{"id":6640,"date":"2026-09-09T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T10:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/2026\/09\/09\/the-housing-market-split-in-2-which-side-is-your-house-on\/"},"modified":"2026-09-09T10:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T10:30:00","slug":"the-housing-market-split-in-2-which-side-is-your-house-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sandpointrealtyidaho.com\/blog\/2026\/09\/09\/the-housing-market-split-in-2-which-side-is-your-house-on\/","title":{"rendered":"The Housing Market Split in 2. Which Side Is Your House On?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"The\n

Ask a couple people how the housing market<\/u><\/a> is doing and you\u2019ll probably get a couple different answers. That\u2019s because right now, the market runs on 2 very different tracks, split by price point.<\/p>\n

Knowing which track your house is on changes everything about your sale, from your asking price to how long you can expect to wait before an offer comes in. Here\u2019s what you need to know.<\/p>\n

Home Sales Are Picking Up Speed at the Top of the Market<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Rates<\/u><\/a> and buyer competition are shaping this market differently depending on price point. Look at recent sales data<\/u><\/a> from the National Association of Realtors<\/em> (NAR) and the pattern jumps right out.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Homes priced under $250,000 saw sales drop 2-3% compared to last year, while homes priced above $750,000 saw sales climb by double digits <\/strong>(see graph below<\/em>):<\/p>\n

\"aWhat\u2019s behind the divide? Due to higher rates and the last few years of home price appreciation, fewer buyers can comfortably afford homes at the entry-level price point right now \u2013 especially first-time buyers. So, demand in that segment has slowed down.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On the flip side, buyers looking for higher-priced homes<\/u><\/a> have less sensitivity to high-rate environments and more room in their budgets, thanks in part to a strong stock market and their equity in their current home.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the real differentiator. Lower-priced homes are still selling, just not as quickly since today\u2019s rates have shrunk the pool of buyers who can afford to buy their first place right now.<\/p>\n

This is exactly why pricing strategy and presentation<\/u><\/a> carry more weight than they used to, especially if you\u2019re selling in that range. Price it right from the start instead of testing a high number, make sure it shows well online and in person, and lean on an agent who can get your listing in front of every buyer shopping in your range. That\u2019s the best way to make sure you catch the attention of one of the buyers who are still looking \u2013 and it\u2019s how you prove your home is worth it\u2019s price.<\/p>\n

Why Some Homes Sit While Others Get Snapped Up<\/strong><\/h4>\n

How fast a home sells is shifting by price point too, and the split is just as sharp. For years, luxury homes sat on the market a lot longer than starter homes. That gap has nearly closed, according to Redfin<\/em> (see chart below<\/em>):<\/p>\n

\"aBuyers with deep pockets are moving fast when a well-priced home in their range comes up. As Zillow<\/em> puts it:<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe U.S. housing market is splitting in two. Luxury homes are selling at a faster pace than a year ago, with shrinking supply and growing bidding wars.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

If you\u2019re in that range, your house may sell faster than you\u2019d expect. You may even get multiple offers. That kind of competition changes how a listing should be marketed and priced from day 1.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And no matter which side you\u2019re on, that\u2019s information you\u2019re going to want up front if you want to have the smoothest sale possible.<\/p>\n

What This Means for Your Sale<\/strong><\/h4>\n

If you\u2019re thinking about selling an entry-level home<\/u><\/a>, don\u2019t panic. Homes at your price point are still selling, just at a slower pace than last year. That slower pace means pricing and presentation matter even more right now.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re selling a move-up or luxury house, you\u2019re in a good spot right now. Buyers looking in your price point usually aren\u2019t as affected by today\u2019s rates, so they\u2019re more active, and good listings are drawing real competition.<\/p>\n

Either way, your price point is the biggest factor in how fast your house sells and what it sells for.<\/p>\n

Bottom Line<\/h3>\n

Your home\u2019s price point is the real story right now, more than anything you\u2019re hearing in national headlines. Connect with a local real estate agent to map out exactly where your house fits in this split market and build a pricing strategy that gets you the speed and price you\u2019re after.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/body>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ask a couple people how the housing market is doing and you\u2019ll probably get a couple different answers. That\u2019s because right now, the market runs on 2 very different tracks, split by price point. Knowing which track your house is on changes everything about your sale, from your asking price to how long you can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6641,"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-6640","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