days to – Zillow data shows the typical U.S. home listed in May 2026 went pending after about 18 days—around three times longer than the 6-day national median in May 2022—signaling that buyers, especially in parts of the Sun Belt, now have more power to negotiate. Meanw
For a brief stretch in spring 2022, home listings didn’t just attract attention—they vanished. In many markets, properties went pending within days, as buyers hurried to lock in mortgages before rates moved higher.
Four years later, the pace has changed. In May 2026, the typical U.S. home listed for sale went pending after roughly 18 days, according to Zillow data. That’s three times longer than the 6-day national median recorded in May 2022.
The shift shows up in the metric that homebuyers pay attention to even when they don’t say it out loud: median days to pending. Homes generally go pending weeks before they close, so the timing can capture changes in local supply and demand sooner than final sale data.
Zillow’s maps make the geography hard to ignore. Median days to pending have generally stretched across the country. but the slowdown has been far more pronounced across much of the Sun Belt. Large portions of Florida. Texas. and the Southeast have seen median times rise sharply since the pandemic-era boom—an environment where inventory has increased and buyers have gained leverage.
In contrast, many markets across the Northeast and Midwest remain comparatively tight. In numerous metros across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, and upstate New York, homes are still going pending in less than a week.
Among the nation’s 250 largest housing markets. the 10 metros with the longest median times to pending in May 2026 were: McAllen. TX (79 days); Laredo. TX (75 days); Naples. FL (74 days); Cape Coral. FL (66 days); Punta Gorda. FL (66 days); Brownsville. TX (65 days); Panama City. FL (59 days); Houma. LA (58 days); Port St. Lucie, FL (54 days); and Ocala, FL (54 days).
The 10 metros with the shortest median times to pending in May 2026 were: Springfield. IL (4 days); Kansas City. MO (5 days); Columbus. OH (5 days); Lancaster. PA (5 days); Anchorage. AK (5 days); Grand Rapids. MI (6 days); Hartford. CT (6 days); Richmond. VA (6 days); Cincinnati. OH (6 days); and St. Louis, MO (6 days).
Other markets that also recorded a median days to pending of 6 days in May 2026 included Dayton, OH; Syracuse, NY; York, PA; Reading, PA; Manchester, NH; Peoria, IL; Ann Arbor, MI; Erie, PA; and Topeka, KS.
When the present is compared with May 2022, the regional divide sharpens further. Many Sun Belt metros that were among the hottest during the pandemic boom now show some of the biggest increases in selling times. In Miami, the median home went pending in 10 days in May 2022, but by May 2026 it had climbed to 52 days. Tampa rose from 5 days to 34 days. Jacksonville increased from 5 days to 43 days, and Austin went from 11 days to 41 days. Similar slowdowns have occurred across Florida, Texas, and the Southeast.
Across parts of the Northeast and Midwest, the changes look more restrained. Chicago went from 6 days to 8 days, Philadelphia from 7 days to 9 days, Boston from 6 days to 8 days, and Cincinnati from 3 days to 6 days over the same period.
The practical effect for buyers is immediate: in markets where homes are taking longer to attract offers. buyers have more time to compare listings. negotiate pricing. and request concessions. In places where limited inventory keeps demand strong, homes can still go pending quickly even as mortgage rates remain elevated.
The result is a housing market that’s cooled at the national level but still behaves like different worlds up close. The longest delays today largely cluster in parts of the Sun Belt. while many Northeast and Midwest markets continue to resemble a seller’s market—just at a slower. more negotiable tempo.
housing market Zillow days to pending homebuyers leverage Sun Belt Florida housing Texas housing mortgage rates inventory Northeast housing Midwest housing
So people are waiting longer… rates must’ve dropped? idk.
18 days doesn’t sound that long, like why is this a big deal. My cousin just bought a house and it took forever too, but he said it’s because “agents are slow” not the market.
This says Sun Belt buyers have more power to negotiate… but isn’t Florida still insane prices? Like I feel like they can negotiate and still get outbid anyway. Also 6 days in 2022 vs 18 now sounds made up, timelines change depending on how Zillow counts.
McAllen 79 days?? That’s crazy. I thought Texas was all still blowing up and selling in a weekend. Maybe sellers are asking too much and then backing out, or buyers are refusing because of HOA stuff (like always). If homes aren’t going pending fast then the whole “housing boom” story is kinda dead right?