A recent housing report points to a shift in seller behavior heading into the second half of 2026. In May, national median list prices fell 2.4% year over year, pending listings rose 4.3%, and the share of listings with price cuts declined from 2025.
That current data from Realtor.com makes last year’s delisting wave worth revisiting. In 2025, many sellers pulled their homes from the market instead of cutting prices enough to meet buyer demand. For agents, the comparison can help identify which sellers are pricing for today’s market and which may still be testing a number buyers will not meet.
In a May 2026 housing report, it was revealed that the latest pricing trend suggests sellers are using market signals before listing, rather than relying on later price cuts. That gives agents a timely reason to use 2025 delisting data in seller screening, pricing conversations, and pipeline planning now.
What the delisting data shows
A delisting happens when a home is removed from the market without selling or going pending. It can reflect a change in plans, a decision to rent, a failed pricing strategy, or a seller choosing to wait.
In 2025, delistings became a visible sign of the gap between seller expectations and buyer affordability. October delistings were up 45.5% year to date and 37.9% year over year. Nationally, 27 homes were pulled from the market for every 100 newly listed homes that month.
Data showed a similar pattern: more than 84,000 sellers removed listings in September 2025, up 28% from a year earlier. The typical delisted home had been on the market for about 100 days, and 70% of active listings were considered stale.
For 2026, the key takeaway is that stale inventory does not always become closed business. Some of it becomes withdrawn pipeline.
Why sellers pulled listings instead of cutting prices
The main driver was the gap between what sellers wanted and what buyers could afford.
Many homeowners still remember the 2020–2022 market, when low mortgage rates, tight inventory, and heavy buyer competition supported aggressive pricing. Buyers today face higher borrowing costs, uneven inventory gains, and greater sensitivity to monthly payments.
Some sellers can wait. Owners with low mortgage rates or strong equity may choose to rent, pause, or relist later rather than accept a lower price. Others have less room to negotiate. Nearly half of September delistings came from owners who had bought within the previous five years, and about 15% of delisted homes were at risk of selling at a loss.
What delistings mean for pricing conversations
Closed-sale comps only show homes that made it to the finish line. They do not show every seller who tested the market and left.
That means agents may need more context around comps heading into late 2026: active competition, days on market, price reductions, expired listings, and withdrawn listings.
The May report adds another layer. If more sellers are pricing accurately before launch, agents can show clients why realistic pricing is getting buyer attention. If a seller still wants to test above the current demand, last year’s delisting data gives agents a concrete risk example.
Seller signals to watch in late 2026
Seller motivation may matter as much as pricing. Before committing major listing resources, agents can ask what the seller plans to do if the home does not attract acceptable offers: reduce, rent, pause, or relist later.
Withdrawn and expired listings can also serve as a future pipeline. Some 2025 delisters may return in late 2026 with more realistic expectations, especially if carrying costs, job changes, family needs, or relocation plans force a decision.
For late 2026, the useful signal is not just whether a seller wants to list. It is whether the seller is prepared to meet the market.