Second-Home Demand Falls 18% as Affordability Pressures Bite

Second-home mortgage applications fell 18% year-over-year in Q1 2026 as affordability pressures and insurance costs deterred discretionary buyers.

Boston Luxury Market Leads Q1 Volume Growth

Boston luxury home sales above $3 million rose 29% year-over-year in Q1 2026, leading all major US metros in high-end volume growth.

Cincinnati Housing Demand Surges Among Remote Workers

Cincinnati home sales rose 17% year-over-year in Q1 2026 as remote workers from higher-cost coastal markets sought the metro's affordability.

Small Landlord Sentiment Improves as Collections Stabilize

Small landlord sentiment improved in Q1 2026 as rental collections normalized and operating cost growth decelerated, per NREIA survey data.

Tampa Bay Condo Market Shows Divergence Between Waterfront and Inland

Waterfront Tampa Bay condos held median prices above $580,000 while inland condo median prices fell 6% year-over-year in Q1 2026.

Lawyer Fees for Residential Transactions Trend Higher

Attorney fees for residential real estate transactions rose 18% nationally over three years as post-settlement complexity increased.

St. Louis Permits Suggest Multifamily Revival

St. Louis multifamily permits rose 23% year-over-year in Q1, one of the few metros showing growth as national multifamily activity contracted 12%.

Cleveland Ranks Top Cash-Flow Market in Midwest Report

Cleveland ranked as the top cash-flow market in the Midwest in a February report, with typical rental properties generating $340 monthly after expenses.

Real Estate Professional Survey Reveals Pricing Shifts

NAR's semiannual agent survey showed 61% of brokers reported reducing list-price expectations with sellers in Q1, the highest reading in eight years.

Columbus Ohio Housing Inventory Up 28% Year-Over-Year

Columbus Ohio metro inventory rose 28% year-over-year in March as listings normalized and some price moderation emerged.

Indianapolis Multifamily Cap Rates Reach 7% in 2026

Indianapolis multifamily cap rates reached 7.0% in Q1 2026, attracting value-focused investors as coastal metros compress below 5.5%.

Appraisal Gap Fees Fall as Bidding Wars Cool

Buyer use of appraisal gap coverage fell to 11% of offers in Q1 2026 from 27% at the 2021 peak as bidding wars cooled nationally.

New Orleans

New Orleans Insurance Costs Drive Out-of-State Investor Exits

Out-of-state investors sold 1,240 New Orleans rental properties in Q1 2026 as Louisiana insurance costs made cash flow economics untenable.

Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Leads Value Metros with Strong Rental Yields

Pittsburgh single-family rental yields averaged 8.2% in Q1, the highest among 50 largest U.S. metros, per Rental Income Investment Analysis.

Short Sales

Short Sales Increase in Florida Coastal Markets

Short-sale transactions in Florida coastal counties rose 42% year-over-year in Q1 as insurance costs and special assessments squeezed equity positions.

Reverse Mortgage

Reverse Mortgage Volumes Hit 15-Year High Among Boomers

HECM reverse mortgage endorsements reached a 15-year high in Q1 2026 as aging baby boomers increasingly tapped home equity for retirement income.

Inland Empire

Inland Empire California Sees Biggest Inventory Jump

Inland Empire California home inventory rose 41% year-over-year in March, the largest increase among major California metros.

Charlotte

Charlotte Real Estate Investors Pivot to Build-to-Rent

Charlotte-area investors led U.S. build-to-rent delivery volumes in Q1 2026, accounting for 14% of all new single-family rental units delivered nationally.

Assumable Mortgages

Assumable Mortgages Return as Buyers Seek Lower Rates

VA and FHA mortgage assumption volume reached 15,400 transactions in Q1 2026, up 68% year-over-year as buyers sought to inherit lower rates.

Federal Reserve

Federal Reserve Survey Shows Homebuying Sentiment Improving

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York's Survey of Consumer Expectations showed a 3.4-point uptick in homebuying intent, the highest reading since 2022.

Raleigh

Raleigh Becomes Top Affordable Tech Hub, Outpacing Austin

Raleigh's combination of tech sector growth and relative housing affordability made it the top-ranked market in a Forbes analysis of US tech hub cities.

Home Flipping

Home Flipping Profit Margins Hit 10-Year Low

The average gross flipping profit margin fell to 22.6% in Q1 2026, the lowest since 2009, per ATTOM Data Solutions.

Texas

Texas Property Tax Reform Faces Court Challenges

A Travis County district court on April 10 denied the State of Texas's motion to dismiss litigation challenging Proposition 4, the 2023 property tax reform.

Portland

Portland Oregon Market Shows Early Signs of Recovery

Portland home sales rose 11% year-over-year in March and the median price returned to positive territory after eight months of declines.