{"id":409468,"date":"2026-01-15T20:46:09","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T20:46:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/409468\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T20:46:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T20:46:09","slug":"home-buyers-get-surge-of-good-news-for-todays-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/409468\/","title":{"rendered":"Home buyers get surge of good news for today&#8217;s market"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">A new report has revealed some good news for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/housing-market-good-news-2026-11325015\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">home buyers in 2026<\/a>: despite many sellers <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/home-sale-cancellations-surge-nationwide-thousands-deals-collapse-2062138\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">delaying their home sales<\/a> over the past few years, there\u2019s likely to be a surge of new homes available.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">The Top Agents Insights &amp; Predictions Report from HomeLight revealed that 74 percent of real estate agents believe homeowners who delayed selling in 2024-2025 will re-enter the market.<\/p>\n<p>Why It Matters<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">The holdout amongst sellers has kept home prices in some markets artificially high, keeping many Americans from reaching their dream of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/zohran-mamdani-tenant-advisor-home-ownership-white-supremacy-11307264\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">home ownership.<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">If more sellers finally enter the market after delaying for better conditions for the last two years, buyers would likely be able to secure properties at lower rates.<\/p>\n<p><img id=\"11367016\" alt=\"\" caption=\"A For Sale sign for a multi-million dollar residential home in Reno, Nevada on May 6, 2024. Rocketing prices wrought by a years-long real estate boom, have priced  many middle-class Americans out of the market, an issue that could weigh heavily in November's presidential election. (Photo by Robyn BECK \/ AFP) (Photo by ROBYN BECK\/AFP via Getty Images)\" captionoverride=\"A For Sale sign for a multi-million dollar residential home in Reno, Nevada, on May 6, 2024.\" credit=\"\" sourcealt=\"\" sources=\"[]\" fetchpriority=\"auto\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"8256\" height=\"5504\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" style=\"color:transparent;aspect-ratio:inherit;object-fit:cover\"   src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2167865341-4.jpg\"\/>What To Know<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">Overall, 70 percent of more than 850 real estate agents said they\u2019re optimistic about the 2026 housing market in the HomeLight report.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">The exact specifics could vary, but 47 percent predicted slow economic growth but no recession for the year ahead.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">In today\u2019s market, the agents said 14 showings is the average number it takes to sell a home nationwide.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">\u201cThe housing market is showing some positive signs, with mortgage interest rates gradually declining and the employment rate remaining steady. These factors have contributed to a generally optimistic outlook among builders for 2026,\u201d Ken Harthausen, the president of the Builder Division at NewDay Home, told Newsweek.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">\u201cHowever, it&#8217;s important to note that both the cost of new construction and resale properties are expected to continue rising. This could present long-term challenges for buyers, particularly for first-time homebuyers, who may find it increasingly difficult to enter the market.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">Affordability is slowly improving, with real prices declining and wage growth outpacing home price growth, and new construction is adding options in select markets, experts say.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">\u201cFor buyers, this means more opportunities as supply improves,\u201d Selma Hepp, Chief Economist at Cotality, told Newsweek. \u201cAlso, recent changes to personal taxes and increases in SALT deductions will make homeownership more appealing for middle-income buyers in some areas, such as California and the northeast. \u00a0 For sellers, pent-up demand could translate into steady activity once rates stabilize, especially in affordable regions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What People Are Saying<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">Ken Harthausen, the president of the Builder Division at NewDay Home, told Newsweek: \u201cMortgage companies are introducing innovative homebuying solutions to make homeownership more accessible. For example, veterans and active service members can now purchase homes without paying upfront closing costs, which typically range from 3-6 percent of the home\u2019s purchase price. This initiative helps ease some affordability challenges for these buyers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">Sasha Poparic, the CEO and founder of Immobilium, the international real estate platform, told Newsweek: \u201cThe most encouraging sign is that stability is returning to the market. We are observing price growth slowing to sustainable, realistic levels, where buyers are becoming more deliberate and sellers are adjusting their expectations. This combination promotes healthier transactions rather than volatility driven by fabricated urgency and fear.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">Selma Hepp, chief economist at Cotality, told Newsweek: \u201cSupply will improve in 2026, but unevenly. New construction will play the most critical role in shaping affordability, particularly in markets where builders can deliver entry-level homes. However, labor shortages and high material costs remain as constraints, as do continued costly regulatory barriers and NIMBY efforts in some markets that are critically undersupplied. Existing-home listings should rise gradually as the lock-in effect eases\u2014especially if mortgage rates decline further\u2014but this will take time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What Happens Next<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">Poparic said in 2026, both buyers and sellers can anticipate a more balanced real estate market.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">\u201cHomes will continue to sell, but factors such as pricing, condition, and location will regain their importance,\u201d Poparic said. \u201cBuyers will have more time to make decisions, while sellers will need to be realistic instead of relying only on market momentum.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Paragraph_blockParagraph__I2kr4\">He added: \u201cA healthier market makes it easier to find affordable options, reduces financial stress for families, and allows people to choose their housing based on what they truly need in life, rather than worrying about the ups and downs of the market.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new report has revealed some good news for home buyers in 2026: despite many sellers delaying their&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":409469,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[28,101,151831,5456,1052,1170],"class_list":{"0":"post-409468","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy","8":"tag-business","9":"tag-economy","10":"tag-home-buyer","11":"tag-housing-market","12":"tag-prices","13":"tag-real-estate"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409468","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=409468"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/409468\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/409469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=409468"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=409468"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=409468"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}