More Buyers Head North to Refuge Markets
While it's not unusual for some sellers to pull their properties off the market in late fall, considerably more did so this year. Two months ago, delistings (which are reported with a one-month lag) were up 45.5% year-to-date. This was nearly 38% higher than during October 2024, and Realtor.com described this percentage as unusually high.
In addition, delistings began to rise in June and have remained high for five straight months. Some cities that saw the most price growth over the past five years, including Miami, Denver and Houston, are now seeing the largest share of delisting sellers.
While economic conditions and rising unemployment are two factors driving delistings, more buyers are headed to what Realtor.com describes as "refuge markets". These are areas where home prices are more affordable. Many didn't see the run-up in prices during the first years of the pandemic.
Currently, Cleveland, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh are among the top-performing refuge markets. Prices in these cities are still 20% to 30% lower than the national median price.1
Most New Homes Built Within HOAs
Homeowners' associations have been around for over 100 years, with early examples like California's Los Feliz Improvement Association (1916) focused on property standards.
More recently, 65.7% of all new single-family homes started in 2024 were built within a community or homeowner's association (HOA), up from the 64.8% recorded in 2023.
A recent study conducted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), What Home Buyers Really Want, asked recent and prospective home buyers to rate the importance of 29 community features they would like to have as part of their next home purchase. For example, more than 65% of buyers would like to have walking/jogging trails nearby or within their community. However, only 39% feel the same way about HOAs.
While HOA-governed communities often feature walking trails, playgrounds and swimming pools, many buyers would rather not pay HOA fees. Others are hesitant to buy within a community where all homes must follow certain guidelines or risk a fine.
If one or more of your listings is within an HOA, you may want to review NAR's "Navigating HOA Rules" online guide. This can help you answer buyers' questions about each listing's HOA.2
Want More Followers? Be Chatty on LinkedIn
Have you ever noticed how successful agents often post topics that do more than encourage Likes? These agents take the time to be thoughtful, posting conversation starters that may have nothing to do with their listings.
Being chatty on LinkedIn benefits you in several ways. It tells others you have a friendly, outgoing personality, which makes you a great pick when buyers and sellers are looking for someone to represent them. Also, when you reply to comments on your LinkedIn posts, you can boost your site engagement by around 30%.
A data scientist recently analyzed 72,000 LinkedIn posts and identified a clear pattern. When account holders engaged with others who commented on their posts, these performed much better when compared to posts that didn't have them.
While you may not consider LinkedIn as a venue for conversations, keep in mind that its users are often looking for connections. The site's algorithm prioritizes posts with genuine conversations. And, unlike casual social platforms, most LinkedIn users carefully compose their comments before posting them. This increases their quality.
People who take the time to leave comments are often your most engaged audience. Responding to them builds trust and relationships.
Want to learn more? Click here to review this study from October 2025.3
Government Shutdown Sours Buyers' Outlook
The federal government shut down on October 1, after Congress failed to agree on a new budget for the 2026 fiscal year. The stalemate didn't end until November 12, and several major loose ends, such as healthcare costs, continue to cause major concerns for economists and consumers alike.
A new Redfin survey found that 45% of respondents are less likely to make a major purchase — like a new home, car or truck — any time soon, due to the government shutdown. This number is a big increase from early October, when only 21% of consumers had put big purchases on hold.
Nearly half (46%) of the survey respondents said that the shutdown had a negative impact on their lives, while 35% say they're worse off financially because of it.
Since the shutdown caused federal and other employers to delay issuing paychecks on time, this caused 7% of homeowners to miss a mortgage payment in the past three months, while 13% have made a late payment.4
Big Changes for Credit Scoring Ahead
The director of the Federal Housing Financing Agency (FHFA) recently announced that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will allow lenders to use VantageScore 4.0, a credit scoring alternative to FICO.
VantageScore was created by Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion in 2006 as an alternative to FICO. Its latest model, VantageScore 4.0, allows rent and utility payments to be included into a credit file. This can be helpful for younger applicants who are still building a credit history.
I'm always available to discuss credit scoring as it pertains to home financing, and to answer any questions. Contact me any time or pass my contact details to your first-time buyers, or prospects with credit concerns.5
Sources: 1cnbc.com, 2eyeonhousing.org, 3buffer.com, 4redfin.com, 5finance.yahoo.com
Recent Comments