09/10/2026
🍁🍁 🍁🍁 Fall Real Estate Market Update 🍁🍁 🍁🍁
I am often asked, “Hey Joe, what’s going on with the market?” followed by “It's a buyer's market now, right?” Or “It's still a super strong seller’s market, right?”
The answer I always give is, "well, it depends,” and then I explain why. It depends on your price point: is it higher or lower than the average price point in your area? It depends on how much inventory is in the area. It depends on the time of year. It depends on whether interest rates have risen or decreased in recent weeks. It depends on the current geopolitical and domestic climate and how that is affecting how people are measuring risk this week/month/year.
So, the answer is always “it depends,” but as we ring in the fall market, which unofficially starts today, let's look at where we are and what I expect to happen in the next two months.
Current Inventory: (In Months of Inventory)
Greater Grand Rapids Area: 1.88 Seller’s Market
Kent County: 1.79 Seller’s Market
Ottawa County: 2.2 Seller’s Market
Barry County: 2.75 Seller’s Market heading towards a balanced market
Allegan County: 2.71 Seller’s Market headed towards a balanced market
Muskegon County: 2.84 Seller’s Market headed towards a balanced market
Newaygo County: 4.2 Balanced Market
Ionia County: 2.48 Modest Seller’s Market
Greater Lansing Area: 2.34 Modest Seller’s Market
Greater Kalamazoo Area: 2.38 Modest Seller’s Market
I expect all of these inventory levels to rise slightly in the next three weeks. Inventory means a lot but it's not everything. If buyer demand wanes due to interest rates (which are now hovering close to 7%), there will be less competition. Also, since this is a midterm year, both buyers and sellers may be holding off to see how things shake out before they make their decisions.
My Overall Fall Market Expectations:
For Buyers: Interest rates drop back down to the mid-6% range (hopefully), and inventory levels will continue to go up in all areas as people list their homes after the holiday and until “the snow flies” (basically through early November). You will see less overall competition everywhere and there will be more homes to choose from in September and October than there were in July-August.
For Sellers: It's still a moderate seller’s market in most areas; however, you need to manage your expectations, planning to sell at (or slightly above, depending on price point and location) asking price, as long as you 1: Prep your home to be as desirable as possible. And 2. Price it right. Many more decent/desirable homes have been languishing on the market this year than in years past, buyer demand is down, and gone are the days of 10% or even 5% year over year market increases. Overall this year, home prices are not down, but they are rising at roughly the same rate as inflation.
As always, feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about your specific market/situation. It's always great to hear from you!
Best Regards,
Joe
