It's no secret that there are tradeoffs to living in Houston—the flooding, the traffic, the occasional explosion from some refinery or chemical plant—and yet, despite all that, people are still flocking here. For proof, look no further than last year’s record-breaking home sales numbers: more than 86,000 single-family houses sold, up 4.8 percent from 2018, the previous record-breaking year, according to the Houston Association of Realtors. This year is expected to be another humdinger for the Bayou City’s residential market, but there are some things you should know before dashing into the fray to finally snap up that cute little ($3 million) Heights bungalow you’ve dreamed of since you were a kid.