Homeowners yank listings as buyers gain leverage

homeowners pulling – A new Redfin analysis shows U.S. delistings rose in April, with 5.8% of listings pulled from the market—matching the record-high delisting rate seen in March 2020. As inventory grows and buyers become more demanding, some sellers refuse to accept lower prices

For the third time in recent years, the housing market has hit a familiar nerve: sellers aren’t waiting around for the right offer anymore. In April, more homeowners pulled their homes off the market—an abrupt retreat that signals growing frustration as buying power shifts toward buyers.

Redfin’s new analysis found that 5.8% of all home listings in the U.S. were taken off the market in April. That figure matches the record high number of delistings seen in March 2020. when uncertainty about the pandemic shuttered businesses and slowed real estate deals to a crawl. Delisting rates were also this high in December of last year.

The change matters because delisting isn’t a minor administrative step. It usually happens when a seller can’t land the price they wanted. Sometimes homeowners simply decide against selling altogether. In other cases. they pull a home from the market and then put it back up later: Redfin says relistings happen after at least a month off the market.

April brought more evidence that sellers are increasingly willing to walk away. Delistings rose for the second month in a row in April, up 3.8% from the month prior. At the same time. 2.5% of homes on the market were relistings in April—matching mid-2020 highs when many homes came back online after being pulled during the pandemic’s early months.

“Sellers are still getting used to the post-pandemic normal,” Arlington, Virginia Redfin Agent Patricia Ammann said in the report. “Prices aren’t soaring like they were five years ago—high gas prices and the rising cost of living overall is trickling down to the housing market. making buyers much less likely to bid prices up. Buyers know they have negotiating power. often offering under the asking price and completing inspections. but some sellers just won’t budge.”.

The pressure sellers are feeling runs straight through the deal process. Mortgage rates remain high. but housing inventory is growing. giving buyers more options and loosening what used to feel like a tight. winner-takes-all market. Buyers may still be dealing with high financing costs. yet Redfin points to a growing pool of homes for sale in 2026—one that strengthens bargaining positions and makes it less necessary for buyers to overpay.

Local markets show how uneven that tug-of-war is.

Delistings in April were most common in Atlanta and San Jose. where 10.7% and 9.3% of homes were pulled from the market. respectively. The opposite showed up in Pittsburgh, where only 3.5% of listings were removed in April. Redfin also listed Columbus, Chicago, and Cincinnati among the cities where delistings were lower.

Relisting activity, however, tells a different story—especially in the Bay Area. San Francisco led the pack in April: 4.2% of homes listed there were relistings. Nearby San Jose followed closely at 4.1%. With interest in the Bay Area rising again, buyers are bringing previously delisted homes back online to see what happens.

That rising interest ties back to price movement. Redfin reported that the median sale price of a home in San Francisco is up 14.4% this year compared to 2025. The jump reverses pandemic-era lows. when many Bay Area residents and some tech businesses decamped for other parts of the country—like Austin. Texas—where home prices have cooled off and housing supply isn’t as crunched compared to other corners of the country.

In April’s delisting numbers, the pattern is stark: as buyers push harder and inventory expands, more sellers are choosing withdrawal over compromise—and at least some of them are willing to wait until the market catches up.

housing market home listings delistings relistings Redfin mortgage rates housing inventory real estate Atlanta San Jose Pittsburgh San Francisco Austin