Buyers Market Reality Check

Record-low buyer demand sounds terrifying until you look closer at what the data is really saying. We walk through a fresh Redfin report that shows the shift toward buyers accelerating across the country, with more sellers entering the market and the seller surplus growing in most buyers markets. If you’re thinking about selling a home in 2026, this is the kind of housing market update that changes how you should price, prep, and plan.

We get practical fast. First, we talk pricing strategy for a crowded field: why pricing like last year can cost you weeks, and why “let’s try it high” often turns into the same price cut you could have made upfront, only later and with less leverage. Then we tackle a misconception: bidding didn’t disappear. A steady share of homes still sell above list price, but it’s the well positioned listings that win, the ones that match where buyers actually are on price and presentation.

Finally, we end with the part that cuts against the gloom. Home sales are up 7% year over year in July, the strongest annual gain of 2026, which means transactions are still happening at a healthy clip. We also explain when a dated or repair-heavy home may be better suited for an as-is, direct cash offer that takes you out of the seller competition and lets you pick a closing date you control.

If this helped you think more clearly about selling in a buyers market, subscribe, share the episode with a homeowner friend, and leave a quick review so more people can find it.

Transcript

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Redfin Report And The Shift

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hey, welcome to Rock Solid Conversations. I'm Sean, and today I want to give you a straight read on a Redfin report that came out this week. Because if you're thinking about selling, this is information you need. Here it is. The shift toward buyers has accelerated. In 34 of Redfin's 39 designated buyers markets, the surplus of sellers over buyers increased from June to July. And buyer demand nationally is sitting at a record low. That's a hard number, and I'm not going to soften it. In most of the country's buyers markets, there are more sellers competing for fewer buyers than there were a month ago. If you're planning to list, you're entering a more crowded field than you would have in the spring.

Pricing That Matches Today’s Buyers

SPEAKER_00 0:43

So let me give you three things that actually follow from this practically. First, your pricing has to reflect this reality, not last year's. Inventory is up 1.5% from a year ago, extending a 32-month streak of supply growth. New listings are growing at 3.1% annually. More competition means buyers can be selective, and the homes that move are the ones priced where buyers actually are. Pricing high to see what happens costs you six weeks and then you reduce anyway, usually netting less than if you'd priced correctly at the start.

Above List Sales Still Happen

SPEAKER_00 1:17

Second, understand that competition among buyers hasn't collapsed. It's just flat. Roughly 30.8% of homes sold above list price in the most recent month with data, compared to 30.9% a year earlier. Essentially unchanged. So it's not that buyers have vanished or that bidding has disappeared. It's that the seller side has grown faster than the buyer side. Homes still sell above, asking regularly. They're just the well positioned ones.

Cash Offer Option And Closing

SPEAKER_00 1:47

Third, and this is the piece that cuts against the gloom, home sales actually rose 7% year over year in July, the strongest annual gain of 2026. So transactions are happening at a healthy clip. The market isn't frozen. It's competitive on the seller side. The honest summary is this if you have a well-maintained home, price it realistically, and present it properly, you're going to sell in a market where sales volume just hit its strongest annual growth of the year. If you have a dated home, price it optimistically, and hope the market rewards you. You're going to sit while 33 other sellers in your area do the same thing. And if your home falls into that second category, condition issues and all, a direct cash offer takes you out of that competition entirely. You're not fighting a seller surplus. You get a number based on your home, as it is, and a closing date you control. Go to rock solidhomebuyers.com and find out what that number looks like. No pressure, no obligation. Glad you tuned in, and we'll be back tomorrow.