Published November 1, 2026 in Market Update

Primary market has more listings, but buyers are not moving much faster

By Michael McGivern

Real estate, Primary market

The one fact that changes what you should do right now: the Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 1,147 homes for sale across the Primary market in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 13.3% from the same months of 2025. More competition for sellers. More options for buyers.

Realtor.com reported that active U.S. inventory was up 8.0% year over year as of the week ending October 24, 2026. The Primary market's 13.3% gain, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator, outpaced that national rise. More listings landed here than in most places.

But buyers did not rush in to meet them. The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 1,654 pending sales across the Primary market in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is down 0.5% from the same months of 2025. Supply grew. Demand barely moved.

Here is why that gap matters. When listings grow faster than buyers, sellers compete with each other. Price and condition decide who wins. The homes that are priced right and show well still move. The others sit.

Rates are not helping buyers move faster

Freddie Mac put the average 30-year fixed rate at 7.24% as of October 29, 2026. The 15-year averaged 6.60%. Realtor.com noted that rates climbed above 7% for the first time since January 2025. That is a real cost. It slows decisions.

The National Association of Realtors counted 3.99 million existing-home sales nationally in September 2026, with inventory at 1.60 million homes. Prices nationally were up 1.3% year over year. Slow sales, more supply, modest price gains. That pattern fits what the Real Estate Data Aggregator shows here too.

Speed varies a lot by ZIP code

The market-wide numbers hide real differences. Some ZIP codes are still moving fast. Others have slowed. Here is how days on market looked across the Primary market in the three months ending August 31, 2026, per the Real Estate Data Aggregator.

55420 in Minneapolis had a median of 14 days. 55425, also Minneapolis, sat at 30 days. Same city. Very different experience. That is a 16-day spread, and it matters if you are pricing a home.

Above-list sales are still common, but less so than last year

Homes still sell above list in much of this market. But the share doing so dropped in most ZIP codes compared with a year ago. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows 55420 led with 54.9% of homes selling above list. 55435 trailed at 18.6%. Both numbers are lower than last year.

Months of supply: still low, but rising in places

Months of supply tells you how long it would take to sell every home on the market at the current pace. Under three months generally favors sellers. The Real Estate Data Aggregator shows most ZIP codes here are still well under that line. But 55425 hit 5.9 months, up 3.3 months from last year. That ZIP is a different conversation.

New listings jumped. That is the supply story.

The Real Estate Data Aggregator counted 1,938 new listings across the Primary market in the three months ending August 31, 2026. That is up 9.6% from the same months of 2025. More sellers came to market. Buyers did not follow at the same rate. That gap is the whole story.

Not every ZIP saw new listings climb. 55439 dropped 34.4%. 55435 dropped 25.4%. 55437 dropped 15.4%. Supply is growing in some places and shrinking in others. The market-wide number smooths over that.

What this means if you own a home here

More listings means your home is one of more options a buyer can compare. That is not bad news. It just means the price has to fit and the home has to show well. The Real Estate Data Aggregator still shows most ZIP codes selling in under four weeks. Buyers are still buying.

The above-list sale rate dropped in most areas. That means the days of pricing high and waiting for overbids are less reliable than they were a year ago. Price at market and you still move. Price above it and you may sit while the next listing takes your buyer.

One last thing worth knowing: these numbers cover whole ZIP codes. One street can read very differently from the ZIP around it. A block with mostly updated homes, or one with a lot of new listings, will have its own pace. The ZIP code average is a starting point, not the final answer for your address.