Key Details:
- Realtor.com reports 4.1 months of supply in June 2025 versus 4.7 in 1999 and 2000, and sellers often face 10-month timelines.
- 45.2% of homeowners have lived in their homes 15+ years, while 1 in 4 have stayed 25+ years.
- These owners hold significant equity, powered by a $206,300 median price gain since 2005 as prices rose from $145,000 to $435,300.
- Pricing and prep should reflect regional shifts.
If your sellers want a strong spring result, the work starts now.
Realtor.com®’s new report puts numbers behind what agents see every day. Inventory has returned to late 2019 levels in many markets, particularly in the West and South.
Months of supply was 4.1 in June 2025, versus 4.7 in June 1999 and 4.7 in June 2000. And most homeowners think the decision-to-close journey will take about 10 months in 2025. Baby boomers expect closer to six months.
Your job is to help clients plan with real timelines and real market math.
Why start now
Today’s sellers are operating in a different landscape than the one they last sold in.
Existing-home median sale prices tripled from $145,000 in June 2000 to $435,300 in June 2025, while median household income rose from $42,000 to just under $80,000.
That gap shapes affordability and buyer behavior. Years of underbuilding left an estimated 4 million home shortfall, according to Realtor.com’s math. But the real gap can’t be filled just by amping up new construction.
The market needs homes priced for the median buyer income. And the majority of new homes are priced well above affordability thresholds for the typical homebuyer.
What we’re seeing in markets where inventory is up from pre-pandemic levels (South and West) is a more selective buyer pool, while in many Northeast and Midwest markets, sellers still have the advantage.
Still, across the U.S., homeowners looking to sell in the spring need an agent who knows the optimal timeline for their market, and exactly what to do to prepare for spring.
Who to target first
Long-tenured owners are the most list-ready if you show them a clear path.
- 45.2% of homeowners have lived in their home 15 years or more.
- One in four have stayed 25 years or more.
- Roughly one-third of homeowners are 65-plus. About 70% of these households moved in before 2009, and roughly half before 2000.
These owners often have significant equity. A typical 2005 buyer saw roughly 90% value growth. The median existing-home sale price rose by $206,300 between June 2005 and June 2025. Use that equity story to build trust with your sellers and unlock listing conversations.
The regional reality check
Your pricing and prep advice should match local supply shifts compared to pre-pandemic baselines.
- South inventory is up 4.3%.
- West inventory is up 9.3%.
- Midwest inventory is down 40%.
- Northeast inventory is down 51.1%.
Where buyers have more choice, dial in pricing and presentation. Where inventory is tight, you can hold firmer, but buyers still expect move-in ready.
Recommendations for Agents
Frame these actions as your professional process. Adapt the timeline to your local market conditions and to the marketing plan you build with the seller.
#1: Encourage Sellers to Interview Multiple Agents.
Position this as advocacy, not competition. The report notes that recent sellers often regret choosing the first and only agent they met. Encouraging interviews builds trust and positions you as the professional who welcomes comparison.
This is also the time to differentiate yourself from the average agent so your seller is less likely to list with a family friend who just became a Realtor and is desperate for clients but doesn’t have a plan for getting the best possible sale price.
When they hire you after that, they know they made the right call.
This also aligns with the survey’s finding that early agent engagement improves outcomes.
Among sellers already working with an agent, 36.1% reported better access to market information, and 37.1% said their agent provided more insight, set realistic pricing, set achievable timelines, and streamlined the process.
#2: Set Right-Size Timelines Using the Data.
Most homeowners expect about 10 months from decision to close in 2025, while boomers expect about six months. Set expectations early. Map backward from a late February or March launch window and show how tasks fit within that period.
#3: Make Communication Your Differentiator
Set a weekly touch point and use a private, shared timeline or client portal so sellers can track tasks, media dates, and go-live targets.
Consistency creates calm, reduces renegotiation later, and lays the foundation for referrals before closing day.
#4: Lead with Equity Math to Motivate Action.
Since 2005, the median price is up $206,300, and many long-term owners have even larger gains. Use simple cohort examples to make it tangible:
- 1995 purchase: price $114,600, down payment $22,920, principal paid $91,680, appreciation $320,700, total equity $435,300.
- 2005 purchase: price $229,000, down payment $45,800, principal paid $84,317, appreciation $206,300, total equity $336,417.
- 2015 purchase: price $236,300, down payment $47,260, principal paid $38,476, appreciation $199,000, total equity $284,736.
Tie improvements and pricing strategy to the owner’s likely equity so decisions feel responsible, not risky.
#5: Price and Prep to Local Supply, Not 2021 Demand.
Months of supply is 4.1, which is more balanced than the late 1990s and 2000 at 4.7. Calibrate to what buyers are seeing now in your market.
In the South and West, where inventory is up 4.3% and 9.3%, lean into presentation and competitive pricing inside the comp band. In the Midwest and Northeast, where inventory is 40% and 51.1% below pre-pandemic levels, you can list with more confidence, while still honoring affordability pressures.
Prices rose from $145,000 in June 2000 to $435,300 in June 2025, while incomes rose to just under $80,000.
Takeaways for real estate professionals
- Lead with the numbers. Use 10 months versus 6 months and 4.1 months of supply to frame timelines, then lock a 90-day plan.
- Target long-tenured owners with an equity-to-action narrative that includes the $206,300 gain since 2005 and the cohort tables.
- Recommend multi-agent interviews. Then win on strategy. Cite the 36.1% and 37.1% benefits of early agent engagement to set expectations.
Spring rewards the sellers who start in fall. Give clients a clear plan, back it with the stats they can repeat at the dinner table, and invite them to compare you with anyone.
If you welcome that interview process, you usually win it.
