The tide has turned. After years of sellers calling the shots, the housing market has finally shifted. Berkshire Hathaway Home Services isn’t whispering it. They’re spelling it out. The market now belongs to the buyers.
This isn’t a theory or a forecast. It’s already happening. Inventory has ballooned past 500,000 active listings, the highest level since 2013. Homes are sitting longer. Bidding wars have cooled. And the leverage that once belonged to sellers has quietly slipped through their fingers.
Berkshire isn’t mincing words. Sellers need to start cutting prices.
The firm’s latest guidance is blunt. If you’re listing a home in this market, you’re not competing with dreams. You’re competing with data. And the data says buyers have options. More than they’ve had in over a decade.
Mortgage rates are still hovering near 7 percent. That’s not helping. It’s keeping monthly payments high and forcing buyers to be choosy. They’re not rushing. They’re negotiating. And they’re walking away from overpriced listings without blinking.
The post-pandemic surge is over. In 2020 and 2021, record-low rates below 3 percent lit a fire under demand. Prices soared. Sellers got bold. But inflation in 2022 and 2023 changed the game. The cost of everything went up, and housing didn’t get a pass.
Now, with inflation cooling and rates stabilizing, the market is recalibrating. Not crashing. Not collapsing. Just correcting. And that correction favors the buyer.
Berkshire’s report doesn’t sugarcoat it.
They’re telling sellers to study their local comps. Look at what’s actually selling, not what you think your home is worth. If your price is out of step, you’re not just overpriced. You’re invisible.
This isn’t a national collapse. It’s a local reckoning. Some markets are still tight. But in many regions, especially where inventory has piled up, the message is clear. Price it right or prepare to sit.
The firm’s 2025 Real Estate Report points to a broader shift. The economy is expected to grow modestly. Inflation is easing. But buyers are still cautious. They’re prioritizing affordability, condition, and flexibility over location. The old rules are being rewritten.
This is the first real buyer’s market in years.
And it’s not just about price. It’s about power. Buyers are asking for repairs. They’re negotiating closing costs. They’re walking into open houses with leverage, not desperation.
For sellers, the playbook has changed. The days of listing high and watching offers roll in are over. If you want to move your property, you need to meet the market where it is, not where it used to be.
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