ARE SELLERS GIVING UP? The Truth About the 2026 Housing Market

[00:00:00]If you've been browsing real estate apps lately, you've probably noticed a strange trend. Homes that were active last week are suddenly disappearing from the market. The headlines are screaming that sellers are giving up with mainstream media reporting that homeowners are pulling listings at the fastest pace [music] since 2020. Some housing analysts are calling this the era of rage delistings. Nationwide, nearly 5.8% of all active listings were completely taken off the market in April alone. But before you panic and assume the housing market is collapsing, you need to understand the data, the math, and exactly what this means for your wallet, if you're trying to buy or sell a home in the Inland Empire right now.

[00:00:42]To understand why this is happening, we have to look at the three macroeconomic forces currently reshaping our real estate landscape. First, recent inventory growth. [music] Second, shifting prices. And third, longer days on the market. For four straight years, we've watched a slow, steady recovery in active listing counts across the country. Inventories climbed significantly from the rock bottom lows of the pandemic era. And if you look closely at the metro data, the Inland Empire, specifically [music] the Riverside Sanino market, is sitting right in the thick of this trend.

[00:01:17]Listings have been piling up locally as [music] buyer activity naturally moderates due to stable yet sticky interest [music] rates. because there is more competition on the market. Homes are sitting unsold for longer and that's causing a massive clash between seller expectations and market reality. And here's where the problem lies. Data shows that over 80% of current sellers still expect to get their full asking price or even higher when they list. And they're operating with a 2021 mentality.

[00:01:46][music] But the reality on the ground is completely different. 62% of homes nationwide are now selling for less than their original asking price. When sellers don't get the immediate bidding war they've expected instead of dropping their price, which you would think they would do, many are choosing to simply pull the house off the market and stay put because the cost of moving just isn't worth it to them. This mismatch is causing the median time on the market to stretch out. And nationally, the typical home now spends 52 [music] days on the market before securing a buyer. And here in California, we're slightly faster at an average of 45 days. But it's a massive shift from the days when homes sold in a weekend. Sellers are having to learn patience all over again.

[00:02:33]So, what does the rest of the year look like? According to top economists, the 4-year post-pandemic inventory surge [music] is starting to plateau, and mortgage rates are expected to remain relatively stable in the mid to high 6% range. Despite what you hear on social media, home prices are forecasted to continue a modest, healthy growth [music] path of around 2.3% on average, meaning the typical homeowner is still on track to gain roughly $16,000 in equity this year.

[00:03:02]>> [music] >> This creates a historic window of opportunity. Over the last 12 months, 2.6 million listings expired [music] or were cancelled nationwide and 51% of those homeowners never relisted. That means there are over 1.3 million frustrated sellers sitting on the sidelines who still need to move but just had the wrong strategy. The data shows when those homeowners pivot, take a step [music] back to reset, and list with a different professional who understands the math of today's market, they sell almost a week faster because they switch from an outdated plan to a deliberate, modern pricing strategy.

[00:03:37][music] The takeaway here is simple. The housing market is not broken. [music] It's just transitioning back to normal. And if you're a buyer, the rising inventory and longer days on the market give you leverage you haven't seen in years. And if you're a seller or if your listing expired recently, it just means you need an expert who knows how to position your home's unique math against the competition. And if you want to look at the exact data for your specific Inland Empire neighborhood, or you want to see how your current mortgage rate projections impact your payments, let's connect. Send me a DM, drop a comment below, and make sure to subscribe to the channel for more real datadriven real estate insights. And I'm Jeff Moss.

[00:04:19]Thanks for watching and I'll see you on the next one.

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