Housing market update: Inventory builds as price cuts persist

"With mortgage rates near 6%, weekly housing demand rebounded as winter weather effects began fading from the data. The improvement appears tied more to normalization following the late-January snowstorm than to a structural acceleration in market activity. New listings also increased week over week, reinforcing signs that weather-related distortions are easing. Housing inventory rose modestly, and the year-over-year price-cut percentage is now nearly 1% lower than during the same period in 2025."

"While some monthly sales reports may still reflect snow-related disruptions, weekly data trends are beginning to stabilize. HousingWire lead analyst Logan Mohtashami noted in this week's Market Tracker that normalization is beginning to show up in forward-looking indicators. Housing inventory picked up a smidge, and the year-over-year price cut percentage is now down almost 1% versus 2025 data last week. While I do believe some of the monthly sales data will still reflect the snowstorm, the weekly data is starting to normalize."

"Pending home sales provide a timely week-to-week view of housing demand, though the data can be influenced by holidays and short-term disruptions such as severe weather events. New pending sales totaled 59,469 for the week, compared to 60,316 during the same week in 2025. Before the snowstorm, key leading indicators were consistently positive year over year. Total pending home sales, which are less volatile than weekly new pendings, have shown year-over-year growth every week so far in 2026."

Weekly housing demand rebounded as winter weather effects faded, with the improvement driven largely by normalization after a late-January snowstorm rather than a structural market acceleration. New listings increased week over week and housing inventory rose modestly. The year-over-year price-cut percentage declined by nearly 1% compared with the same period in 2025. Some monthly sales reports may still show snow-related disruptions, but weekly data trends are stabilizing and forward-looking indicators point to early signs of normalization. New pending sales totaled 59,469 for the week versus 60,316 in the same week of 2025, and mortgage rates remained near 6%.

Read at www.housingwire.com