Real Estate Intelligence

Housing Market Deep Dive

Is it a good time to buy? We analyze inventory levels, interest rates, and price-to-rent ratios to uncover the truth behind the headlines.

National Median Home

$417,000

+3.2% YoY

30Y Fixed Mortgage

6.82%

+0.4% MoM

Active Listings

784,000

Historic Low

Foreclosure Rate

Low

1 in 4,000 homes

Bubble Detector

Price-to-Rent Ratio Analysis

Miami, FL

Extreme Risk

38x

P/R Ratio

Los Angeles, CA

High Risk

32x

P/R Ratio

Austin, TX

Moderate Risk

24x

P/R Ratio

Houston, TX

Fair Risk

18x

P/R Ratio

Detroit, MI

Undervalued Risk

12x

P/R Ratio

How to read this: A Price-to-Rent ratio above 25 indicates it is significantly cheaper to rent than buy. A ratio below 15 suggests buying is favorable.

Housing Market Heatmap ZILLOW DATA

Market Outlook 2026

The "Lock-In" Effect Persists: With 70% of homeowners sitting on mortgage rates below 4%, inventory remains historically tight. This artificial scarcity is propping up prices even as demand softens due to affordability constraints.

The Sun Belt Correction: Markets that overheated during the pandemic (Austin, Phoenix, Boise) are seeing the fastest normalization. Inventory in these regions is rising 2x faster than the national average, creating pockets of opportunity for buyers.

Rental Market Softening: A record number of multi-family units coming online in 2025-2026 is putting downward pressure on rents. In many major metros, renting is now mathematically superior to buying by the widest margin since 2000.

Advice for Buyers: Patience is key. Focus on markets with rising "Days on Market" (DOM) stats. Avoid bidding wars. The leverage is slowly shifting back to buyers in specific zip codes.