Despite the economic headwinds whipped up by the ongoing Iran conflict and cooling consumer sentiment, most home sellers are brimming with optimism this spring and expect their properties to fetch top dollar. Yet reality is starting to creep in.
A new survey of home sellers conducted by Realtor.com® reveals 83% expect to get their asking price or higher. Only 12% of the prospective sellers interviewed as part of the survey responded that they anticipate to get below asking. Just under 5% said they do not know what will happen.
What’s more, three-quarters of aspiring sellers expect their home to be snapped up within four months, including more than a quarter of respondents who anticipate a closing within one to two months.
For context, the typical home spends 57 days on market nationally, or nearly two months, according to the Realtor.com® March 2026 Monthly Housing Report.
Time on market tends to shrink as the national housing market enters the week that Realtor.com economists say is the best time to sell, as demand from spring buyers drives a brisker sales pace.
Realtor.com senior economic research analyst Hannah Jones says it means that while most sellers’ timelines are ambitious, they are not unreasonable, provided pricing is right.
The reality check for would-be sellers comes in the form of concessions, with 39% this spring anticipating having to slash prices or offer other incentives, up from 30% during the same period in 2025. Jones says that nine-point year-over-year jump signals that while sellers are still optimistic, they are beginning to reconcile with current market realities.
Real estate agents and brokers have had a front-row seat to this shift.
“Most sellers this spring have been closely watching the market over the past 12 months,” Michelle Schwinghammer, real estate agent at West and Main Homes in Denver, tells Realtor.com. “They’ve seen firsthand the challenges their neighbors and colleagues faced with extended days on market in 2025 and they’re taking that lesson to heart. As a result, many are now pricing to reality instead of a wish list.”
What’s driving sellers in 2026?
Looking at the top motivations for listing, profit potential and lifestyle change continue to dominate the list, but the balance between them has shifted dramtically.
The latest survey reveals that 41% of potential sellers cite the desire to make a profit, up from 36% last year, while an equal share are seeking to move to a different neighborhood or community, down from 46% last year. The need for more space rounds out the top three at 39%.
“The year-over-year decline in neighborhood-driven moves is worth noting. It may signal that discretionary, lifestyle-motivated sellers, those with flexibility on timing, are increasingly sitting out, while equity-motivated sellers with a financial rationale to move are stepping in,” says Jones.
Other notable reasons for selling include moving for family (21.8%); needing to downsize (20.3%); having a life event, such as a marriage or a divorce (18%); and wanting to take advantage of lower interest rates (17.7%).
What’s more, in 2026, sellers are not moving far, contrary to past trends highlighting the influence of out-of-market shoppers.
Based on survey results, 8 out of 10 would-be sellers plan to remain within their current state, and more than half (54.8%) are relocating within the same county.
“Local market dynamics and community ties remain central to sellers’ decision-making, which also means their assessment of local conditions shapes how aggressively they approach the listing process,” notes Jones.
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What can sellers learn from the Market Clock?
Aspiring home sellers’ attitudes toward the housing market are heavily influenced by where they live, with nearly half of respondents in the undersupplied, in-demand Northeast describing today’s real estate market as favoring sellers, compared with just 36.2% in the inventory-rich South, 38.7% in the Midwest, and 42.4% in the West.
Nationally, 40% describe the current market as a seller’s market, 33% see it as balanced, and 27% view it as leaning toward buyers.
These findings are aligned with the Realtor.com Market Clock data showing that the U.S. housing market is more fragmented today than it has been in years.
Just 26% of the nation’s 50 largest metros are currently classified as seller’s markets, clustered mostly in the Midwest and Northeast. All eight buyer’s markets are located in the South or West, including Austin, TX, Tampa, FL, and Miami.
For homeowners considering listing this spring, their metro’s position on the Market Clock directly feeds into their decision-making on pricing, concessions, and timing.
Those looking to sell in peak seller’s markets can expect robust demand and little need for price cuts, while their counterparts in buyer’s markets would benefit from listing early and pricing competitively from the outset.
“Sellers are recognizing how difficult it is to regain buyer attention once a listing becomes stale due to overpricing,” says Schwinghammer. “Today’s buyers track their micro-markets closely and are often highly informed, sometimes even more so than homeowners who haven’t been active in the market for years. When a home sits without showings, it sends a message that’s loud, clear, and frankly difficult to recover from.”
The Denver agent adds that many of today’s sellers are learning from their neighbors’ experiences that pricing strategically from the start is much more effective than relying on reductions later.
When asked what they would do if their home did not sell within their desired timeline, 35% of survey participants said they would slash the price, 34% said they would wait it out, and 29% said they would delist.
Last year saw a surge in sellers pulling listings off the market. Whether that pattern repeats this year will depend on how sellers respond to spring demand.
“Pricing realistically from the start typically leads to faster sales, lower carrying costs, and stronger initial buyer demand, which put the seller in a better negotiating position and often result in a higher net outcome,” stresses Schwinghammer.
Wherever they live, the majority of would-be sellers (53%) have been contemplating listing their property for one to three years, giving them ample time to prepare—and leaving them feeling more confident about their next move.
Fifty-four percent of survey takers said they have researched prices in their neighbhroods, half said they have made small repairs or cleaned and decluttered, and 44% have determined which home improvements they should undertake before putting their property on the market.
Schwinghammer points out that overall, the current market environment encourages more preparation, reflection, and a realistic approach among sellers.
“Sellers may be slightly more tempered in their expectations, but they’re also approaching the market with a clearer understanding of what it takes to get a deal done,” says the Denver agent.
