During the pandemic housing boom, housing demand was running so hot—and homes sold so quickly—that listings barely even registered as active inventory. Indeed, in February 2022, there were only 346,511 active homes for sale, according to Realtor.com’s data series. That was a staggering 68.5% below the 1,102,660 active listings in February 2019.
At the end of February 2022, not a single one of America’s 200 largest housing markets had more inventory than in pre-pandemic February 2019.
Fast-forward to the end of February 2026, and there were 914,860 active homes for sale—and now 66 of the nation’s 200 largest housing markets have more active inventory than they did in pre-pandemic February 2019.
Among the nation’s 200 largest housing markets, the table below shows the 66 markets where active housing inventory for sale at the end of February 2026 exceeded the levels those respective markets had in February 2019.
(Click here for a sortable version of the table below.)
Many of the softest housing markets over the past few years, where homebuyers have gained more leverage, are located in the South and Mountain West regions. These areas were among the nation’s top pandemic boomtowns, having experienced significant home price growth during the pandemic housing boom, which stretched housing fundamentals far beyond local income levels.
