Listings are piling up. What growing inventory actually means for buyers
Active listings rose about 8 percent year over year into early 2026 — the quiet statistic that decides negotiating power this spring.
David JordanProperty News
A running record of the property market: notable sales, planning approvals and refusals, mortgage rate changes and the developments breaking ground.
Home sales bounced back in February as listings kept piling up
Existing-home sales rose 1.7 percent to a 4.09 million annual pace in February 2026 — an unexpected increase that analysts read as January overshooting the downside.
David Jordan
January's home sales were the slowest in more than two years
Existing-home sales fell 8.4 percent in January 2026 to a 3.91 million annual pace — the weakest month since late 2023 — as rates and the lock-in effect kept both sides of the market home.
Peter Almeida
The lock-in effect: why half of America's owners won't sell
Millions of homeowners hold mortgages with rates far below today's — and the arithmetic that keeps them put explains the housing shortage better than any villain.
Peter Almeida
The 2026 conforming loan limit is $832,750, and it quietly reshapes who can borrow
The FHFA raised the baseline cap for Fannie- and Freddie-eligible mortgages to $832,750 starting January 1, 2026 — a bigger deal for expensive metros than headlines suggested.
Peter Almeida