Inventory now vs 2019 vs 2021

Hinzugefügt: 2026-05-17

[00:00:00]Have you noticed there are four sale signs everywhere right now?

[00:00:04]A lot of people are telling me, "Wow, it feels like there are way more houses on the market." And honestly, they're not wrong.

[00:00:13]But the reason why might actually surprise you.

[00:00:16]Let's zoom out first and look at the US as a whole. Nationally, inventory is still about 12% below where it was before the pandemic in 2019.

[00:00:29]So even today, across the country, we're still dealing with a housing shortage.

[00:00:34]Especially in parts of the Midwest and Northeast, where inventory is still tight.

[00:00:40]That's important because the national narrative you're hearing and then I'm hearing is that inventory is coming back.

[00:00:48]That's only partially true.

[00:00:50]Now, let's bring it home to Carteret County.

[00:00:54]Back in January 2019, we had 724 homes for sale, about eight months of inventory, and that's considered a buyer's market.

[00:01:07]Fast forward to today, March 2026, which is the last month that we have full uh data for, we have 667 homes for sale, about 6.6 months of inventory, and that's considered a balanced market.

[00:01:26]So yes, inventory is still below pre-pandemic levels here locally.

[00:01:33]But here's where people get confused.

[00:01:36]They're not comparing today to 2019, they're comparing it to 2021, which was completely abnormal. In April 2021, we only had 297 homes for sale. Just 1.3 months of inventory. We almost literally ran out of homes for sale.

[00:01:57]That's not normal. That's an extreme seller's market. Basically, no supply, massive demand, and prices were skyrocketing.

[00:02:07]So, when you go from 297 homes to 667 homes today, of course it feels like inventory exploded.

[00:02:17]Here's what I think happened.

[00:02:19]We didn't go from normal to oversupply.

[00:02:22]We went from extreme shortage back to balance, and that's actually a healthier market for everyone.

[00:02:29]Buyers have options, sellers still have demand, and pricing stabilizes.

[00:02:35]If you're trying to time the market based on headlines, you're going to get it wrong.

[00:02:41]The real question is, what's happening in your specific market?

[00:02:46]If [snorts] you want to know exactly where your neighborhood is headed next, shoot me a message. Talk to you soon.