This Spring’s Housing Market Is Unseasonably Slow As Iran War, High Costs Curb Demand

Pending home sales are declining and touring activity is slumping. 

U.S. pending home sales fell 4.1% from a year earlier during the four weeks ending April 12, the biggest decline in over a year. 

Sales fell in all but seven of the 50 biggest U.S. metro areas, with the biggest declines in Providence, RI (-17.5%), Houston (-16.9%) and Nassau County, NY (-14.8%). The biggest increases were in San Francisco (9.6%), West Palm Beach, FL (8.2%) and Miami (6.4%). 

Homebuying demand is unseasonably slow. Home-touring activity is up just 11% since the start of the year, compared to a 40% increase over the same period last year, according to ShowingTime

Would-be homebuyers are backing off partly because the Iran war is causing widespread geopolitical and economic uncertainty, making some Americans wary of making a big purchase. It has also contributed to higher mortgage rates, though the average rate fell to 6.3% this week. Mortgage rates may swing up or down in the next few weeks, depending on the direction of the Iran war, the outcome of negotiation talks and oil prices.  

High housing costs are also sidelining house hunters. The median home-sale price rose 2.3% annually, the biggest increase in a year, and while the weekly average mortgage rate has come down slightly, it is still notably higher than it was in early March. It’s worth noting that the timing of Easter is contributing to the year-over-year decline in pending sales, too: Easter fell into this four-week period, but not the comparable period in 2025. 

“Luxury buyers aren’t letting the high interest rates dissuade them, but for buyers on a tighter budget, the difference can be enough to kill affordability,” said Stacey Bryant, a Redfin Premier agent in Boston. “Cost-conscious buyers are also jittery about the rising prices of other thingslike gas, food and energycutting into their budgets.”

On the selling side, new listings of homes for sales declined 1.4% year over year, with some prospective sellers hitting pause while demand is down. 

For Redfin economists’ takes on the housing market, please visit Redfin’s “From Our Economists” page. 

Leading indicators 

 

Indicators of homebuying demand and activity
Value (if applicable) Recent change Year-over-year change Source
Daily average 30-year fixed mortgage rate 6.32% (April 15) Down from 6.64% three weeks earlier  Down from 6.98% Mortgage News Daily 
Weekly average 30-year fixed mortgage rate 6.3% (week ending April 16) Down  from 6-month high 2 weeks earlier Down from 6.62% Freddie Mac
Mortgage-purchase applications (seasonally adjusted) Down 1% from a week earlier (as of week ending April 10) Down 3% Mortgage Bankers Association 
Google searches of “homes for sale” Up 11% from a month earlier (as of April 11) Up 20% Google Trends
Touring activity Up 11% from the start of the year (as of April 12) At this time last year, it was up 40% from the start of 2025 ShowingTime

Key housing-market data

 

U.S. highlights: Four weeks ending April 12, 2026

Redfin’s national metrics include data from 400+ U.S. metro areas and are based on homes listed and/or sold during the period. Weekly housing-market data goes back through 2015. Subject to revision. 

Four weeks ending April 12, 2026 Year-over-year change Notes
Median sale price $393,059 2.3% Biggest increase in a year
Median asking price $426,225 1.8%
Median monthly mortgage payment $2,732 at a 6.3% mortgage rate -2.5%
Pending sales 86,665 -4.1% Biggest decline in a year
New listings 103,853 -1.4%
Active listings 1,092,911 -2.7% Biggest decline since 2023
Months of supply  4.2 Unchanged 4 to 5 months of supply is considered balanced, with a lower number indicating seller’s market conditions 
Share of homes off market in two weeks  38.4% Essentially unchanged
Median days on market 48 +4 days
Share of homes sold above list price 24.3% Down from 26%
Average sale-to-list price ratio  98.6% Down from 98.7%

Metro-level highlights: Four weeks ending April 12, 2026

Redfin’s metro-level data includes the 50 most populous U.S. metros. Select metros may be excluded from time to time to ensure data accuracy. 

Metros with biggest year-over-year increases Metros with biggest year-over-year decreases

Notes

Median sale price San Francisco (13.3%)

Detroit (10.7%)

Cleveland (9.8%)

Providence, RI (9%)

Pittsburgh (8.8%)

Dallas (-3.4%)

Austin, TX (-3.2%)

Oakland, CA (-3.2%)

Seattle (-2.9%)

Nashville, TN (-2.8%)

Declined in 17 metros

Pending sales San Francisco (9.6%)

West Palm Beach, FL (8.2%)

Miami (6.4%)

Fort Worth, TX (2.4%)

Milwaukee (1.3%)

Providence, RI (-17.5%)

Houston (-16.9%)

Nassau County, NY (-14.8%)

New York (-14.2%)

Seattle (-13.8%)

Increased in just 7 metros 
New listings Milwaukee, WI (12%)

Philadelphia (11.5%)

San Jose, CA (8.5%)

Minneapolis (7.3%)

Indianapolis (5.8%)

Tampa, FL (-15.8%)

Jacksonville, FL (-14.9%)

Anaheim, CA (-13.8%)

Riverside, CA (-13%)

Orlando (-11.9%)

Refer to our metrics definition page for explanations of all the metrics used in this report.

Dana Anderson

Dana Anderson

As a data journalist at Redfin, Dana Anderson writes about the numbers behind real estate trends. Redfin is a full-service real estate brokerage that uses modern technology to make clients smarter and faster. For more information about working with a Redfin real estate agent to buy or sell a home, visit our Why Redfin page.

Email Dana

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