Houzz compared first quarter user activity to year-ago levels to determine the emerging home trends for summer 2026. Here’s what they found.

Despite a monthly decline, the rate of new-home construction still came in above consensus estimates. 

Among the top 50 metro areas, Boston and Miami led the pack. 

Americans are prioritizing sunlight in their home search, with 44% saying they would choose a smaller home with more sunlight over a larger home with less sunlight, according to a Redfin report. 

The median-existing sales price for all housing types rose 0.9% year over year to $417,700, its 34th consecutive increase. 

Pending sales dropped 21.8% year over year from 6,147 in April 2025 to 4,810. Month over month, they were down 1.8%. 

Luxury spaces that focus on well-being, comfort and personal meaning are shaping everything in the home, from material selection and layout to color, light and more.

Nationally, home sales in the 50 metro areas surveyed by REMAX posted their largest monthly gain in three years, increasing 31.6%. 

The 2026 spring housing market is neither surging nor stalled, but moving forward as both buyers and sellers adjust their expectations.

Short answer: Yes. But not quite in the way mom and dad did it, according to a survey of over 2,000 American renters and would-be homeowners.

S&P Dow Jones Indices noted that inflation outpaced national home-price appreciation for the ninth month in a row.

That timeline is typical for a family saving 15% of their income, assuming a 15% down payment.

Among over 600 home features and design aspects, exposed beams were the most popular — home listings featuring the element saw 19.7% more engagement on Zillow.com.

Boomers made up 42% of all homebuyers during the period from July 2024 to June 2025, unchanged from the same time a year prior. Millennials lost market share, making up 26% of buyers, down 3% year over year.

The average monthly payment on an outstanding home loan reached $2,005 in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to Realtor.com’s latest data based on FHFA figures.

March sales activity was up significantly on a monthly basis but was more mixed on an annual one.