{"id":6595,"date":"2026-08-13T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/2026\/08\/13\/who-has-the-upper-hand-in-todays-housing-market\/"},"modified":"2026-08-13T10:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-13T10:30:00","slug":"who-has-the-upper-hand-in-todays-housing-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/2026\/08\/13\/who-has-the-upper-hand-in-todays-housing-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Has the Upper Hand in Today’s Housing Market?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

$\"Who$ \n

Ask around and almost every homebuyer out there wants to know if there\u2019s a way to get a better deal<\/a>. And just about every seller wants to know if they\u2019ll still get top dollar<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The interesting thing is\u2026 both can be right at the exact same time<\/em><\/strong>. It just depends on where you live.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u2019s because today\u2019s housing market isn\u2019t moving in one direction anymore. Some markets clearly favor buyers. Others still favor sellers. But most are sitting somewhere in the middle.<\/p>\n

And knowing which market you\u2019re actually in can completely change the strategy you use to buy or sell (and what expectations you should have). Let\u2019s break it down.<\/p>\n

One Number Tells You Who\u2019s Got Leverage<\/strong><\/h4>\n
So how do you know which market you\u2019re<\/em> in? There\u2019s one number that tells the story faster than anything else: the months\u2019 supply of homes for sale. It\u2019s the clearest signal of who\u2019s got leverage \u2013 and what strategy you\u2019ll need. Think of it like this.<\/p>\n
Imagine no additional homes were listed starting today. Months\u2019 supply tells us how long it would take to sell everything that\u2019s currently on the market based on today\u2019s demand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Generally speaking, if months\u2019 supply is:<\/p>\n
\n
\n
Fewer than 4 months:<\/strong> Sellers usually have the advantage.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\n
4 to 6 months:<\/strong> Buyers and sellers are on more equal footing.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\n
More than 6 months:<\/strong> Buyers can usually negotiate for a better deal.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Right now, the National Association of Realtors<\/em> (NAR) data says<\/a> that number is 4.6 and that puts the overall market back in balanced territory<\/a> (see graph below<\/em>):<\/p>\n
$\"a$ <\/p>\n
That means, as a whole, the market has finally moved back into a much more balanced range after years of being tilted in sellers\u2019 favor. While that may look like the scales have tipped only slightly, it\u2019s enough to make a real difference in what strategy you\u2019ll need for your move \u2013 at least in most places.<\/p>\n
The Tale of Two Markets: Why \u2018Balanced\u2019 Doesn\u2019t Mean the Same Thing Everywhere<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Redfin<\/em> data helps shed some light on how this shakes out across the country. It breaks down which cities are leaning in either direction (see graph below<\/em>).<\/p>\n
\n
\n
Some markets give buyers<\/em> <\/strong>more leverage. <\/strong>Those are in blue.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\n
Some still favor sellers<\/em>. <\/strong>That\u2019s the orange.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n
\n
Others fall somewhere in between<\/em>. <\/strong>Those are gray.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
$\"a$ Notice anything? A lot more places are seeing more buyer-friendly conditions right now.\u00a0 In fact, this is the most buyer-friendly market we\u2019ve seen in nearly 6 years.<\/strong><\/p>\n
But don\u2019t take that as buyers have the upper hand everywhere.<\/p>\n
There are still cities where sellers still have the power. And if you\u2019re in one of them, your approach to selling or buying looks completely different than it would in a buyer-leaning market.<\/p>\n
The Biggest Mistake You Can Make Right Now<\/strong><\/h4>\n
That\u2019s why the biggest mistake isn\u2019t thinking it\u2019s finally a buyer\u2019s market. And it isn\u2019t thinking it\u2019s still a seller\u2019s market either. It\u2019s making any assumption without talking to an expert agent first.<\/p>\n
Today\u2019s market is incredibly local. In one market, a buyer may be getting thousands of dollars in concessions<\/a> from a seller. And a homeowner may have to consider dropping their price.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
But in another, a buyer may be stressed about coming in with their best offer, or they may lose out on the home to another buyer. And a seller may still be seeing strong demand and prices inching higher.<\/p>\n
Same overall housing market.<\/strong><\/p>\n
Very<\/em> different experiences.<\/strong><\/p>\n
The truth is what\u2019s happening in your back yard affects everything from pricing your house to making an offer to negotiating repairs or concessions. And that\u2019s why an agent\u2019s local knowledge matters more now than ever before.<\/p>\n
Your plan has to be based on your neighborhood \u2013 and only an agent has the expertise to get that right.<\/p>\n
Bottom Line<\/h3>\n
This market isn\u2019t one-size-fits-all. <\/p>\n
If you\u2019re wondering who has the upper hand where you live, talk to a local agent. They\u2019ll help you understand what\u2019s happening in your market, who\u2019s got the leverage, and what strategy gives you the best shot at getting what you want.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Ask around and almost every homebuyer out there wants to know if there\u2019s a way to get a better deal. And just about every seller wants to know if they\u2019ll still get top dollar. The interesting thing is\u2026 both can be right at the exact same time. It just depends on where you live. That\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6596,"comment_status":"registered_only","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[12],"tags":[29,27,20,18,28],"class_list":["post-6595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-estate-insight","tag-idaho-real-estate","tag-north-idaho-homes","tag-rain-silverhawk","tag-real-estate","tag-sandpoint-idaho"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t