2026 Houzez Review: Record Development Year 2025—While My $83K Project Was Given Scraps

2026 Houzez Review updated January 1, 2026 | Reading time: 14 minutes

Waqas Riaz, the developer behind the Houzez WordPress theme, charged over $83,000 USD to code a custom platform for my business. During those 14 months, while I was sending him $6,240+ every month, his Houzez theme had the most productive development year in its entire 9-year history.

Twenty-eight releases. A complete architectural rebuild. Record-breaking output.

My project? Neglected. Unfinished. Abandoned.

This publication is the 2026 Houzez Review. But it's also the story of what happens when you hire the developer behind a popular product—and discover his motives and where his priorities actually lie.

Review the Complete Houzez Team GitHub Timeline.

See Code Quality

⚠️ Update: Forensic Evaluation Underway

The ESP Marketplace project is currently undergoing independent forensic evaluation to assess what development work, if any, was completed during the 14-month production period. This review will document findings as available.

The Numbers That Keep Me Up at Night

Read that again.

"Waqas wanted all payments transferred from my bank account in Canada to his personal bank account in Pakistan via Payoneer. I have listed each transfer sent to Waqas Riaz strictly intended for the development of ESP Marketplace."

Payments to Waqas

While I was funding what I believed was the dedicated website development team's time for my project, Waqas Riaz delivered more updates to his commercial Houzez WordPress Theme than ANY previous year since 2016.

Context in Pakistan

How Much is 23.25 Million Pakistani Rupees?

• Top 1% income - Most Pakistanis will never see this amount
• Business startup capital - Could launch multiple businesses
• Real estate portfolio - Could buy several properties
• Retirement fund - Enough to live comfortably for decades

Quick Context: What Is Houzez?

Houzez is a premium WordPress Theme for real estate websites, sold on Envato ThemeForest for USD $79. As of this 2026 Houzez review update, the theme is one of the most popular real estate themes in its category, boasting over 50,000 sales.

Developer: Waqas Riaz (Favethemes, Pakistan)
Houzez Theme Launched: June 2016
Current Version: 4.2.6 (December 2025)

I'm not here to debate whether the Houzez wordpress theme is good or not. As long as you update it, it functions effectively for most real estate sites, despite known security issues over recent years.

I'm here to document what happened when the Houzez cofounder was paid a huge amount of money as a developer for a custom development project—and what the Houzez public changelog reveals about where his time actually went.

My Story: ESP Marketplace

In late 2024, Waqas Riaz was hired to build a custom platform called ESP Marketplace—a directory for earth services in my industry. I operate a drilling and groundwater consulting operation in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia, and have 34 years of experience in this space. This wasn't a casual side project. The endeavor was a significant business investment.

Waqas had an established reputation through Houzez. He's very capable. He positions himself as someone who could deliver a top-quality platform.

Between October 2024 and November 2025, Waqas was paid approximately $83,000 USD.

The payments went to his personal Payoneer account.

I have every receipt. I possess every Payoneer transaction number. Along with every broken promise documented.

What I don't have is a finished platform... and that's really an understatement.

2025: The Year Everything Becomes Clear

Here's what I discovered when I analyzed the official Houzez changelog:

Annual Houzez Releases: 2016-2025

2025 wasn't just a busy year for Waqas Riaz. It was the busiest year in Houzez's entire existence.

The year saw a 47% increase compared to 2024. The year exceeded the historical average by nearly double.

This increase occurred during the exact 13 months when I was paying Waqas Riaz, the owner and developer, over $6,240 USD monthly for work on my project.

June 2025: The Month That Says Everything

Let me show you what June 2025 looked like for Houzez:

Nine releases in one month.

That's not maintenance. That's intensive, daily development work.

In June 2025, I was paying Waqas Riaz for my project, during which he released more Houzez updates than most other developers do in a year.

What Version 4.0.0 Actually Required

The v4.0.0 release wasn't a simple update. It was a complete architectural overhaul:

• Bootstrap 5.3 Migration: Every CSS and JavaScript file is rewritten.
• PHP Code Refactoring: Core files restructured into modular classes
• New User Systems: Approval workflows, document verification
• Smart Map System: Dynamic switching between Google, Mapbox, OpenStreetMap
• Media Manager: New image handling system
• Frontend Dashboard: Complete redesign

Estimated Development Effort

Look at that total: $85,000-$132,500 in development value.

I paid $83,000.

The math is extremely uncomfortable.

The Timeline Side-by-Side

Here's my payment period mapped against Houzez releases:

Every month I paid for my project, the Houzez Theme got more updates.

Every month I waited for progress on my project; his Houzez WordPress theme just kept getting better.

The Questions I Can't Stop Asking

1. Where did my $83,000 actually go?

I paid for dedicated development time; Waqas claimed to have 4 full-time developers coding the ESP Marketplace platform. The Houzez changelog suggests that time may have gone somewhere else.

2. How do you ship 28 releases while still building a custom platform?

You don't. If he is actively working on the custom platform for which he received a monthly payment, this is not possible.

3. Could you please explain why his most productive year coincided exactly with my payment period?

I don't know. But the correlation is documented.

4. Was I funding Houzez v4.0.0?

• Houzez v4.0.1 (Jun 05)
• Houzez v4.0.2 (Jun 06)

The estimated development value ($85K-$132K) closely matches what I paid ($83K). I can't prove causation. But I can show the numbers.

Should You Buy the Houzez Theme?

Here's my honest Houzez Theme Review:

For Basic Sites (Using Demos)

Houzez will probably work. Import a demo, customize colors, and add listings. The theme is functional and has enjoyed high sales.

For Custom Development With Waqas Riaz from Houzez

This is where I urge extreme caution.

I paid $83,000. I have documentation of every payment. I don't have a finished platform, and we are currently undergoing forensic evaluation of the project.

Throughout my entire engagement, the Houzez theme platform received much more development attention in 2025 than it had in any previous year.

Draw your own conclusions.

Comparing Real Estate WordPress Themes

If you're evaluating options:

My recommendation: For any theme, the $79 purchase is the easy part. Custom development is where due diligence matters.

2026 Houzez Review: Pros and Cons

What Works

• 45+ demo templates
• Elementor integration
• Regular updates (clearly, updates aren't the problem)
• Large user community
• Comprehensive feature set

What Concerns Me

• Developer bandwidth for custom projects
• Major updates (like v4.0.0) break existing customizations
• Support response times vary widely
• Resource allocation priorities

My Documentation

Everything is documented:

• Payment Evidence → Screenshots of every Payoneer transaction
• Complete Timeline → Month-by-month breakdown
• PDF Analysis Report → Full changelog analysis with data

I'm not asking anyone to take my word for it. I'm showing you the receipts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Houzez theme worth it?

For basic sites using demos, probably yes. For custom development contracts with Waqas Riaz, I'd proceed with extreme caution based on my experience.

Who is Waqas Riaz?

The developer and owner of Favethemes, the company behind Houzez. Based in Pakistan.

How much does Houzez cost?

As of this 2026 Houzez review, the cost is $79 for a regular theme license on ThemeForest. Custom development can incur significantly higher costs, and there is no assurance of project completion.

Is Houzez actively maintained?

Yes. 2025 saw 28 releases—the most in the theme's history. Active maintenance of the theme isn't the issue.

Can I receive a refund on Houzez?

ThemeForest's standard customer refund policy applies to the $79 theme purchase. Custom development payments are an entirely different matter, and buyers do need to beware.

The Complete 2025 Release Log

For full transparency, every Houzez release during my payment period:

Twenty-eight releases. During the ESP Marketplace development period. All of these updates occurred while Waqas was highly paid; where did the money go?

• Houzez Official Changelog
• Houzez v4.0.0 Announcement
• My personal payment records (Payoneer)

Download the Full Report

Final Thoughts

I started 2025 believing I was investing in my business. I'm ending it with $83,000 gone, an unfinished platform, and a changelog that tells me exactly where the development effort actually went.

Waqas Riaz & Houzez had their best year ever.

I had my worst.

The data is public. The payments to Waqas Riaz are documented. The correlation is undeniable.

This is my 2025 Houzez theme review.

2026 Houzez Review Last updated: December 29, 2025
Tags: 2025, waqas-riaz, favethemes, wordpress-themes, real-estate, hauzes, houzy, houzi

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