#Housing Market #Realtor.com #Inventory Trends

2025 U.S. Housing Market Report: Inventory Growth and Regional Variability

In December 2025, the landscape of the U.S. housing market continued to evolve, with inventory levels on the rise for the 26th consecutive month. According to the latest report from Realtor.com®, while the national data shows consistent growth, the reality of the housing market is far more complex when examining local trends. This report aims to dissect these complexities and the implications they hold for buyers and sellers in the upcoming year.

Key Metrics of December 2025

As of December 2025, several key metrics were noted:

• - Median Listing Price: $399,950, which reflects a slight decline of 0.6% year-over-year but signifies a whopping increase of 33.4% since December 2019.
• - Active Listings: Total active listings reached 976,833, up by 12.1% compared to December 2024, despite a month-over-month decline of approximately 8.9%. This marks an essential slowdown typical for seasonal fluctuations.
• - New Listings: New listings fell by 29.5% from the previous month, indicating caution among sellers during this time of year.
• - Median Days on Market: Homes took an average of 73 days to sell, reflecting a balanced market, where sales timing is close to the historical averages seen before the pandemic.

Despite an overall increase in inventory, this growth has not kept pace with historical norms from 2017-2019, which remain 12.5% above current levels. Danielle Hale, the Chief Economist at Realtor.com®, highlighted the importance of local market knowledge, indicating that broad national trends can often obscure the dynamics at play in specific areas.

Regional Trends and Divergence

The U.S. housing market in 2025 was defined by markedly different experiences across regions. The Northeast and Midwest displayed resilience with relatively low inventory increases and steady pricing. Conversely, Southern and Western markets experienced substantial inventory growth and varied pricing conditions.

• - Northeast: Markets like Pittsburgh adhered closely to regional trends with an average year-over-year inventory growth of 11.7% and price stability. In contrast, Providence exhibited sharp growth in listings and stronger price escalations, marking it as an outlier within the region.
• - Midwest: Similarly, Cincinnati mirrored the regional average, while Milwaukee diverged significantly, showing muted growth — indicative of localized market factors that defy broader trends.
• - South: Here, Nashville noted robust inventory gains at 24.3%, while Washington, D.C. lagged on new listings, exemplifying contrasting responses within the same geographic designation.
• - West: Riverside performed as a benchmark, yet San Diego exhibited a declining trend in inventory and prices, indicating ongoing market volatility.

Such disparities underscore the reality that real estate dynamics can vary vastly even within the same regional context, necessitating tailored strategies for both buyers and sellers operating on local scales.

The Role of Benchmarks and Outliers

Realtor.com® introduced the concept of