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The Housing Market Has 630,000 More Sellers Than Buyers - a Record

Published Apr 2, 2026
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Suburban street lined with identical houses, each with a "For Sale" sign displaying a 6.46% mortgage rate; spring trees are in bloom, highlighting the changing housing market. BriefsFinance logo in the corner.
Summary:
  • Monthly mortgage costs rose for the first time since October, pushed higher by the Iran war's impact on interest rates.
  • The average home takes 53 days to sell right now - nearly a week longer than it did last year.
  • The gap between sellers and buyers just hit 630,000, the widest in over a decade of tracking.

Oil prices are climbing because of the Iran war. Mortgage rates are climbing with them. And spring homebuyers are staying on the couch.

At 6.38%, the weekly mortgage rate hasn't been this high since last fall. On certain days last week, it crossed 6.6%.

Buyers Are Backing Off

Across the country, the median monthly mortgage payment landed at $2,742 - a 0.4% increase from last year. It's not a huge jump, but it's the first increase since October.

Home prices aren't helping either. The median sale price grew 2.1% over the four weeks through March 29 - the fastest pace of growth in 12 months.

Fewer people are making offers. Pending sales fell 1.2% from last year.

Applications for new home loans dropped 3% in a single week. The average home now takes 53 days to find a buyer, up from 48 a year ago.

Sellers Keep Listing Anyway

Even as demand shrinks, new listings grew 1.7% compared to last year.

That's pushed the gap between people listing homes and people buying them to 630,000. Redfin has tracked this number for over a decade. It's never been this lopsided.

Think of it like a farmer's market where more vendors keep showing up, but fewer shoppers walk through. The sellers who don't stand out go home empty-handed.

Redfin agents say staging and repairs matter more now than they have in years. Buyers who do show up are picky - some are walking out after inspections turn up problems.

What to Watch

Oil prices are the swing factor. If the Iran conflict drags on, rates could keep rising - and that 630,000-seller surplus could widen heading into summer.

Detroit is a bright spot for sellers right now, with prices up over 10% year over year. San Francisco led all major metros at close to 13%.

Spring is here, buyers are sitting on the sideline.

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