As we put 2025 and all of its frustrations \u2014 the stubborn interest rates, the lack of inventory, the high prices \u2014 in the rearview, it\u2019s fair to ask, will 2026 be any better? According to our reporting, the answer is a resounding \u201cprobably.\u201d<\/p>\n
Experts we interviewed all point to a gradual return to a prepandemic normal, with emphasis on the word \u201cgradual.\u201d The consensus is interest rates in the low-6% range, wage growth outpacing price increases and more inventory \u2014 the main ingredients for the dish everyone, whether homebuyers or grocery shoppers, craves: affordability. And in our industry, increased affordability translates into what we\u2019re all seeking: increased sales.<\/p>\n
But don\u2019t take our experts\u2019 word for it. We surveyed the end-of-year outlooks issued by the major real estate platforms, and they also point to an incremental improvement this year. Redfin calls it \u201cThe Great Housing Reset\u201d and Zillow says the market will settle into a \u201chealthier state,\u201d while Realtor.com predicts \u201csales will remain in low gear as balance holds.\u201d <\/p>\n
Also in this edition, the new National Association of REALTORS\u00ae president, Kevin Brown, concurs, writing that the residential real estate market is poised to see much-needed relief. <\/p>\n
\u201cHome sales are expected to rise because of easing mortgage rates, increased market stability and job gains,\u201d he says. \u201cAt the same time, home prices are expected to rise 4% due to supply shortages and steady demand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, top coach and Jameson Sotheby\u2019s International Realty President Jim Miller argues that despite the headwinds we faced in 2025 \u2014 and will continue to confront in 2026 \u2014 our success also depends on our actions and how we choose to confront the market\u2019s challenges.<\/p>\n
As he writes in our monthly Top Coach column, \u201cThe agents who will thrive in 2026 aren\u2019t waiting for the market to hand them opportunities. They\u2019re creating them.\u201d<\/p>\n
On that note, we\u2019d like to wish all of you a productive and rewarding 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As we put 2025 and all of its frustrations \u2014 the stubborn interest rates, the lack of inventory,…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":493983,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5124],"tags":[960,59696,59697,56383,5386,1818,222429,222430,11408],"class_list":["post-493982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-chicago","tag-chicago","tag-chicago-real-estate","tag-chicagoland-real-estate","tag-editors-note","tag-il","tag-illinois","tag-jameson-sothebys-international-realty-president","tag-jim-miller","tag-national-association-of-realtors"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115842322530500412","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=493982"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/493982\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/493983"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=493982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=493982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=493982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}