How we count pool homes sold
Every count on PoolPostcard comes from public county property records, counted the same way for every zip. This page explains what counts, the window, what we withhold, and where the data comes from.
What counts as a pool home sold
A home counts when two things are true in Harris Central Appraisal District (HCAD) records: the parcel is listed with a swimming pool, and HCAD's ownership history records an ownership change on that parcel dated inside the counting window. Each home counts once per window, even if it changed hands twice.
Homes are counted by the zip of the property's own address, not the owner's mailing address. A count is an ownership change recorded by the county. It is not a count of move-ins or leads, and some recorded changes may not be a sale to a new household.
The 90-day window
County records arrive about two months late, so the window can't end today. It ends on the last day of the latest month that looks complete: a month whose count reaches at least 60% of the median of the six months before it. The window is the 90 days up to that day.
The current window is Jun 3 – Aug 31, 2026. The latest complete month is August 2026. The newest month keeps filling for about three months, so a zip's count can rise at the next refresh.
Which zips
132 zips: every Census ZIP Code Tabulation Area with at least half of its land in Harris County. Zips that are mostly outside the county are not counted yet. See pool homes sold by zip in Harris County.
Counts under 5
When fewer than 5 pool homes sold in a zip, we show "Fewer than 5" and never the number, on the site, in emails, and in the data file. Small counts can point to a single household. Pages for those zips stay out of search indexes until the count reaches 5.
How often it updates
We check HCAD for new files every day and recompute every zip when they change. The counts were last computed on Nov 3, 2026.
Sources
- Harris Central Appraisal District public data files: real account records (site address), extra features (pools) and ownership history (ownership changes and their dates).
- Harris County Clerk real property records index (deeds). It shows sales sooner than HCAD; we read it to date recent sales, but it is not part of the published counts yet.
The data file
The same counts are published as JSON at /data/harris-pool-homes-sold.json: one row per zip, with counts under 5 set to null. Counts only, never addresses. If you cite the numbers, please credit PoolPostcard and HCAD.
Questions
Is this every home sale in Harris County?
No. Only homes HCAD lists with a swimming pool, and only ownership changes HCAD has recorded so far. Recent months are still filling in.
Why is the window months behind?
County records arrive about two months after a sale. Ending the window on the latest complete month keeps zips comparable and avoids counts that look low only because records are late.
Does PoolPostcard publish or sell addresses?
No. Public pages and the data file show counts per zip only. Addresses are used only to mail cards for pool companies, and never sold or rented.