Why are homes taking longer to sell this fall?
New listings hit a four-year high in August 2026 while pending sales fell to a near three-year low. Here is a look into how that might affect your sale.
September 26, 2026 · 4 min read
More homes came up for sale this summer, and fewer buyers signed contracts. Redfin counted 393,178 new listings in August 2026, the most in more than four years. In the four weeks ending September 13, pending sales fell to their lowest level in nearly three years, meaning homes are taking a little longer to sell.
That said, the typical home still sold in about seven weeks. Redfin put the national median at 50 days on the market in August, which is the same as a year earlier.
What changed between summer and fall this year
Two numbers moved in opposite directions: available supply went up, and new contracts to purchase went down.
- New listings rose 2.6% from July to August 2026, and 4.3% from a year earlier (Redfin).
- Homes for sale rose to 1,534,918, a 3.9% increase for the month. This is up 2.7% from a year earlier (Redfin).
- Pending sales were 299,126 in the four weeks ending September 13, which is 5.4% lower than last year at the same time (Redfin).
- Existing-home sales fell 2.0% in August to an annual pace of 3.98 million. This is the lowest pace since June 2025, Reuters reported from National Association of data.
Redfin says more owners are listing as the hope of lower rates fades, as life events prompt moves, and as they adjust to a slower market. Meanwhile, high costs are naturally keeping some buyers on the sidelines.
How long homes are actually taking to sell
The answer depends on which measure you read, and many sources disagree with each other.
- 50 days: Redfin's national median for August 2026, unchanged from a year earlier.
- 46 days: Redfin's figure for the typical home that sold in the four weeks ending September 13.
- 31 days: the NAR median for August, up from 29 days in July, as Reuters reported it.
Supply is still modest by some measures. Redfin reported 3.9 months of supply in August, unchanged from July. That's how long today's listings would last at the current pace of sales if nothing new came on.
Where the slowdown is and isn't showing up
The national figure hides wide local differences. Redfin said the jump in new listings came mostly from San Jose (up 25.5% from a year earlier), Nashville (15.8%) and Seattle (13.7%).
rose most in Tampa, up 17 days from a year earlier, and Orlando, up 10. Philadelphia, Indianapolis and Las Vegas each rose 5 days. Jacksonville went the other way: its typical home went in 68 days, 14 days faster than a year before.
Your own county can look nothing like the national line. A local agent, or the recent sales near you, will say more about your street than any national report.
How it looks in three states
Each state's Realtor association reports its own monthly numbers from local listing data. Three of them show three different falls.
- Indiana: slower, but still quick. In the 16-county central Indiana region, homes sold in a median of 18 days in August 2026, three days longer than a year earlier, while inventory rose 17.8% (F.C. Tucker figures, as reported by Giant FM). In the Indianapolis-area MIBOR market, the median time to a contract rose from 22 to 26 days (Indiana Realtors figures, as reported by Roots Realty).
- Florida: fewer homes for sale, not more. Florida Realtors counted 13% fewer for sale than a year earlier, with 4.3 months of supply. In Orlando, Realtor.com put the median time on market at 75 days, with price cuts on 23.3% of listings.
- California: faster than a year ago. The California Association of Realtors reported a median of 28 days to sell in August 2026, down from 31. Active listings fell 6.2% from a year earlier, and supply was 3.7 months.
Even the sources disagree on a single city. Redfin reported Orlando's days on market up 10 days from a year earlier, while Realtor.com reported its median time on market down 2.6%. The two count different homes over different windows, which is why the recent sales near you say more than either headline.
What a longer wait usually means for a seller
A slower market mostly changes how long you wait for an offer.
It also can sometimes give buyers more room to bargain, as there is less competition. That tends to show up as price reductions, and longer back-and-forth on terms.
A few things commonly change when homes take longer to sell:
- The time from listing to a signed contract gets longer.
- run longer: the mortgage, taxes, insurance and utilities on a home you may have left.
- A listing's days on market becomes something buyers notice and ask about.
Our home selling timeline works back from a target date, so you can see how an extra few weeks changes the plan. Once you're listed, what to expect on the market walks through the showings and offers stage. If more listings near you has you wondering, does more inventory mean you can't sell? looks at what the numbers do and don't say.
Are homes taking longer to sell this fall?
Nationally, the typical time held steady rather than jumping. Redfin reported a 50-day median in August 2026, the same as a year earlier. But pending sales fell to a near three-year low in mid-September while listings rose, which usually means more homes waiting longer for a buyer. Some metros, like Tampa and Orlando, slowed much more.
How long does it take to sell a house right now?
Redfin's national median was 50 days on the market in August 2026, and 46 days for homes that sold in the four weeks ending September 13. Those are national medians. Local times vary widely, from under a month in some counties to over two months in others.
What happens if my listing sits for 30 or 60 days?
Nothing changes automatically. Many listings reach that range this fall, since the national median is about 50 days. Buyers do see days on market, and longer waits often come with more negotiation over price and concessions. Your says how long the listing runs.
Do pending sales affect how quickly my home will sell?
Pending sales count new contracts, so they measure how many buyers are committing. When they fall while listings rise, as they did in September 2026, each home is competing for fewer signed buyers. That tends to lengthen the wait. It says nothing certain about any single home.
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