Contract Signings Are Up 4.5% As the Spring Housing Market Becomes More Active Than Any Point Since Rates Surged In 2022
Where Are Markets Actually Moving?
Across the top 50 metros, 34 have seen more contract signings year-to-date in 2026 than over the same period in 2025, and 31 have seen more new listings. The trends are widespread, but the strength varies considerably by market.
Twenty-one metros have seen both new listings and contract signings rise year-over-year — markets genuinely delivering on the spring promise. The Midwest dominates this group, with Kansas City (+12.5% listings, +20.7% contract signings), Louisville (+13.6%, +18.9%), Indianapolis (+14.7%, +6.6%), Columbus (+8.0%, +7.9%), and Cincinnati (+10.8%, +4.7%) all showing strong two-sided momentum.
A more surprising cluster of markets is seeing contract signings rise despite fewer new listings than last year. Phoenix (-0.4% listings, +8.1% signings), Austin (-3.5%, +7.6%), and Jacksonville (-9.5%, +5.2%) all fit this profile. These markets have undergone significant price corrections over the past two years, and buyers are responding even where new supply has not surged.
Not all markets have found this footing. Las Vegas (-0.8% listings, -8.4% signings) and Tampa (-12.2%, -3.1%) show stagnation driven by weak demand, with days-on-market climbing by more than a week year-over-year. Hartford (-13.1%, -9.2%) and Providence (-8.0%, -5.6%), by contrast, are constrained by limited supply, with inventories still well below pre-pandemic norms and time on market actually falling compared to last year.
The picture looks different on the seller’s market side. Of the 13 seller’s markets identified by the Market Clock at the start of the year, some — like Kansas City (+20.7% contract signings) and Columbus (+7.9%) — are among the most active markets in the country, with both new listings and signings rising. Others, like Providence and Hartford, look stagnant despite their seller-friendly designation.
Critically, many of these same markets are among those where contract signings are rising even without a surge in new supply, reinforcing the conclusion that pricing realism does work that new supply alone cannot. A functioning spring market requires not just willing buyers and motivated sellers, but a shared and realistic understanding of what homes are worth.
Methodology
Year-to-date (YTD) through April totals are calculated by summing monthly values for January through April of the relevant year. YTD growth rates compare the January-April sum in 2026 to the same four-month sum in the comparison year. For example, a YTD growth rate vs. 2025 reflects the percentage change in total activity over the first four months of 2026 relative to the first four months of 2025.
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