Affordability continues to drive sales

With interest rates remaining near record lows, homes have reached historic levels of affordability. Those conditions are such that they are the driving force behind many home purchases.

According to New Jersey-based Weichert Realtors, a poll of more than 1,200 homebuyers during the second half of last year found that 28 percent said that affordable financing was their main motivation for buying a home, tied with a need for more space as the top response.

"Homebuyers who still see long-term potential financial growth in housing are more motivated today by the value presented by very low interest rates and discounted prices than they were five years ago," Dominick Prevete, a regional vice president for the firm, told the Wall Street Journal.

Some other reasons cited by respondents said that they bought a home because they had moved, wanted the potential for financial growth in the future or were just looking for a shorter commute.

However, jobs are likely much more of a motivation for people looking to buy Houston homes than a commute. A study by the Texas Transportation Institute found that Houston commuters were the sixth-most stressed in the country.