Housing market power begins to shift
For months, the balance of power in the U.S. housing market has been shifting. Now, the negotiating power that was once held by buyers is shifting. There were an estimated 46.5% more home sellers than buyers in the U.S. housing market in April 2026, down from 47.5% the month before and a high of 48.9% in December 2025. While the current housing market is still slightly leaning in favor of homebuyers, it is no longer a strengthening homebuyers market, indicating a possible shift towards balance.
“Homebuyer demand has been dwindling for months, but finally ticked up in April thanks to a strengthening job market and declining recession risk,” said Redfin Senior Economist Asad Khan. “More house hunters entering the market helped narrow the gap between the number of buyers and sellers. If the number of buyers continues to grow, more homeowners may see it as an opportunity to list their homes, helping bring the market out of this deep freeze.”
There were an estimated 1 million homebuyers in the market in April, up 2% from March; the largest increase in 13 months. Meanwhile, there were an estimated 1.5 million sellers in the market, up 1.3% month over month, marking the largest increase in a year.
