3rd Look at Local Housing Markets in March
The NAR is now reporting earlier in the month than in previous years. March existing home sales were released on Monday, April 13th. Sales in March (3.98 million SAAR) were down 3.6% from the previous month (February was revised up) and were down 1.0% compared to the March 2025 sales rate.
One of the key uses of tracking local data was to get an early read on the NAR report. Now we have to estimate sales with less data. However, this data also helps understand regional differences in sales and inventory.
Closed Sales in March
In March, sales Not Seasonally Adjusted (NSA) in these markets were up 2.4% YoY. Last month, in February, these same markets were down 2.2% year-over-year NSA. The NAR reported sales were up 3.8% YoY NSA in March.
Important: There was one more working day in March 2026 (22) as in March 2025 (21). So, the YoY change in the headline SA data was negative in the NAR report while the change in NSA data YoY was positive (there are other seasonal factors).
Notes for all tables:
New additions to table in BOLD.
Northwest (Seattle), Jacksonville Source: Northeast Florida Association of REALTORS®
Totals do not include Atlanta, Denver and Minneapolis (included in state totals)
Comparison to 2019 ONLY includes local markets with available 2019 data!
For the previous month, there were the same number of working days in February 2026 (19) as in February 2025 (19). So, the year-over-year change in the headline SA data was similar to the change in NSA data (there are other seasonal factors).
Sales in most of these markets are down sharply compared to March 2019.
This graph shows existing home sales by month for 2025 and 2026, on a Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) basis.
Sales were down 1.0% year-over-year compared to March 2025.
New Listings in March
For these areas, new listings were down 1.2% year-over-year.
Last month, new listings in these markets were down 1.5% year-over-year.
New listings in these markets are still down compared to March 2019, although there are significant regional differences.
Active Inventory in March
Inventory was up 2.8% year-over-year. Last month inventory in these markets was up 4.4% YoY.
Comparing to March 2019, there are significant regional differences.
More local markets to come!