Paused Your Moving Plans? Heres Why Its Time To Hit Play Again

Its not really a surprise that 70% of buyers paused their home search last year. Maybe you were one of them. And if so, no judgment. Conditions just werent great.

Inventory was too low, prices were too high, and mortgage rates were bouncing all over. That made it really hard to find a home you loved and could afford. And why sell if youre not sure where youre going to go?

But heres the thing: the markets shifting. And it might be time to hit play again.

The Inventory Sweet Spot

More homeowners are jumping back into their search to make a move this year. Builders are finishing more homes. And together, thats creating more options for you when you move maybe even the home youve been waiting for.

More homes = more possibilities.

But theres more to it than that. When you sell, you dont want to feel like its impossible to find your next home. At the same time, you also dont want inventory to be so high, it takes ages for your house to sell. Right now, youll get the best of both worlds.

This data will help paint the picture for you. According to Realtor.com, inventory has jumped 28.5% since this time last year, but its still below pre-pandemic levels in most markets and heres why this is such a sweet spot (see graph below):

Basically, there are more homes to choose from when you make your move, but not so many that youll struggle to sell your current house. Your home should sell quickly if you work with an agent to make sure its priced right and prepped to impress.

More options. Less chaos. Solid demand: Thats the real sweet spot.

But heres something else to consider. Data from Realtor.com also shows inventory has been on the rise for 17 straight months. And experts agree its likely to continue climbing throughout the year. As Lance Lambert, Co-Founder of ResiClub explains:

The fact that inventory is rising year-over-year . . . strongly suggests that national active housing inventory for sale is likely to end the year higher.

So, this may actually be the best time to sell. Your house may stand out more now than it would as the year goes on and inventory grows even more. Wait too long, and you may be one of many trying to stand out later this year.

Bottom Line

If youve been waiting for the housing market to give you a sign it just did. Whether youre looking to move up, scale down, or relocate completely, this might be the best balance weve seen in a while.

Whats holding you back from taking advantage of this sweet spot? Connect with an agent to talk through it and see whats possible.