Overview
- Realtor.com launched the Market Clock on Thursday, placing the national market at 3 o'clock, which signals a balanced market that is loosening toward buyers.
- Across the 50 largest metros, 26% are seller's markets, 46% are balanced and loosening, 16% are buyer's markets, and 12% are balanced and tightening.
- Buyer-friendly conditions cluster in the South and parts of the West, with metros like Austin, Tampa, Orlando and Miami, while seller strength persists in areas such as Hartford, Milwaukee, Boston and San Jose.
- The clock blends three signals—market balance, market pace, and pricing pressure—to show who holds leverage and how fast it is shifting, with monthly data feeding a quarterly report.
- Realtor.com validated the framework against recent cycles, from 98% of metros in seller territory in December 2021 to a far more mixed map by December 2025, and it describes conditions rather than forecasting prices.