Is 2026 finally becoming a buyer’s market?
Published by the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Good to Know blog on May 12, 2026.
Since 2020, the housing market has favored sellers, and rising home prices and interest rates have made homeownership more challenging for many buyers. Yet with today’s economic and geopolitical uncertainty, the national housing market is showing a measurable shift—still, is it too soon to call it a buyer’s market?
Housing market breakdown
A balanced housing market is characterized by approximately a five- to seven-month supply of homes for sale. This means it would take up to seven months to sell all inventory on hand for sale if no further listings were added. A balanced market favors both the buyer and seller.
Like the weather, the housing market is local, but can be heavily influenced by regional, national, and international news.
A seller’s market is characterized by:
Sellers having the upper hand on prices and terms
Decreased housing supplies, with scarcity igniting high demand from buyers
Quick sales at increasingly higher prices demanded by sellers
Less desirable properties selling for more money
Buyers increasingly purchasing fixer-uppers, compromising on location and features
A buyer’s market is characterized by:
Rising inventory of homes for sale as supplies exceed demand
Better bargains available due to stress-induced sales by sellers
Buyers having more bargaining power on a home’s price, condition, and terms of sale
Homes taking longer to sell—over seven months or longer
Home prices falling; sellers willing to sell for less money