A Buyer’s Summer Is “On” as Asking Prices See Steepest Decline Since 2017

On The Market · Aug 11, 2026 · 26m

Most investors understand that real estate is local. While the national headlines usually tell one story, regional and local data often tell a very different one.

This week’s headlines only reinforce this idea. On a national level, asking prices are declining at the fastest pace in nearly a decade, inviting many buyers to participate in the summer housing market despite ongoing affordability challenges.

But at the local level, buyers and sellers are responding in very different ways depending on the market. Some real estate markets remain at a standstill, with muted demand and very little…