Buying a Home

Realtor.com October Report: Inventory Up 7.4% as New Listings Drop 7.5%

Active listings rose to 1.18 million in October 2026 while new listings and contract signings fell. Here's what the slower market means for buyers.

By Shivam Kaushik · Updated November 5, 2026 · 4 min read

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Quick answers

More choice: Realtor.com counted 1,183,500 active listings in October 2026, up 7.4% from a year earlier.
Fewer fresh listings: new listings fell 7.5% year over year, the steepest drop of 2026.
Buyers pulled back: homes under contract were down 10.5%, the sharpest annual drop since October 2023.
Prices softened a bit: the median list price was $415,000 (down 2.2%), homes sat a median 63 days, and 20.5% of listings had a price cut.

The housing market in October looked like a party where the guests are slowly leaving but the hosts aren’t closing up yet. Realtor.com’s October 2026 housing report, released November 4, shows more homes sitting on the market, fewer new sellers showing up, and noticeably fewer buyers signing contracts. For a buyer with a solid pre-approval, that combination can mean more time and more room to negotiate.

October 2026 by the numbers

Metric	October 2026	vs. Sept 2026	vs. Oct 2025
Active listings	1,183,500	+1.9%	+7.4%
New listings	357,000	-9.5%	-7.5%
Median list price	$415,000	-1.0%	-2.2%
Median days on market	63	+2 days	+1 day
Share with price cuts	20.5%	-0.3 pts	+0.2 pts
Homes under contract	—	—	-10.5%

Source: Realtor.com October 2026 Monthly Housing Report. Covers existing single-family homes, condos, townhomes and co-ops listed on Realtor.com.

Why inventory is rising even though fewer people are listing

It sounds like a riddle: fewer new listings, yet more homes for sale. The answer is speed. Homes are selling more slowly, so listings pile up. Realtor.com’s economists described sellers as being on “pause” rather than heading for the exits. Delistings (sellers pulling homes off the market) stayed close to last year’s pace, at 4.4% of active listings versus 4.6% a year earlier.

On the buyer side, the report points to higher mortgage rates eating into purchasing power. Rates averaged about 7.33% in October, roughly 1.1 points higher than a year before, according to the report. Contract signings fell 17% year over year.

Fun factActive inventory is now just a few percent below its typical pre-pandemic level, the closest it has been since before 2020. Compared with October 2022, there are about 57% more homes for sale.

Where buyers have the most room

Region	Active listings (YoY)	New listings (YoY)	Median list price
Northeast	+16.5%	+0.6%	$500,000 (-4.8%)
Midwest	+13.8%	-4.8%	$317,500 (+0.8%)
West	+9.0%	-10.8%	$589,000 (-1.7%)
South	+3.8%	-6.5%	$375,000 (-2.6%)

Among big metros, inventory jumped most in Buffalo (+34.4%), Minneapolis-St. Paul (+32.7%), Seattle (+29.9%) and Providence (+29.7%). It shrank in Jacksonville, Miami-Fort Lauderdale and San Francisco. Austin (-10.2%) and Los Angeles (-9.0%) saw the biggest drops in median list price among the metros highlighted.

What this means for your budget

ExampleJordan is eyeing a home listed at the national median of $415,000 with 10% down. At this week’s 7.18% average rate, principal and interest come to about $2,530 a month. If Jordan negotiates a 2% price cut (about $8,300), the payment drops to roughly $2,480, saving about $50 a month for the life of the loan, and the down payment shrinks too.

A price cut isn’t the only lever. With homes sitting a median 63 days, many sellers will also consider paying part of your closing costs or funding a rate buydown. Compare those options with our 2-1 buydown calculator and closing cost calculator.

Myth buster“More inventory means prices are about to crash.” The data don’t say that. The national median list price is down 2.2% from a year ago, but still about 34% higher than October 2019. A soft patch isn’t a collapse, and price trends differ a lot by metro. For more context, see home prices fall for the first time in three years.

How to use a slower market

Check days on market. A home listed 60+ days usually has a more flexible seller. Ask your agent for the listing history.
Don’t skip protections. In a calmer market you rarely need to waive a home inspection or appraisal contingency.
Get pre-approved first. A strong pre-approval makes a lower offer more believable. Our first-time buyer checklist walks through it.
Know your number. Use the home affordability calculator so a “deal” doesn’t stretch your budget.

What to watch next

Nov 6: October jobs report, which could move mortgage rates.
Nov 10: October consumer price index (inflation).
Every Thursday: Freddie Mac’s weekly rate survey (next on Nov 12).
Early December: Realtor.com’s November housing report shows whether inventory keeps climbing into the holidays.

FAQ

Is it a buyer’s market right now?

It’s moving in buyers’ favor in many areas: more listings, longer days on market and 1 in 5 listings with a price cut. But it varies a lot by city, and high rates still limit what buyers can afford.

How many homes are for sale in the U.S.?

Realtor.com counted about 1.18 million active listings in October 2026, up 7.4% from a year earlier.

Are home prices dropping?

The national median list price was $415,000, down 2.2% from a year earlier. Some metros fell more, while the Midwest edged up.

Can I ask a seller to pay my closing costs?

Yes. Seller concessions are common when homes sit longer, though loan programs cap how much a seller can contribute.

Sources: Realtor.com October 2026 Monthly Housing Report (Nov 4, 2026); Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (Nov 5, 2026); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics release schedule. Payment examples computed by Keys & Coffee. This article is general education, not financial advice. Keys & Coffee is not a lender.

Written by

Shivam Kaushik· IMSHIVA

Founder & Director, QuibbleTech Solutions Pvt Ltd · Editor, Keys & Coffee

Shivam Kaushik is the founder of QuibbleTech Solutions Pvt Ltd and the editor of Keys & Coffee. He is not a licensed loan officer or financial adviser. Every guide here is written in plain English and checked against official sources such as the CFPB, HUD, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Reserve. For advice on your own loan, talk to a licensed lender.

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Keys & Coffee is an independent education site. We are not a lender or mortgage broker, we do not take loan applications or payments, and nothing here is financial advice. This site is not affiliated with Axia Home Loans, Axia Financial, LLC, or Planet Home Lending. Rates and rules change often — always confirm details with a licensed loan officer and check any lender on the NMLS Consumer Access site.