---
title: Buyers Have More Homes to Pick From, and More Room to Haggle
description: Home listings hit their highest level since 2020 in August and three in five sold below asking, Redfin reports, giving buyers more room to negotiate.
author: Darie Nani (Editor-in-Chief)
date: 2026-09-10T11:28:42.457Z
updated: 2026-09-10T11:28:42.469Z
canonical: https://richdadmagazine.com/article/housing-supply-six-year-high-buyers-market-2026
image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/pexels-tilt-shift-aerial-photo-of-a-suburban-neighborhood-with-gree-1546168.jpg
categories: Real Estate
content_type: News
region: United States
publication: Rich Dad Magazine
schema_type: Article
---

If you have been house hunting and losing bidding wars, the market shifted in August. Redfin counted more homes for sale than at any point since 2020, with active listings up 3.9% in a single month. New listings rose 2.6% from July, the most fresh inventory since 2022. More homes on the market means less pressure to waive your inspection or bid over asking to win a house for your family.

The other half of the change is at the negotiating table. About 60% of homes, three in five, sold below their original asking price in August, Redfin found. Sellers are meeting buyers partway, and an offer under list is now worth making rather than a wasted gesture.

## Prices Are Still Rising, So This Is Not a Crash

The national picture is a supply story, not a price drop. The median U.S. home-sale price still rose 2.2% over the past year, Redfin reported. What changed is how many homes you can look at and how hard you can push on the price, not the price itself. If your plan depends on prices falling across the country, the data does not support the wait. If your plan is to have real choice and real negotiating room, that is here now.

More homeowners are listing because the lock-in effect is fading. Owners who held onto the low mortgage rates they got during the pandemic are moving anyway as jobs, schools and growing families force the decision. Sellers are also adjusting to a slower market and pricing to sell.

## The Extra Homes Are in San Jose, Nashville and Seattle

The extra supply is not spread evenly. San Jose led the country in new listings, up 25.5% over the past year, followed by Nashville at 15.8% and Seattle at 13.7%. Counting all homes actively for sale, the biggest yearly jumps were Seattle at 24.2%, Boston at 18.7%, and San Jose at 17.7%.

Each market got there a different way. In San Jose the median sale price slipped 2% over the year to $1.5 million, even as nearby San Francisco rose 7.5% to $1.6 million, a split Redfin economists tie to renewed Bay Area interest from the AI boom. Nashville has become one of the strongest buyers markets in the country after years of homebuilding caught up with demand. Seattle's jump partly comes from sellers who sat out 2025 and are now testing the market, though buyer demand there is still slow. If you are shopping in one of these cities, you have the strongest hand; if you are selling in one, you are competing with a lot of other for-sale signs.

## Buyers Can Negotiate, and Sellers Should Price to Sell

If you are buying for your family this fall, you can slow down, tour more homes, and write an offer below asking without assuming you will be laughed out of the room. Ask for the inspection, and ask for repairs.

If you are selling, price it right the first time. With homes widely selling below asking and inventory this deep, an aggressive list price sits and goes stale while sharper-priced neighbors sell. Meet the market and you still walk away with a gain in most places, since prices are up over the year.

You can track the national numbers as they move on [Redfin's U.S. housing-market data](https://www.redfin.com/us-housing-market).

## FAQ

**Q: Is 2026 a buyer's market?**
In much of the country it is leaning that way. Redfin reported the most homes for sale since 2020 in August, and about 60% of homes sold below their original asking price, both signs buyers have gained choice and negotiating power. The tilt is strongest in cities like Nashville, San Jose and Seattle.

**Q: Will home prices fall in 2026?**
Nationally, not yet: prices are still rising year over year. For that to change, the extra supply would have to keep building while buyer demand stays soft. The two things to watch are inventory and mortgage rates. If listings keep piling up faster than buyers absorb them, price growth slows before it turns negative, and that has not happened across the country so far.

**Q: Is it a good time to buy a house?**
If you are ready and can afford the payment, you have more leverage now than in years: more listings to choose from and sellers willing to take less than they asked. That does not mean prices are cheap, so the answer still comes down to your own budget and how long you plan to stay.

**Q: Which cities have the most homes for sale?**
It depends which list you mean. The most brand-new listings are hitting the market in San Jose, Nashville and Seattle. The biggest backlog of all homes for sale is in Seattle, Boston and San Jose. If you are shopping in one of these deep-inventory markets, you can afford to be patient, tour widely, and lead with an offer below asking, because the leverage is real where the for-sale signs are stacking up.