Some Would-Be Home Sellers Are Stepping Back as Market Tilts Toward Buyers

Written by Posted On Thursday, 05 June 2025 07:54

Many prospective homebuyers are sidelined by near-record costs and economic uncertainty, creating a buyer’s market in many parts of the country. That’s deterring some would-be sellers.

New listings of U.S. homes for sale rose 6.3% year over year during the four weeks ending June 1, one of the smallest increases of the last three months. That’s according to a new report from Redfin (redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage.

New listings declined year over year in 11 of the 50 most populous U.S. metros, with the biggest drops in San Jose, CA and four Florida metros: Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa and West Palm Beach.

Zooming in on recent weeks, new listings fell during the second half of May. While it’s typical for listings to decline after peaking in mid-May, this year’s drop was the biggest for that time period in a decade.

On the buying side, pending home sales declined 0.4% year over year to their lowest May level since 2020, and mortgage-purchase applications fell 3% week over week. Prospective buyers are backing off because housing costs are near record highs, with the median home-sale price up 1.2% year over year and the weekly average mortgage rate approaching 7%, and because the U.S. economy is unpredictable.

While there are hundreds of thousands more home sellers than buyers in the market—and new listings are still rising—the recent decline in listings suggests some of this spring’s would-be sellers are backing off. The typical home now sells for about 1% less than its asking price, the biggest discount for this time of year since 2020, and just about 28% of homes sell for above their asking price, down from 32% at this time last year.

“If a home is in a desirable neighborhood, especially if it’s fixed up, it will sell fairly quickly,” said Ben Ambroch, a Redfin Premier agent in Milwaukee. “But even that type of home now gets two or three offers, as opposed to the 10 offers it would have gotten a few years ago. Sellers of homes that need work in fringe neighborhoods should be able to find a buyer, but it’s important they come to the table with realistic expectations on price and timing, and a willingness to negotiate. Price within a fair range based on the neighborhood, understand that buyers will be inspecting the home, and be prepared to give concessions.”

For Redfin economists’ takes on the housing market, please visit Redfin’s “From Our Economists” page.

Leading indicators

Indicators of homebuying demand and activity

Value (if applicable)

Recent change

Year-over-year change

Source

Daily average 30-year fixed mortgage rate

6.87% (June 4)

Down from 6.97% one week earlier

Down from 7.17%

Mortgage News Daily

Weekly average 30-year fixed mortgage rate

6.89% (week ending May 29)

Highest level since Feb.

Down from 7.03%

Freddie Mac

Mortgage-purchase applications (seasonally adjusted)

Down 4% from a week earlier (as of week ending May 30)

Up 18%

Mortgage Bankers Association

Redfin Homebuyer Demand Index

Down 3% from a month earlier (as of week ending June 1)

Up 1%

A measure of tours and other homebuying services from Redfin agents

Google searches for “home for sale”

Up 20% from a month earlier (as of June 1)

Up 20%

Google Trends

ShowingTime stats have been excluded this week to ensure data accuracy.

Key housing-market data

 

U.S. highlights: Four weeks ending June 1, 2025

Redfin’s national metrics include data from 400+ U.S. metro areas, and are based on homes listed and/or sold during the period. Weekly housing-market data goes back through 2015. Subject to revision.

 

Four weeks ending June 1, 2025

Year-over-year change

Notes

Median sale price

$393,750

1.2%

 

Median asking price

$425,975

4.9%

 

Median monthly mortgage payment

$2,863 at a 6.89% mortgage rate

4%

$20 shy of record high

Pending sales

88,141

-0.4%

 

New listings

104,380

6.3%

 

Active listings

1,132,818

14.4%

Smallest increase in over a year

Months of supply

4

+0.7 pts.

4 to 5 months of supply is considered balanced, with a lower number indicating seller’s market conditions

Share of homes off market in two weeks

38.7%

Down from 42%

 

Median days on market

36

+4 days

 

Share of homes sold above list price

28.4%

Down from 32%

 

Average sale-to-list price ratio

99.1%

Down from 99.5%

 

Metro-level highlights: Four weeks ending June 1, 2025

Redfin’s metro-level data includes the 50 most populous U.S. metros. Select metros may be excluded from time to time to ensure data accuracy.

 

Metros with biggest year-over-year increases

Metros with biggest year-over-year decreases

Notes

Median sale price

Philadelphia (11.4%)

Detroit (10.6%)

Pittsburgh (7.4%)

Miami (7.1%)

New Brunswick, NJ (6.9%)

Oakland, CA (-8.5%)

Dallas (-4.5%)

Jacksonville, FL (-3.6%)

Houston (-2.4%)

Austin, TX (-1.6%)

Declined in 9 metros

Pending sales

Cincinnati (10.9%)

Chicago (6.5%)

Boston (5.7%)

Montgomery County, PA (4.7%)

Indianapolis (4.2%)

 

Miami (-19.6%)

San Jose, CA (-16.2%)

Fort Lauderdale, FL (-15.9%)

Las Vegas (-15.4%)

San Diego (-12.2%)

 

New listings

Houston (13.9%)

Washington, D.C. (13.5%)

Montgomery County, PA (13.2%)

Seattle (12%)

Cincinnati (11.4%)

San Jose, CA (-9%)

Orlando, FL (-8.3%)

Fort Lauderdale, FL (-6.8%)

Tampa, FL (-6.8%)

West Palm Beach, FL (-5.5%)

Declined in 11 metros

To view the full report, including charts, please visit:
https://www.redfin.com/news/housing-market-update-new-listings-lose-steam

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Redfin

Redfin is a technology-driven real estate company with the country's most-visited real estate brokerage website. As part of Rocket Companies (NYSE: RKT), Redfin is creating an integrated homeownership platform from search to close to make the dream of homeownership more affordable and accessible for everyone. Redfin’s clients can see homes first with on-demand tours, easily apply for a home loan with Rocket Mortgage, and save thousands in fees while working with a top local agent. You can find more information about Redfin and get the latest housing market data and research at Redfin.com/news. For more information about Rocket Companies, visit RocketCompanies.com.

https://www.redfin.com

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