- There are 600,000 more home sellers than buyers, giving the buyers who are in the market negotiating power.
- Only five metro areas are seller’s markets, most of which are located in the Northeast. The South and West are home to the strongest buyer’s markets.
There were an estimated 44% more home sellers than buyers in the U.S. housing market in January (or 600,314 more, in numerical terms). That’s up from 30% more a year earlier and represents the second largest gap in records dating back to 2013. The largest gap was in December 2025, when sellers outnumbered buyers by 45%.
We define a market where there are over 10% more sellers than buyers as a buyer’s market and a market where there are over 10% fewer sellers than buyers as a seller’s market. A market where the gap is plus or minus 10% is considered a balanced market. By this definition, it has been a buyer’s market since May 2024.
When sellers outnumber buyers, buyers typically hold the negotiating power because they have a lot of options to choose from. That’s why a market with a lot more sellers than buyers is considered a buyer’s market. Of course, it’s only a buyer’s market for those who can afford to buy. High housing costs and economic uncertainty have caused many house hunters to retreat, creating an imbalance of buyers and sellers.
We estimated the number of buyers using proprietary Redfin data on the typical time from a buyer’s first tour to close of purchase, and MLS data on active listings and pending sales. The estimated number of sellers in the market is simply the number of active listings in the MLS. These estimates, along with median-sale price data in this report, are seasonally adjusted and subject to revision. See a more detailed methodology here and view an interactive dashboard here.
Number of Homebuyers Drops to Lowest Level on Record
The number of homebuyers in the market fell 1% month over month and 8% year over year in January to an estimated 1.36 million—the lowest level on record.
The number of sellers in the market fell 1% month over month to an estimated 1.96 million. That’s the largest decline since June 2023 and the lowest level since February 2025. On a year-over-year basis, the number of sellers rose 2%.
Homebuyers are backing off due to stubbornly high home prices and mortgage rates, layoffs, and mounting economic and political uncertainty. Winter storms also swept much of the U.S. in January, which may have dampened sales. Sellers, many of whom are buyers themselves, are backing off in response to lackluster demand for their homes. Some sellers are delisting after watching their homes sit on the market for months with zero bites from buyers, while others are choosing not to list at all after seeing nearby homes sell for below the asking price.
There Are Only Five Seller’s Markets
The strongest seller’s market in January was Newark, NJ, which had an estimated 31% fewer sellers than buyers. The other four seller’s markets were Nassau County, NY (-29%), Milwaukee (-26%), Montgomery County, PA (-26%) and New Brunswick, NJ (-17%). Redfin analyzed the 50 most populous U.S. metropolitan areas.
“Two things are fueling Milwaukee’s seller’s market: a drop in mortgage rates and a lack of inventory,” said local Redfin Premier real estate agent W.J. Eulberg. “Mortgage rates are lower than they were six months ago and a year ago, which has brought buyers back into the fold. And while listings are creeping back up, we still have less than three months of supply. That means buyers