10 tips for purchasing a home in spring 2026

Key takeaways

• Spring 2026 is shaping up to be a more buyer‑friendly market, with higher inventory, longer days on market and about 6 in 10 homes selling below asking price, giving buyers more negotiating leverage than in recent spring seasons.
• Affordability is gradually improving despite higher rates, as home prices have stabilized and incomes continue to outpace price growth, pushing the National Association of Realtors' Housing Affordability Index to its highest level since March 2022.
• Buyers still face competition for well‑priced homes, but experts say preparation and strategy — such as full pre‑approval, targeting stale or poorly marketed listings, and pushing for price cuts or closing-cost help — can create meaningful advantages this spring.

Spring is traditionally the busiest season for buying a home. This year, there are signs in many areas pointing to a buyer's market.

Inventory of unsold existing homes increased 2.4% in February 2026 compared to January 2026, according to the National Association of Realtors' February 2026 existing-home sales report. It's up 4.9% from February 2025. Supply rose to 3.8 months in February 2026, unchanged from January but up from 3.6 months in February 2025.

Another sign is that 6 in 10 homes sell below their asking price, said Nadia Evangelou, senior economist and director of real estate research for the association. "Negotiations are back," she said.

Homes are more affordable as incomes continue rising faster than home prices, Evangelou added.

Affordability rose for the eighth straight month. The association's Housing Affordability Index increased to 117.6 in February, up from 117.1 in January and 103.1 in February 2025. The index is at the highest level since March 2022. This means that the typical family earned 117.6% of the qualifying income needed to afford the median-priced home.

Affordability increased in all four regions of the U.S. year over year, rising most in the West with a 17.0% improvement, followed by the South at 14.1%, the Midwest at 11.7% and the Northeast at 10.0%.

If you're thinking of buying this spring, here are 10 tips to increase your odds of becoming a homeowner.

Competition for homes intensifies during the spring homebuying season. It varies by market. Knowing if you are in a buyer's or seller's market can shape your strategy.

A buyer's market occurs when inventory is high and competition is low, placing sellers in a weaker negotiating position. A seller's market may indicate tight inventory and more competition. Buyers won't have as much negotiating power and may need to be more willing to accept a seller's demands.

The higher inventory of February 2026 points to a buyer's market. But check your locality. You can gauge market competitiveness by comparing prices of recently sold homes to listing prices.

Ask your agent for a report of all sales that closed in the last 3 to 12 months in your target neighborhood, said Danielle Nazinitsky, founder of and agent at Decode Real Estate in New York City.

"Look at a sample size of about 40 comps. Click through and compare initial asking prices to what they actually closed at," she said. "That tells you the real negotiating room."

Homes.com's database of homes identifies recently sold properties, how many days they were on the market, their sales prices and their listing prices.

A pre-approval letter is a statement from a lender that it has reviewed your financial records and considers your finances strong enough to qualify for a loan. It's essential to put you ahead of other buyers, especially if you're in a market more favorable to sellers. It also indicates your commitment to purchasing a home.

A pre-approval letter is different from a pre-qualification letter, in which a lender conducts an informal, nonbinding review of your finances. Proof that a lender considers you a candidate for a mortgage shows sellers that you are a stronger buyer than one who is prequalified, said Kristen Keegan, broker and owner of Silver Key Homes Realty in Dracut, Massachusetts, and the 2026 president of the Massachusetts Association of Realtors.

There's a greater chance that your area will be a buyer's market in 2026. Homes move more slowly. Take time to get pre-approved.

Time, effort and a lot of detail go into an offer. Completing it early gives consumers an advantage over competitors, even in buyer's markets. In the current market, more inventory and more days on market give organized buyers more breathing room to hone their offer packages.

A complete set of paperwork demonstrates that you are prepared to buy, said Devin Lynch, a sales manager at Howard Hanna NYC. An offer should include a signed pre-approval letter from a lender, he said. Completing your 2025 tax returns early shows that you have lean, up-to-date documentation, he added.

The median days on market for an existing home rose nationwide to 47 days in February 2026, up from 42 in February 2025 and 46 last month, according to the National Association of Realtors.

The trend is clear in Massachusetts, Keegan said.

The average days on the market for single-family homes in the state rose to 53 days, she said. That compares to 50 days in February 2025, according to the Massachusetts Association of Realtors. The days on the market for condominiums are even more marked, rising to 61 days in February 2026 from 48 days in February 2025, MAR said.

Sellers today are more open to price adjustments, inspection repair requests and help with closing costs, Keegan said.

“While bidding wars haven’t disappeared, they’ve eased in many ways, giving buyers the ability to make more thoughtful, strategic decisions rather than rushing in,” she said.

Inventories will increase during the spring market, Keegan predicted. Buyers will have more options but still face competition, especially for move-in-ready homes in highly sought-after communities.

Retaining an experienced agent skilled in negotiating is especially important when buyers have more negotiating power. Choose an agent with a strong negotiating style and a record of getting seller concessions such as price reductions.

Buyers should find out how many deals an agent closes a year, said Nazinitsky. Find one more active if your agent closes less than five, she said. Make sure you don't get stuck with an inexperienced agent if you're working with a large real estate firm, she added. "Some teams leverage new agents to show homes and sell, so verify who's actually doing the work," she said.

Get a clear idea of your own comfort zone with making an offer in case you get in a bidding war, she said. Ask an agent about how they negotiate in a competitive situation, such as waiving financing contingencies or a home inspection.

Buyers this spring can push for lower prices, better terms and even a few expensive items when closing.

Sellers have cut home prices by 2% to 3% of the purchase price to cover buyers’ out-of-pocket costs, said Greg Field, a solar home agent at HomeSmart in Tempe, Arizona. They’re also buying down interest rates on a mortgage, sometimes by 2% below the lender’s rate, he said.

Money isn't the only concession, said Rick Carr, a designated broker at HomeSmart in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas.

"I’m seeing buyers ask for personal property, like a golf cart if they’re buying near a golf course," Carr said. "I’m seeing homes sell with all the furniture. I’m seeing sellers be aggressive with personal property and rolling those into the sale of the home, including boats for a lakeside property."

Finding properties before they are publicly marketed on the multiple listing service can give you an advantage. “In 2026, you need an agent who can see the ‘hidden’ inventory before it’s broadcast," said Lynch.

The National Association of Realtors has had strict rules on marketing a property outside the listing service. In the past, a property had to be listed within a business day of the start of public marketing. There was an exception — agents didn't need to list it if they didn't publicly market it. In 2025, the association eased its rules, giving agents more than a day.

Expired listings drop out of the Multiple Listing Service when they don't sell within the timeframe specified in a listing agreement, typically three to six months. There could be more this spring because it's tougher to sell in a buyer's market.

An agent can find expired listings on the MLS. Also, buyers can monitor listings that linger on the market and wait until they're withdrawn. The Homes.com search engine shows how long a property has been on the market, the sale price and how much above or below the list price it sold for.

If you're already renting in a co-op, condo or townhouse you like, ask the landlord if you can buy it, said Nazinitsky. Landlords are often motivated, and you already know the building. "It's a low-hanging fruit most buyers overlook," she said.

Buyers in the spring 2026 market may be tempted to ignore a listing with little curb appeal. That's an opportunity, said Lynch.

"Properties with poor photography, no staging or no floor plan create digital friction — buyers swipe past them, which means less traffic and less competition for you," he said.

Nazinitsky agreed. "Photos lie," she said. "You need to walk the block, check the light and get a feel for the building before you decide to pass or pounce."

It helps to work with an agent who has contractor relationships and can walk a space to give you a realistic idea of its renovation potential, Lynch added. One conversation can reframe a poorly marketed listing into a high-value opportunity, he said.

 More on this topic:

• Buying a home in 10 steps
• Making an offer on a home: What you need to know
• A glossary of essential terms for homebuyers