Depending on where you live, the home-buying season is either already in full swing or just warming up. In my years reporting on real estate, I’ve come to expect the spring home-buying numbers — housing prices, homes for sale, speed of sales — to increase in March compared to earlier in the year. January and February aren’t exactly prime buying seasons in most parts of the U.S.

What’s more telling, though, is how this data compares to one, two, or even three years ago. That’s how we sense longer-term real-estate trends and how these trends affect buyers.

Real estate technology company Redfin has released its weekly housing market data, which includes numbers for the previous week, ending on March 22. The report includes data from all of the U.S. metros Redfin tracks, from Aberdeen, South Dakota, to Zapata, Texas.

Many potential homebuyers are (understandably) upset that mortgage rates are increasing right as the home-buying season is getting going. However, the Redfin weekly housing market report contains other crucial affordability information that homebuyers should consider.

Median home price increases are slowing

I looked at Redfin’s data for the last four-week period, or Feb. 23-March 22. Home sale prices rose nationwide, with a median home sales price of $389,000 in all Redfin metro areas. That’s up from the previous four-week period’s $386,000 and a 2% increase year over year.

Here are the median home sales prices for the same timeframe over the last three years:

• 2025: $382,000
• 2024: $372,000
• 2023: $355,000

Rising home prices may seem frustrating. But it’s crucial to note that, in general, home sale prices are slowing down. For this time period last year, year-over-year prices had increased by 3%. In 2024, they had jumped by 5%. So, a 2% annual increase is an improvement for affordability.

Related: Home-buying costs are 4 times what buyers expect

Annual median home sales actually decreased by 2% for this timeframe in 2023. That year was a bit of an anomaly because prices had soared during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 and 2022, according to the Federal Reserve of St. Louis. The market was correcting itself in 2023.

Houses generally gain value over time, but a 2% yearly increase is relatively good news for those looking to buy right now.

More houses are for sale — and selling faster

New home listings also increased during this four-week period. The median number of new listings in all Redfin metros was 99,287, a year-over-year gain of 0.3%.

This was a 7.4% increase since the same four-week period in 2024 and 19.23% more than in 2023. Inventory varies by location, but overall, it looks like spring homebuyers will have more options than in previous years.

More on real estate and the housing market:

• Financial influencer shares if buying a home is a waste of money
• Zillow, Realtor.com uncover best time to sell home
• Redfin reveals major shift in housing market

The weekly Redfin data also revealed that homes have been selling more quickly since late January. For the latest four-week period, the median amount of time houses stayed on the market was 56.25 days, or 6.5 fewer days than this time last year.

Also, fewer homes have been staying on the market for two weeks or longer. A median of 41.8% of houses for sale went off the market in two weeks or less, a 2.7% year-over-year increase.

How does the Redfin data affect homebuyers?

The latest housing market data included both good and bad news for homebuyers. Here are the main takeaways for how the data could impact buyers in the real world.

• Home prices may still have risen, but not as aggressively as the last two years. In general, homes were more affordable, which could put homeownership in reach for first-time buyers.
• There was more inventory, so house hunters should have more options than in the last few years.
• Homes sold more quickly, and the faster houses sell, the more competitive the market becomes. You may have to make your offer stand out with a higher offer or seller concessions.
• However, there’s nothing to suggest that the market is as competitive as a few years ago, when many buyers had to waive contingencies and skip inspections to have their offer accepted. (As someone who bought in 2022, I can attest that it was the Wild West of housing markets.) Your real estate agent can give you advice about which offer strategies work in your local market. Source: Redfin Weekly Housing Market Data

Related: Fannie Mae predicts shifts in mortgage rates, housing market