One of the questions I get asked all the time is: What kind of market are we in right now?
Well, it’s March of 2026, and I’d say the market is stable. Not my favorite market personally — I tend to list more homes than I work with buyers — but it’s stable.
What we’re seeing is inventory rising again.
Over the past several years, we’ve been sitting at about a one- to two-month absorption rate. That means if no new homes came on the market, it would’ve taken just one or two months to sell everything with a normal pace of sales. That’s extremely tight inventory.
Right now? We’re closer to six or seven months of inventory.
That’s a big shift.
In my opinion, a balanced market is around five to six months. When we start pushing into the sevens, we’re leaning toward a buyer’s market — and I think inventory may continue creeping up a little more.
So if you’re a seller, this is where mindset matters.
When I sit down with my sellers, I explain that we need to “pad the number” a little bit. Buyers today expect some consideration. They expect negotiation. And many are asking for concessions toward a rate buy down.
That phrase gets thrown around a lot right now — “rate buy down.” But what does it really mean?
A rate buy down is when the seller offers a concession. The buyer then uses that money with their lender to reduce their interest rate. Lower interest rate = lower monthly payment.
Now, it doesn’t make sense if someone plans to sell again in two years. But if you’re going to hold the property, shaving a couple hundred dollars off your monthly payment adds up fast over time.
And here’s the key point: using $10,000 toward a rate buy down often benefits the buyer more than simply reducing the price by $10,000. A straight price drop barely moves the monthly payment. A rate reduction? That can make a meaningful difference.
But none of this works without communication.
Sellers want top dollar. Buyers want a deal — especially when they feel like they’re paying more than buyers did a few years ago at lower interest rates. Whether that perception is completely accurate or not doesn’t matter. It needs to be acknowledged.
The key is open, honest conversation. Don’t take offers personally. Stay flexible. Stay solution-focused. The goal isn’t to “win” a negotiation — the goal is to get the home sold.
Keep an open mind, don’t get in your head too much… and happy selling.