Need a little good news? Want to get a jump on some reading / planning to help you prepare for 2026? Lawrence Yun, NAR’s Chief Economist spoke to local leadership in November about his optimistic predictions for home sales rising in 2026 and mortgage rates lowering. This week he just released a video outlining his reasoning behind his optimistic forecast for home sales in 2026. Video asking “Are You Confident in the Optimistic 2026 Forecast of a 14% Increase in Home Sales?”. Deputy Chief Economist Jessica Lautz took it one step further and examined the 2025 home buyer trends to note some significant shifts in buyer trends in 2025. Did you know that there were less first-time home buyers than ever before, and the age of buyers hit an all-time high?! You can find her excellent report here with lots of images that really show how this market changed!
NAR Forecast: Home Sales Expected to Jump 14% in 2026
Nadia Evangelou, NAR senior research economist and director of real estate research, pointed to several ways real estate pros can prepare for the projected uptick in sales. Even with a projected 14% national increase in home sales, recovery will vary greatly by market. “Demand will improve, but not everywhere the same,” Evangelou said. “The recovery will be concentrated where housing and incomes are coming closer together.” The alignment—between affordability, job growth and buyer demand—will determine which metros see the biggest swings in 2026.