The Ultimate List of Real Estate Statistics That Will Shape 2026

Gregory Gronbacher — Tue, 28 Dec 2021 01:00:00 +0000

Learn the 6 sets of hot real estate statistics that will drive your sales in the new year.

Real estate statistics show that the housing market is dynamic and always changing. Every city, state, and metropolitan area is unique in terms of its own real estate trends. Yet many of the widespread trends of 2025 will shape the market in 2026 for most of us.

Understanding the common market trends can help you position yourself for a strong 2026. So in this post, we’ll share the top 5 sets of real estate statistics that will help you do just that.

Alright, let’s dive in!

Top 6 Sets of Hot Real Estate Statistics

Let’s explore the top 6 sets of statistics that will drive your sales for the new year and help you better navigate the 2026 real estate market:

1. Real Estate Statistics Show Rising Home Prices

The most dramatic set of real statistics were those that showed sharply rising home prices:

The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported that home prices were up over 4.3% over the last year
Homes in the Western and Mountain states show the most dramatic increases. Values in these states increased by a shocking 25.6%
Home values skyrocketed fueled by extremely strong buyer demand, low inventory, and historically low mortgage rates
As we head into 2026, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) expects that this year will become a year of long-lost normalcy returning to the market. Next year, mortgage rates are expected to stabilize while home sales and prices moderate after recent highs
In 2026, home affordability likely will continue to be an issue for many potential owners

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2. Increased Buyer Demand and Competition

During the red hot real estate market of 2021, multiple offers on a house were common. In fact, it wasn’t uncommon for a home in good condition and properly priced to receive 10 or more offers.

However, in 2025, the market will look totally different. Here are statistics that support the cooling housing market:

Bidding wars are dropping as mortgage rates surge. In September 2022, they were at their lowest levels since April 2020
6% mortgage rates price buyers out of the market
According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, the mortgage credit availability Index MCAI rose by 1.4% to 103.4% in November 2022

This points to tightening lending standards, making it more expensive to get a mortgage loan, therefore resulting in fewer buyers and offers.

3. Real Estate Statistics Show the Importance of Home Staging

2023 and 2024 real estate statistics showed the vital importance of home staging to maximize a home’s sale.

Buyers scroll through dozens, even hundreds, of online listings in search of one that speaks to them.

And buyers may not notice your listing if they can’t put the home’s space into full perspective, which these data support:

For instance, did you know that 28% of home seller’s agents say that they stage all homes before listing?
And 40% of buyers arrange to look at the home they have seen staged online
According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) 2021 Profile of Home Staging, 82% of buyer’s agents say staging makes it easier for buyers to visualize a property as their future home
Additionally, a staged home will sell for 17% more on average than a non-staged home, and 95% of staged homes sell in 11 days or less. That is statistically 87% faster than non-staged homes
Realtor.com finds that on average, staged homes sell 88% faster and for 20% more than nonstaged homes
And 85% of staged homes sold for 5% to 23% percent over list price when being staged
Lastly, staging the living room was found to be very important for buyers (46%), followed by staging the master bedroom (43%), and staging the kitchen (35%)

4. Virtual Staging Attracts Home Buyers’ Attention

Before virtual staging by PhotoUp

After virtual staging by PhotoUp

Enhancing listing photos with virtual staging ensures that buyers take notice.

Virtual staging transforms a space into an inviting home, fully digitally furnished according to the design preferences of today’s buyers.

It helps sell homes by providing every room with the look and style you’d find in a magazine, which, in turn, will help sell a property for more money.

To better illustrate this, here’s a sample of virtual staging statistics:

In 2024, 99% of home buyers between the ages of 24 and 57 used the internet to find homes in their home-buying process
Among the oldest generation, 77 to 97-year-olds, 84% of people used the internet during the homebuying process
Vacant homes sell for an average of $11,306 less and spend six more days on market compared to staged and virtually staged homes
Virtual staging can reduce the cost of staging by up to 97%
More than 7 in 10 agents find videos, virtual staging, and virtual tours more important since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic

The virtual staging process can take an empty, cluttered, or drab interior and show buyers how fantastic it could look after decorating or renovating.

All you need to do is sign up with PhotoUp, upload the photos of your vacant rooms, and our advanced AI technology will return your staged images in just 1 to 2 minutes.

Best of all, you choose the design and decorative details that you want to be put into each of the rooms.

5. 3D Virtual Tours Sell Houses

For buyers, their dream home is just a click away and the search has never been easier. Listing agents must ensure that buyers can fully and accurately visualize the home online.

Compelling online marketing is now essential, including high-quality photos and including 3D virtual tours.

In fact, 2 separate studies reveal that listings featuring a 3D virtual tour tend to sell for a higher price and spend less time on the market.

Buyers love 3D virtual tours because they allow them to preview just about every room from every angle.

Real estate statistics clearly show that a growing number of buyers will only view a home if they like how it looks online.

Therefore, having a 3D virtual tour of the home is increasingly essential to driving traffic to your listings.

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Are You Ready for 2025?

So, are you ready for 2025 yet? Before you answer that question, let us take a closer look at Zillow’s home value growth statistics and price predictions:

Zillow’s 2025 forecast calls for home values to grow 2.6%. Predicting how mortgage rates will move is a nearly impossible task, but recent inflation news gives the impression that rates are likely to hold fairly steady as well in the coming months
For existing home sales, Zillow forecasts 4.3 million in the coming year, up slightly from 4.1 million in 2023 and a projected 4 million in 2024
Inventory is ticking up as well in 2025. Pending home sales grew for a fourth straight month, up 2.2% in November, according to an index by the National Association of Realtors
The majority of the panel (56%) expects a significant shift in buyers’ favor by sometime next year. Another 24% predicted that shift would come in 2024, 13% pointed to 2025, and just 8% expect it after 2025

Despite the hot market that the pandemic caused, overall, the trends for 2026 point toward a calmer market.

This year’s trends will include home affordability, too high rents and interest rates.

Now that you know how 2025 played out, you can better prepare for the future. Still, the housing market is always changing.

So, get started with PhotoUp today, and we’ll help you stay up to date with the latest trends and marketing tools in real estate.

We hope this post gave you insights into the top 5 sets of hot real estate statistics that will shape 2025. If you enjoyed reading this post, you may also want to check out the following resources:

Gregory Gronbacher

Real Estate Sales Agent / Professional Blogger

Gregory is a real estate sales agent and a state-certified instructor of real estate licensing and law. Originally from New York City, he's called Grand Rapids, Michigan home since 1995.

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