Nationally, home-price growth topped 1% for the first time in 2026.

The seasonally adjusted annual rate of 628,000 homes topped Wall Street’s estimates. 

Curb appeal is important to today’s homeowners — that is, they want the exteriors of their homes to appeal to their own preferences and sensibilities rather than those of potential buyers.

The triennial survey of 2,000 American residents from the 50 largest metropolitan areas, the National Association of REALTORS® Community and Transportation Preference Survey, found buyers and residents prefer more housing options and communities designed for easy access.

The annual and monthly declines of 0.3% and 5.4%, respectively, do not fully capture the geographic variability of market performance. 

The median sales price of a home hit an all-time high of $440,600. 

Looking ahead, Cotality expects home prices to rise 4.8% between May 2026 and May 2027. 

The uptick was driven by a slight dip in mortgage rates. 

S&P Dow Jones Indices noted that inflation outpaced national home-price appreciation for the 11th month in a row. 

The increase was driven by refinancing activity as purchase applications dipped. 

Existing-home sales and the median home price are forecast to rise 4% this year, according to the National Association of REALTORS® Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. 

Starter homes now cost $1 million or more in a record 242 cities, up from just 80 in 2020, according to a Zillow analysis.

The 3.8% month-over-month gain was almost four times what industry observers were expecting. 

Paint color has the power to enhance value — or tank it.

Inventory rose 3.3% month over month and 0.6% year over year to 1.55 million homes, which equals a 4.5-month supply of unsold inventory, NAR said. 

Nationwide, it takes six years to break even on homeownership, down from an all-time high of 8.4 years in 2023.