According to the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) latest housing report, the average homeowner’s wealth has increased by $140,900 over the last five years. However, amid changing market forces and rising inventory, sellers are experiencing a limit on what they can command for their home. This shift in the market has put real estate professionals in the position of educating clients and cautioning against overpricing their homes.
“Certain markets are seeing some price declines, while other markets are seeing better than 2% appreciation,” says Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. However, the “typical American homeowner ... has accumulated a sizable equity gain, and on average, it is still positive and rising,” Yun adds.
Nationally, housing inventories are rising, up about 16% in June compared to a year earlier, according to NAR data. Interestingly, the same statistic holds true for Worcester County with 742 actively listed properties in June of 2025 as compared to 639 in June last year.
Rising inventory equates to sellers facing more competition and in many cases having to make price adjustments. But even so, Yun dispels any fears that this equates to a dire trend for the housing market or any indicator of significant price declines soon to come. He points to historically low mortgage delinquency rates and rising appreciation.
NAR is forecasting existing-home sales to increase by the end of 2025 by 3% and surge by 14% in 2026, according to the association’s latest housing forecast. Also, median home prices are projected to moderate to a 1% growth this year and then jump 4% in 2026.
Lauren Bunting is a Broker with Keller Williams Realty of Delmarva in Ocean City, Maryland.
