HousingWire
Stable pricing, rising supply and stronger pending home sales signal a healthier spring cycle
The national housing market posted a significant increase in new listing activity this week as seasonal momentum builds. With mortgage rates steady near 6% and spreads closer to normal levels, early 2026 is shaping into a healthier market environment than in recent years.
As noted in HousingWire’s Market Tracker, “2026 looks to be the first year of actual growth in existing home sales in years.” Weekly data supports that early view, with both supply and demand improving as the spring selling runway forms.
New listings surge and seasonal runway improves
New listings totaled 50,303, up 29% week over week and 9.7% year over year. This marks one of the strongest early-season listing weeks since before the pandemic and begins to resolve the supply constraints that limited transaction volume through 2025.
Higher listing activity expands buyer choice and increases transaction volume without placing additional upward pressure on prices.
Inventory rises with steady pricing
Total inventory increased to 695,628 single-family homes, up 10.5% year over year compared with 632,076 homes during the same week in 2025 and 1.3% week over week. Sustained inventory growth continues to support more balanced market conditions relative to the sharply constrained supply seen during 2021-2023.
The median list price held steady at $419,000, while the median price of new listings came in at $399,900, indicating sellers are pricing competitively as the market transitions into the spring cycle.
Price reductions continue to track near last year’s level, with 34.2% of listings taking cuts vs. 33.5% during the same week in 2025. Only 2.2% of listings recorded price increases.
Demand holds steady as weekly cadence improves
Pending home sales reached 50,096, building on improved early-year buyer activity. Higher supply paired with steady pricing supports healthier buyer participation, especially in markets where choice was limited last year.
The Market Tracker notes that recent weekly pending home sales data has been “the highest in many years,” reflecting stronger buyer engagement as 2026 begins.
Normal price discovery and balanced leverage
The median days on market remains at 91 days, consistent with a balanced pacing environment where negotiation replaces urgency. The Market Action Index reads 34, indicating a mild seller’s advantage and conditions close to the neutral baseline of 30.
The Market Action Index measures the balance between supply and demand, with a reading of 30 representing a roughly balanced market between buyers and sellers.
A total of 10.4% of active listings were relisted this week and 2.2% saw price increases, both reflective of normal price discovery rather than distressed adjustments.
Implications for housing professionals
Agents and brokerages
- Increased listings improve match rates across price bands.
- Competitive list pricing supports negotiation without the urgency of prior years.
- An earlier and stronger seasonal runway improves planning for spring volume.
Lenders and mortgage operators
- A steadier rate environment supports more reliable application and pipeline forecasting.
- Rising supply and stable pricing provide a healthier backdrop for purchase-focused strategies.
Builders and developers
- Stronger resale inventory increases competition for new-home product.
- Price stability supports clearer planning for incentives and segmentation by buyer type.
Investors and portfolio operators
- More supply improves timing options for both entry and exit strategies.
- Price reductions reflect normal negotiation, not broad-based distress, supporting selective opportunity finding.
All data represents single-family homes nationally. Weekly data reflects snapshots for the week ending Jan. 16, 2026.