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The gap between the numbers of buyers and sellers in the market is growing in metro areas nationwide, but not in Greater Boston.
Boston continues to have a tight gap between the number of buyers and sellers in the market for the first time in a decade or more, according new data from brokerage and listings portal Redfin.
There were about 12,880 homebuyers in the Boston market in May, according to Redfin. There were 12,214 estimated home sellers during the same time period. This gap makes Boston one of eight markets across the United States that is defined as a balanced market according to Redfin.
What was once a yawning gulf between a huge number of buyers and relatively few sellers started to slowly narrow starting in 2022 as rising home prices forced some out of the market, according to Redfin historical data. That narrowing accelerated rapidly in late 2024 as the numbers of sellers crept up while even more buyers were priced out or abandoned their searches, reaching rough parity in November 2025. The region also entered the spring market with a large surge of inventory.
But by traditional metrics don’t yet show a balanced market. Redfin data shows Greater Boston has just shy of a three months’ supply of inventory of all types of homes, including both single-family houses and condominiums.
Across the United States, there were 46.9 percent more home sellers than buyers in May, up from 46.4 percent the month before, according to Redfin. There were an estimated 1,483,839 home sellers in the market in May, the highest level since 2020, according to Redfin. There were an estimated 1,010,386 buyers in the market.
“While the gap between homebuyers and sellers has narrowed slightly since the end of last year, house hunters still have far more negotiating power and less pressure to make rushed decisions,” Redfin Senior Economist Asad Khan said in a statement. “With lots of inventory to choose from, buyers in most of the country can be selective and ask for concessions, while sellers still need to price competitively to stand out. Still, buyers should remember that it’s not quite as strong of a buyer’s market as it once was. The most desirable homes in popular metro areas–and popular neighborhoods in all areas–are still attracting multiple offers.”
