A new report from Realtor.com shows the average home now sells below its asking price. In addition, how a listing performs in its first four weeks determines almost everything about where it ends up.
Here’s what the data says, and how to use it in your conversations with sellers.
The Four-Week Window
As Realtor.com’s data shows, homes closing around the four-week mark are outperforming the monthly average for comparable homes. Listings that sit past the four-week mark are closing well below the monthly average.
The numbers:
- Homes closing at four weeks sell for 1.8 percentage points above the monthly average, the best outcome at any point in the listing lifecycle
- Top performers in that group went under contract within the first two weeks
- Homes sitting at 18 weeks close 1.3 points below the monthly average
- More than 3 percentage points separates the best and worst timing outcomes
Four weeks is also when price reductions have historically peaked. In 2021’s hot market, they peaked at week three. In 2026, that peak has moved to week six, which gives sellers a slightly longer window before the market makes the price decision for them.
Sellers who haven’t priced correctly also tend to hit later pressure points at six months and twelve months, when artificial deadlines they’ve been working around finally catch up to them.
Here’s how Joel Berner, senior economist for Realtor.com, explains it:
“The pandemic gave sellers a free pass on pricing and that pass has expired. Today, an overpriced home doesn’t just sit. It gets stale, loses leverage, and sells for less than it would have if it had been priced right from the start. Price it right and buyers come to you. Price it wrong and you’re chasing them. Four weeks in, the market has already delivered its verdict: you’ve either got competing offers or you’re about to cut your price.”
Time on market is both a symptom and a cause. Overpriced homes attract fewer buyers, and the longer a listing sits, the more leverage goes to whoever eventually makes an offer.
What the Data Looks Like Across Property Types, Price Tiers, and Regions
The headline numbers tell one story. The breakdowns by property type, price tier, and region tell agents where the real pressure is concentrated right now.
Property Types
Condos are the softest segment in the market right now, and the numbers from March 2026 show exactly how far they’ve fallen behind single family homes.
- Condos average 97.9% of final list price at sale vs. 99.2% for single family homes
- Condo list prices are down 6.0% since March 2022
- Single family list prices are up 7.5% over the same period, a 13.5-point divergence
Single family homes are holding up better, but they’re not immune to the pricing discipline the market is now demanding.
Price Tiers
Price tier has a direct effect on how much pressure a seller is facing right now.
- The $350K–$500K national median range has tracked the overall market closely in both 2022 and 2026
- The $750K–$2M move-up and entry-level luxury segment generated more bidding wars than the median in 2022 and is now among the weakest performers, with final sale prices falling furthest below asking
The move-up segment is the most volatile slice of the market right now. It amplifies whatever direction conditions are moving, and conditions are moving against overpriced sellers.
New Construction
Builders have been more aggressive than existing home sellers when it comes to closing deals. They’re competing through list price reductions, rate buydowns, and final sale price flexibility in ways that existing-home sellers often aren’t willing to match.
Agents working in markets with significant new construction inventory need to factor that competition into every pricing conversation.
Regional Differences
The market looks very different depending on which part of the country a listing is in.
- The Northeast is the only region where the average listing still sells above asking price
- The Midwest is on pace for a seasonal return above a 1.0 sale-to-list ratio later this year
- The South and West never crossed above 1.0 in 2025 and remain in buyer-friendly territory in 2026
- Many Southern and Western metros now carry more inventory than they did before the pandemic
Where a listing sits geographically shapes what’s possible on price. Sellers in the Northeast still have leverage. In the Sun Belt, buyers have options and they know it.
How to Use This With Your Sellers
This data sets up the conversation that too many listing agents are currently avoiding.
If you’ve got a seller sitting at the wrong price, the Realtor.com numbers give you something concrete to bring to that call. Buyers have more leverage than they’ve had in years, and overpriced homes are closing further below asking the longer they wait.
Byron Lazine walked through the exact framework for this call in this week’s BAMx Role Play Mastermind, including the language, the data prep, and the objection handling.
The foundation of it is the 10-10-0 rule, which Byron recommends introducing at the listing presentation so the price adjustment conversation never feels like it came out of left field.
Here’s the re-anchor line and data presentation:
“As promised, quick update. We’re at [X] days on market, [Y] total showings, and so far the market has given us no written reaction. When we listed, we agreed on the 10-10-0 rule so we could make smart, unemotional decisions together. We’re at that point now.”
“Here’s what the market is saying right now. Since we listed, [#] homes like yours have gone pending or sold. Your average buyer in this range is seeing [comp addresses] and choosing those over us at this price. Feedback from showings: [top 2 themes]. Online activity: [Zillow saves, Realtor.com traffic, ShowingTime report].”
“It looks like we were optimistic on the price, and so far the market has disagreed. My recommendation is that we adjust the price to [number] so we move from being shopped to being chosen.”
If you want to practice this conversation before you have to have it for real, that’s exactly what happens inside the BAMx Role Play Mastermind.
Sign up for a 7-day free trial at the Premium or VIP level and join us on Tuesday morning at 9:00 am Eastern Time.
