Housing inventory is seeing a solid rebound, with active listings up 28.5% from March 2024 to March 2025. Although economic uncertainty remains a challenge for many would-be buyers, the growth in inventory is giving homebuyers more negotiating power. However, overall inventory is still 20% below pre-pandemic levels from March 2019, according to the ResiClub blog. As of March 2025, active inventory was at 892,561 listings. In comparison, active listings reached 1.115 million in March 2019. If current trends continue, inventory could return to near-2019 levels by 2026.
Some areas, especially in the Midwest and Northeast, remain tight, but other areas are seeing inventory rise. As of March 2025, seven states—Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Tennessee, Texas, and Utah, as well as Washinton, D.C.—have surpassed pre-pandemic inventory levels.
In contrast, active housing inventory for sale has neared or surpassed pre-pandemic 2019 levels in many parts of the Gulf region, including metro area housing markets such as Punta Gorda and Austin. These areas saw major price surges during the Pandemic Housing Boom, with home prices getting stretched compared to local incomes. As pandemic-driven migration slowed and mortgage rates rose, markets like Tampa and Austin faced challenges, relying on local income levels to support frothy home prices. This softening trend is further compounded by an abundance of new home supply in the Sun Belt. Builders are often willing to lower prices or offer affordability incentives to maintain sales, which also has a cooling effect on the resale market. Some buyers, who would have previously considered existing homes, are now opting for new homes with more favorable deals. Read more