. Houston’s single-family home sales recorded their largest year-to-date increase in May. According to the Houston Association of Realtors’ May 2025 Housing Market Update, sales rose 6.8 percent year-overyear, with 9,058 homes sold compared to 8,483 during the same time last year. Homebuyers experienced a welcome reduction in housing costs due to lower mortgage rates and a slight decline in home prices. The average sales price declined by 0.7 percent to $438,230. The median price was down 1.2 percent to $339,425. According to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey, the average 30-year mortgage rate decreased from 7.06 percent in May 2024 to 6.82 percent in May 2025. When combined with the dip in median price, buyers’ typical monthly principal and interest mortgage payment fell from $1,839.34 in May 2024 (assuming a 20 percent down payment) to $1,773.13 as of May 2025, resulting in $66.31 savings per month or $794.36 annually. Growing inventory provided more opportunities for prospective buyers in May. There were 37,455 active listings of single-family homes, which is an increase of 35.0 percent yearover-year. This is the highest volume of active listings since September 2007. “With more homes to choose from and prices becoming a bit more favorable, people are definitely feeling more confident and getting back out there,” said HAR Chair Shae Cottar with LPT Realty. “This shift signals to sellers that motivated buyers are engaged and eager to take advantage of the current market conditions. We anticipate this momentum will carry us into the summer months.” The rental market also experienced increased demand in May. May Monthly Market Comparison May marked a turnaround for the Houston real estate market. Overall property sales were 4.6 percent above last year’s volume, snapping a three-month streak of declining sales. This growth was accompanied by a 5.6 percent increase in total dollar volume, which reached $4.5 billion. Inventory continued to grow, with 58,005 available properties, which is a 29.4 percent increase compared to last May. Single-Family Homes Update May was a strong month for the Greater Houston housing market, as sales rose by 6.8 percent compared to the same period last year. A total of 9,058
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Fort Bend / Southwest • Volume 50 • No. 25 • $1.00 Visit www.FortBendStar.com
George's attorneys seek an outside judge in his cases By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
At a hearing scheduled for Friday in the 458th District Court, attorneys for Fort Bend County Judge KP George will argue that the presiding judge of that court should recuse herself in two felony cases against him to eliminate any appearance of impropriety because – as the county’s top elected official – George has voting authority over her salary and other potential conflicts of interest. The motion to recuse will be heard by Judge Susan Brown, the presiding judge for the judicial region which includes Fort Bend
County. She is expected to rule on whether a judge from outside the county should be brought in to hear the felony and misdemeanor cases against George. In the felony cases, which was indicted in April, Fort Bend County prosecutors accuse George of money laundering related to campaign finance reports he filed during his first run for judge’s office in 2018. He was reelected to a second term in 2022. The indictments allege that between January 12, 2019 and April 22, 2019, George “knowingly” tampered with campaign finance reports to conduct transactions of between $30,000 and $150,000, and transferring the
proceeds “with intent to defraud or harm.” George and his attorneys Jared Woodfill and Terry Yates appeared before County Court at Law No. 5 Judge Teana Watson last Friday for a status conference on George’s previous misdemeanor misappropriation of identify cases, in which he is alleged to have worked with Taral Patel, his former chief of staff, to engage in a “fake hate” scheme of using false online identities to post racist messages about himself on social media and in emails during his 2018 campaign.
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Fort Bend County Judge KP George, left, confers with his attorney Jared Woodfill after a status hearing in his misdemeanor cases last week. They are asking for an outside judge to hear George’s cases. Photo by Ken Fountain
SUGAR LAND RALLY-GOERS
CALL FOR ‘NO KINGS’
Hundreds of people filled the plaza of Sugar Land Town Square for the "No Kings" rally on Saturday. Photo by Ken Fountain
By Ken Fountain KFOUNTAIN@FORTBENDSTAR.COM
Hundreds of people filled the main plaza of Sugar Land Town Square on Saturday for a “No Kings” rally, voicing their opposition to the policies of President Donald Trump and joining many thousands of likeminded people at similar events across the nation. The Sugar Land rally was one of several in the greater Houston area, which coincided with the rare military parade held in Washington, D.C.
to mark the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army. The day also happened to be Trump’s 79th birthday, although his administration denied that was a reason for the parade. Attendees at the Sugar Land event hailed from a broad demographic profile, both in race and age, many of them carrying signs with slogans such as “Stars & Stripes and Human Rights,” “Immigrants Get the Job Done,” “We Elect Presidents, Not Kings,” and “This is America, We Don’t Do Kings.” Numerous people carried American flags.
Although there had been a light rain just before the rally got underway, it wasn’t long before the rain stopped. The weather remained fairly humid, but that didn’t keep attendees from standing on the plaza for two straight hours, cheering on and chanting with the speakers. The Sugar Land rally was organized by the Fort Bend chapter of the national Indivisible organization, which formed in the wake of Trump’s first election in 2016. Rally speakers appeared on the front steps of Sugar Land City Hall, and the organizers
conferred before the two-hour event began with Sugar Land Police officers about how to make the rally trouble-free. Jan Poscovsky, of Richmond, the lead organizer of the event for the local Indivisible chapter, said the primary goal of the rally was to allow people in Fort Bend County to have a place to voice their displeasure with the Trump Administration. “The rally is designed to show
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Kempner senior Do wins four consecutive UIL tennis championships Community Reports Kempner High School senior Noey Do etched his name into the record books by becoming the first player in UIL history to win four consecutive 5A Boys Singles Tennis State Championships, according to a story on the Fort Bend ISD website. But his historic defeat did not come easily. A leg cramp during the second set of his final match tested Do’s resilience, forcing him into a third set. “We felt pretty confident going into the final match, but everything changed when his leg cramped,” Kempner Tennis Coach Anne Southard said. “It was very scary and intense because we didn’t want to go out that way.”
“It made me doubt myself,” Do said. “The possibility of getting second place for the first time was really present.” Still, Do was determined not to disappoint his coaches, parents and the community who traveled to San Antonio to support him. Earlier, Kempner Principal Dr. Danielle Jackson offered to organize a fan bus so Do’s friends and teachers could be there to cheer him on. Coach Southard was initially hesitant because she is superstitious, and it was not something they had done in the previous three years. Ultimately, they decided to schedule a bus, and it may have made all the difference. During the break between the second and third sets, he managed
to recover physically and regain his focus. “My mindset literally dictated the entire third set,” Do said. “Every time I won a point, I would look back into the sea of maroon and see so many people cheering for me.” The final score of the match was 6-1, 3-6 and 6-1. Do will continue his tennis career at Rice University this fall while studying business and economics. As for Coach Southard, she will retire from coaching tennis but will continue teaching. “It’s been an amazing year to go out on,” Southard said. “This senior class is one of my all-time favorites – a truly great group of students. But it’s time, and I’m glad to have been a part of this journey.”
Kempner High School senior Noey Do recently won his fourth consecutive 5A Boys Singles Tennis State Championship, the first player to do so. Here he poses with Kempner Tennis Coach Anne Southard. Photo via Fort Bend ISD