09/23/2026
The Greater Cincinnati real estate stats you’re seeing online are wrong.
For two years, I’ve asked the Cincy MLS to fix this error. They haven't. So starting today, I’m publishing the audited, real-world numbers every week so you know what’s actually happening in our market.
If you’ve been following local updates, you might think inventory spiked last week. The automated MLS report logged 623 "New Listings" between Sept 15 and Sept 21.
Here’s what those automated reports aren't telling you:
The default MLS system double-counts homes transitioning from "Coming Soon" to "Active." On top of that, it counts current "Coming Soon" properties as active listings—even though buyers can't make an offer on them yet.
For nearly 8 years, I’ve manually tracked and audited MLS weekly listing to strip out duplicates and unbuyable homes. Here is the true picture:
📊 The Real Breakdown (Sept 15–21, 2026):
MLS Reported New Listings: 623
Minus Double-Listed Homes: -80
Minus Coming Soon Homes: -29
🟢 TRUE NEW BUYABLE LISTINGS: 514
That’s a 17.5% exaggeration in available inventory from the raw MLS data!
Making buying or selling decisions based on inflated numbers can cost you real time and money. Check out my full weekly graphic below for the true figures on pending sales, closings, and price drops.
Have questions about what’s happening in your specific neighborhood? Drop a comment or send me a DM!
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Here’s what the latest data tells us about The Greater Cincinnati single-family home market from September 16-21, 2026:
📈 New Supply is Steady: New listings have held consistent at 500–550 homes per week over the last 8 weeks.
📉 Buyer Demand is Cooling: Pending sales have dropped for 3 straight weeks. From late April through Labor Day, 87%–97% of new listings went under contract weekly (leaving just 20–70 homes added to total inventory). Over the last two weeks, that absorption rate dropped, leaving 21% to 31% of new listings unsold and boosting overall inventory.
🤝 Low Buyer Panic: "Back on Market" properties remain remarkably steady, showing that contract cancellations aren't spiking despite economic uncertainty or rate shifts.
🏷️ Sellers are Adjusting Fast: Price reductions have climbed from ~200/week early this year to ~450/week since July. Sellers are getting aggressive to find the true market price, creating better negotiating opportunities for buyers.
The Takeaway: The market has been gradually softening. While it's too early to tell if falling pendings are a temporary blip or a long-term trend, growing inventory and rising price cuts mean buyers are gaining leverage in some areas.
This is an analysis of the whole Greater Cincinnati market, but is not representative of the competition level at an individual school district, city, neighborhood, or home level. That can vary widely and requires a good plan and experience to navigate with success.
