Home prices are stable, rates have improved from last summer, and inventory is finally growing. Here's what it all means for buyers and sellers this season.
 

If you've been paying attention to real estate headlines this summer, you've probably noticed they can't seem to agree on much. One says the market is slowing down. The next says prices are climbing. Someone on the news is still predicting a crash, and meanwhile, your neighbor just sold their house in a week. 
So what's actually going on?
I pulled the latest national data to cut through some of that noise, because the real story this summer is actually pretty straightforward once you look at the numbers.
Home prices are steady. The national median home price is sitting at $417,800 right now, which is up less than 1% from last summer. That's a far cry from the double-digit jumps we saw during the pandemic, and it's not a correction either. 
 
"Through all of that noise, real estate has remained remar; ...

 
If your home has been sitting with no offers, there are really only three things to look at. Here's how to figure out which one it is and what to do about it.
 
 

You listed your home three weeks ago. The photos look great, the price feels right, and you were expecting calls. Instead, your agent keeps delivering the same update: no new showings, no offers. 

If that sounds familiar, it's worth understanding why before more time passes.

The landscape has changed. According to Redfin, over half of listings right now are sitting for 60 days or more without going under contract. Buyers have more choices, more time, and more reason to be selective. 

The homes that are selling are the ones that get three things right: price, presentation, and visibility. If yours isn't getting attention, one of those three is almost always the gap.

1. Getting showings but no offers? The price is probably off. If buyers are walking through your home and leaving wi ...

Over half of the listings are sitting 60+ days without an offer. These three fixes can change how buyers see your home the moment they walk in.
 

Most sellers think their home is ready for showings. The kitchen is clean, the beds are made, and it looks fine. But "fine" is exactly the problem. 
Buyers are walking through five or six homes in a single weekend, and "fine" doesn't get the offer. The homes that sell are the ones that feel right the moment someone walks through the door.
A few years ago, you could list a home that wasn't fully prepared and still get offers. That's not the case anymore. According to Redfin, over half of listings right now are sitting 60 days or more without going under contract. Buyers are more selective, and if something feels off, they move on. 
Here are three things you can do right now to make your home show at its best.
1. Fix what buyers touch before they notice it. Before you think about staging or cosmetic upgrades, walk throu. ...

 
The headlines made it sound like everything changed. Here's what actually happened, what didn't, and what it means for buyers and sellers right now.
 
 
If the last time you bought or sold a home was before 2024, the process looks a little different now. Not dramatically different, but different enough that you should know what changed before you're in the middle of a transaction.

Back in 2024, the National Association of Realtors settled a major lawsuit that changed how buyer's agent commissions are handled. It was all over the news at the time, and the headlines were dramatic. Buyers thought they were going to have to pay their agent out of pocket on top of their down payment. Sellers thought they were going to save thousands by not covering the buyer's agent fee anymore. And then most people stopped following the story. They heard the headline, formed an opinion, and moved on.

The problem is, a lot of what stuck with people was either incomplete or . ...

Not every upgrade pays off when it's time to sell. Here's where to spend your money, what to skip, and how to get the best return on your investment this spring.
 

 
Spring is here, and if you're thinking about selling your home, you've probably been looking around your house, wondering what's worth fixing up. Should you redo the kitchen? Repaint the exterior? Finally finish that half-done project in the garage?
Here's the truth: the most expensive upgrades are rarely the ones that pay off the most. And the ones that do pay off might surprise you. Before you spend a dollar on renovations, here are three things every seller should know in 2026.
1. Skip the expensive mistakes. It's tempting to go all-in on a high-end kitchen remodel or luxury landscaping, but the numbers tell a different story. According to the latest Cost vs. Value Report, a major upscale kitchen remodel returns just 36% of what you put in. That means for every $10,000 you spend, you're adding less ; ...