When people talk about a buyer’s or seller’s market, they’re talking about supply and demand. When there’s more demand than homes for sale, sellers have the power and will likely get a higher price for their home. When there aren’t a lot of buyers but there’s excess supply, the buyers that are looking will be in better position to negotiate a deal.
In recent history, home sellers have held all the control, as inventory lagged below normal for years. Since 2022, though, inventory has been gradually climbing back and helping the market reach better balance. So, will 2026 favor buyers or sellers? Well, no one knows for sure, of course. Among recently surveyed Americans, though, 42 percent expect a buyer’s market, 34 percent say it’ll favor sellers, and 23 percent say it’ll be balanced. Real estate agents generally agree, with 48 percent expecting buyers to have control, while 28 percent say sellers, and 24 percent believe it’ll be a balanced market.
But while those results are pretty evenly split, there is some agreement among agents that things will be better in the year ahead. In fact, a majority of agents say 2026 will be better for the real estate market – and that’ll be good for both buyers and sellers.
[Source: PR Newswire]
