Homes.com Report: Home Price Growth Picks up in January 2026 as Homebuying Market Normalizes
Year-over-year growth in nationwide median home sale price picked up to 1.3% while market metrics showed an improved negotiating balance between buyers and sellers
Homes.com, a CoStar Group (NASDAQ:CSGP) leading online residential marketplace, released a new report today analyzing home price trends through January 2026, including details across major metros and house types.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260212018210/en/
Year-Over-Year Change in Sale Prices
Early 2026 saw continued appreciation in home values as the nationwide median sale price grew from $370,000 in January 2025 to $374,900 in January 2026. Home price growth has averaged 2.8% per year over the past two years, almost identical to overall inflation. Incomes have been growing much more rapidly than house prices over that period, improving home affordability for prospective homebuyers.
At the same time, housing market indicators suggest improved negotiating balance between buyers and sellers. The inventory of homes available for purchase (equivalent to four months of supply) and the median number of days that homes stood on the market before selling (almost 12 weeks) were both normal for the month of January. That indicates that neither buyers nor sellers have the upper hand.
"The signs from the homes market are encouraging as we move into the spring homebuying season," said Brad Case, Chief Residential Economist for Homes.com. "Home prices have continued to appreciate, but not at the breakneck speed that scared so many buyers away just a few years ago. Continued growth in incomes, along with mortgage rates that have declined appreciably over the past year, have improved the homebuying affordability equation. Homes are being offered for sale with asking prices that set the stage for better negotiations between buyers and sellers."
A handful of large markets in the Northeast region joined several Midwestern markets at the top of the home price appreciation tables. The median home sale price in Philadelphia grew by 8.6%, strongest in the nation among large markets, from $350,000 in January 2025 to $380,000 in January 2026. Median prices also grew strongly in Baltimore (5.6%), Washington D.C. (4.8%), and Boston (3.7%), along with Midwestern markets such as Detroit, Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati, all of which saw year-over-year growth of more than 5%. Across the nearly 1,000 markets tracked by Homes.com, more than 57% showed year-over-year price growth in January. In contrast, median sale prices declined in several cities in the South and West, led by Raleigh, North Carolina at -4.3% and Seattle at -3.8%.
The data shared in this report could change slightly as additional home sales are recorded. Brad Case, Chief Residential Economist, is available for interviews to provide insights on the data and the residential real estate market. For more information and insights on the latest home buying and selling market trends, visit Homes.com.
About Homes.com
Homes.com is the fastest-growing residential real estate marketplace and the second largest portal in the United States. Homes.com is a brand of CoStar Group (NASDAQ:CSGP), a global leader in commercial real estate information, analytics, and online marketplaces, which acquired the platform in 2021.
Homes.com is the first major U.S. real estate portal to focus first on helping homeowners and their agents leverage the marketing power of the internet to bring more potential buyers to their listings. Homes.com's unparalleled content and search capabilities bring millions of buyers and sellers to the site where they can seamlessly connect with agents. On average, Homes.com's Members are winning 60% more listings* because they offer the home sellers a real estate portal that works for them not against them.
The Homes.com Network reached an audience of 115 million average monthly unique visitors in the third quarter ending September 30, 2025.** Consumer brand awareness skyrocketed from 4% to 33% in just one year since CoStar Group launched the industry's largest marketing campaign to date in February 2024, reintroducing the platform to the market. For more information, visit Homes.com.
*Based on internal analyses comparing Members to non-Members on Homes.com.
** Homes.com Network (which includes Homes.com, the Apartments Network, and the Land Network) average monthly unique visitors for the quarter ended September 30, 2025, according to Google Analytics.
About CoStar Group
CoStar Group (NASDAQ:CSGP) is a global leader in commercial real estate information, analytics, online marketplaces, and 3D digital twin technology. Founded in 1986, CoStar Group is dedicated to digitizing the world's real estate, empowering all people to discover properties, insights, and connections that improve their businesses and lives.
CoStar Group's major brands include CoStar, a leading global provider of commercial real estate data, analytics, and news; LoopNet, the most trafficked commercial real estate marketplace; Apartments.com, the leading platform for apartment rentals; Homes.com, the fastest-growing residential real estate marketplace; and Domain, one of Australia's leading property marketplaces. CoStar Group's industry-leading brands also include Matterport, a leading spatial data company whose platform turns buildings into data to make every space more valuable and accessible, STR, a global leader in hospitality data and benchmarking; Ten-X, an online platform for commercial real estate auctions and negotiated bids; and OnTheMarket, a leading residential property portal in the United Kingdom.
CoStar Group's websites attracted over 143 million average monthly unique visitors in the third quarter of 2025, serving clients around the world. Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, CoStar Group is committed to transforming the real estate industry through innovative technology and comprehensive market intelligence. From time to time, we plan to utilize our corporate website as a channel of distribution for material company information. For more information, visit CoStarGroup.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260212018210/en/
Media:
Matt Blocher
CoStar Group
[email protected]
202- 346-6775