Distressed properties in Houston
Distressed Properties in Houston, TX
Every Houston house counted here is on a public distress list (probate estates, unpaid property tax, foreclosures, evictions and code violations), refreshed as the records move. 6,128 houses in Harris County today; start with the 231 on two or more.
Last updated November 13, 2026See sample list · DealSherpa Pro $99/month, 3 days free · All plans
What's on the list
Houston Lead Types Available
Records per lead type in Harris County as of November 13, 2026. One house can carry several, so these add up to more than the 6,128 houses.
Probate Leads in Houston
- 861 probate: The owner has died and an estate is open.
- 601 death decree: A decree determining death was recorded.
The decision-maker is an executor or heir, often with no plan for the house.
Harris County Tax Delinquent Property List
- 168 tax delinquent: Property taxes have gone unpaid.
- 147 tax lien: A tax lien is recorded against the property.
- 206 tax resale: The house is on this year's tax sale or resale list.
Arrears grow every year and the owner knows it. Multi-year balances are the ones to look at first.
Pre-Foreclosure Leads in Houston
- 330 sheriff sale: The property is scheduled for a sheriff sale.
- 257 lis pendens: A lawsuit affecting the property is pending.
A date is on the calendar. The owner's options narrow every week until it.
Houston Eviction Filings
- 940 eviction filed: The landlord has filed to remove a tenant.
Two filings in a year is a tired landlord; one is a landlord having a bad month.
Code Violations and Vacant Houses in Houston
- 1,333 code violation: An open case on the property: something the owner has been told to fix.
Repairs the owner hasn't made are repairs they may not want to make.
Harris County Probate Records
When an owner dies, the estate is opened in the Harris County probate court and the house passes through it. The case names the person in charge of the estate, the one you would talk to about selling.
DealSherpa reads the new court filings, matches each estate to the house the person owned, and has 1,462 Houston-area houses in probate today.
- Estates in Harris County are filed with the county's probate courts, through the County Clerk. The clerk's online records search finds probate cases by name or case number.
- A case shows the person who died, the applicant and the attorney, and filings such as the application for letters and the court's order.
- An applicant is not the estate's representative until the court grants letters; until then they cannot sign a sale.
Houston Code Enforcement
1,333 houses in Harris County have an open code enforcement case in DealSherpa today.
An open case is a repair the owner has been told to make and has not made. Fines and city liens add up, and an owner facing both is often ready to sell as is.
- Anyone can report a property condition to the city, usually through its 311 line or online service-request portal; an inspector visits and opens a case if they find a violation.
- The owner gets a notice with a deadline to fix the problem. Cases left open can lead to fines, liens for work the city does itself, and in the worst cases a condemnation order.
- Open violations generally stay with the property when it is sold, so a buyer should look up the open cases on a house before closing.
A look at the list
Sample Houston Leads
A few real Houston houses on two or more signals, as they look in DealSherpa. The address and owner are in the app.
| Priority | Property | Owner | Signals | Added | Skip trace | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Urgent | Katy, 77493Street and number in the app | Owner in the app | Added Oct 2026 | Not traced | View lead | |
| Urgent | Houston, 77015Street and number in the app | Owner in the app | Added Oct 2026 | Not traced | View lead | |
| Urgent | Spring, 77379Street and number in the app | Owner in the app | Added Oct 2026 | Not traced | View lead | |
| Urgent | Katy, 77449Street and number in the app | Owner in the app | Added Nov 2026 | Not traced | View lead | |
| Urgent | Houston, 77069Street and number in the app | Owner in the app | Added Oct 2026 | Not traced | View lead | |
| Urgent | Houston, 77083Street and number in the app | Owner in the app | Added Oct 2026 | Not traced | View lead |
Harris County coverage
Houston Market Snapshot
Where the flagged houses are, as of November 13, 2026. Property type, age or value does not keep a house off the list.
| ZIP code | Flagged houses | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 77449 | 215 | 4% |
| 77433 | 173 | 3% |
| 77373 | 164 | 3% |
| 77346 | 145 | 2% |
| 77084 | 126 | 2% |
| 77044 | 116 | 2% |
| 77429 | 116 | 2% |
| 77379 | 112 | 2% |
| 77016 | 101 | 2% |
| 77493 | 95 | 2% |
| 77089 | 94 | 2% |
| 77088 | 94 | 2% |
Houston proper holds 65% of the flagged houses; the rest are in the surrounding cities and townships of Harris County.
How we rank a house
What puts a Houston house first
We start with every house in Harris County that carries a signal. Then we look for the same house on a second list, and a third. A house with unpaid tax and an open code case, or a vacant house in probate, is a different conversation than either signal alone. Those are the houses a small mail or call budget goes to first.
Counts as of November 13, 2026. Recently sold houses are left out.
What the data says
Houston, by the numbers
Observations computed from the flagged houses, not opinions. They move when the data does.
Unpaid tax is the widest net: 3% of flagged houses
168 houses in Houston carry unpaid property tax. On its own that is a slow signal; it sharpens fast when the same house carries a second one.
44% of flagged owners don't live in the house
2,688 houses have an owner whose mail goes somewhere else, and 331 of those owners are out of state. An absentee owner with a problem property is the classic seller.
1,333 houses with a visible problem
1,333 have an open code case and 0 are recorded as vacant. These are the houses a driver would spot from the street; here they are flagged before anyone drives.
231 houses sit on two or more lists at once
A house with unpaid tax and an open code case, or a vacant house in probate, converts at a different rate than either signal alone. The stacked list is where a small mail or call budget goes first.
861 houses are in probate right now
The owner has died and an estate is open. The contact is the executor or an heir, and the house is often the only asset they need to deal with.
Houston holds 65% of the market; the surrounding cities hold the rest
Beyond Houston proper, the largest counts are Spring (403), Katy (367), Humble (332), Cypress (285), Tomball (159). Houses outside the core city tend to carry fewer signals but higher values.
Foreclosures in Houston
Looking for foreclosed homes to buy in Houston? This is not a listing site: the houses here are pre-foreclosure data for investors, owners who are behind on a mortgage or have a foreclosure case filed, before the house is sold at auction or taken back by the lender.
DealSherpa has 587 pre-foreclosure and sale records in Harris County today, each matched to the house and its owner. An investor can reach these owners while they can still sell on their own terms.
Homes already owned by a bank are sold through agents and listing sites instead.
Houston questions
Houston Distressed Property FAQ
How many distressed properties are in Houston?
6,128 houses in Harris County carry at least one distress signal as of November 13, 2026, and 231 carry two or more. Records by type: probate 1,462, tax delinquent 521, pre-foreclosure 587, eviction 940, code violation 1,333.
Where does the Houston data come from?
From public records: court filings and county and city records for Harris County. DealSherpa reads them, matches each record to its house, and joins the lists so a house on several of them shows once, with every signal.
How often are Houston leads updated?
The Houston lists were last updated on November 13, 2026. Court and sale lists move daily or weekly; tax lists move with the county's collection calendar. Houses that are paid up, sold or resolved come off the list.
Can I get the Harris County tax delinquent list?
Yes. 521 houses in Harris County are on the tax lists in DealSherpa today. Filter to them, add a second signal for a sharper list, then export it or push it to the CRM.
How much does DealSherpa cost?
DealSherpa Pro is $99/month and includes these lists, with a 3-day free trial. Plans for other tools start at $49/month; see the pricing page. Skip tracing is 12¢ per owner.
Other questions? See plans and pricing or email jack@dealsherpa.app.
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About this page. The counts cover Harris County, Texas, and are read from DealSherpa's own records, last updated November 13, 2026; the market has been tracked since October 2026. A flagged house is one with at least one of the signals listed above; it is not a listing, an offer or a guarantee that the owner will sell. Recently sold houses are excluded. The sample houses show the city and ZIP only; addresses, owner names and contact details are available inside DealSherpa to subscribers, subject to its terms.