For two years, the supply of active homes for sale has been growing every single month. Buyers have gotten used to having tons of options, and sellers have had to adjust their pricing strategies because of the growing supply. However, July’s data shows a national slowdown in that trend. But things look a little different here in Utah. Today, I’m writing about why that trend matters, and how it affects your next move whether you're thinking of buying or selling within the next 12 months.

For the past two years, more homes were constantly hitting the market, month after month. That has now somewhat changed.

New data from Realtor.com shows nationally active inventory grew just 2.1% between July 2025 and July 2026. A year earlier, that same growth rate was 24.7%. The flood of new listings is slowing to a trickle.

Nationally, inventory still sits 9.1% below 2019 levels. So this isn't necessarily a flood of new supply, but rather a market settling into place after But as you’ll see above, it really varies depending on what state you’re looking at.several turbulent years.

As of the end of July, only 16 states had active inventory above 2019 levels, and Utah made that list. That means buyer’s have more options to choose from now than they did before the pandemic housing boom.

More listings mean more room to negotiate, more time to think, and less pressure to waive every contingency just to compete. That's a huge shift from several years ago, and it's still true today in most of Salt Lake County, Utah County, and St. George.

That said, don't confuse "more supply" with "no competition." The right home in the right neighborhood still moves fast. The advantage right now is having a plan in place so you can act quickly on the homes worth acting on, instead of scrambling last minute to make a deal work.

With single family housing starts at a several year low, housing supply isn’t expected to grow exponentially in the coming years and it’s already starting to slow down. Which means as soon as consumer confidence returns and buyer demand picks up, you’ll be stuck competing with more buyers at higher prices, and likely less favorable buyer incentives.

More competition for buyers' attention means pricing and presentation matter more than they did several years ago. Homes priced to today's market, not last year's market, are the ones getting offers.

This is also exactly why expired and failed listings are so common right now. A home that sat too long usually wasn't priced for today’s market.. If your home didn't sell the first time, the fix usually isn't waiting it out. It's a fresh look at purposeful pricing strategies, thoughtful marketing, and top tier presentation.

Even with new inventory slowing down, we’re still way above 2019 levels right now. With so many options for buyers to choose from, some buyers are choosing not to see homes simply based off the fact that the photos look to cluttered. It’s worth taking the time to make your home really stand out.

The housing supply surge that reshaped the market over the past two years is losing steam nationally, but Utah is still ahead of where it stood before the pandemic. That means more options for buyers and real competition for sellers.

Questions about what this means for your specific neighborhood or price range? I'm always happy to talk through it.

Here to serve,

P.S. Curious what your home would sell for in today's market, or what's available in your target area right now? Reply with your address and I'll put together a custom market analysis for you, no charge, no obligation.