Home price growth to fall behind inflation, Realtor.com forecast shows
Realtor.com flagged the trend as a wildcard with limited data so far, but with meaningful structural implications.
“Keeping listings off the open market changes the equation for everyone involved,” Hale said.
“Sellers who go private are trading away visibility and competition among buyers, and that competition is usually what pushes a sale price up. For buyers, it means they aren’t seeing every home or the whole market, making it harder to know what a fair price even looks like. That’s a real cost with real consequences.”
Elsewhere, rental markets are expected to continue softening, with Realtor.com forecasting a 1.2% decline in rents for 2026.
Vacancy rates stood at 7.3% in the first quarter, close to the long-term average of 7.2% from 2013 to 2019. The national homebuilding deficit remains approximately 4 million homes, with the Northeast and Midwest offering the greatest unmet opportunity.
