There Is No Single Housing Market Anymore. Figure Out Which One You Are Actually In.
A prominent broker made waves saying there is no longer one housing market in America, that it has split into separate groups all living in different realities at the same time. He is right, and it is the most useful way to think about buying or selling right now. Here is how to find your group, and play it well.
A well-known real estate broker recently grabbed headlines with a bold claim: there is no longer a housing market in America. His point was not that housing disappeared. It was that the single, unified market people used to talk about has fractured into separate groups, each living in a completely different reality at the same moment. One person’s frozen, impossible market is another person’s wide-open opportunity. He is onto something, and it explains why the housing news feels so contradictory. The real question is not what is the market doing. It is which market are you in.
The groups, and how each one is really doing
Roughly speaking, the market has split into four camps. Find yourself in one of them.
Your reality Strong leverage. Your edge is speed and certainty, and sellers value both.
Your reality Very workable, if you are prepared. A ready, pre-approved buyer competes well and has real room to negotiate in a rebalanced market.
Your reality More options than you think. A move can still make sense when the reasons are right, and there are ways to structure one so it is not the trap it feels like.
What it means for you If you are buying new, there is real value to capture. If you are selling an existing home nearby, you are competing against those incentives, so price and preparation matter more.
Why this hits home in the East Valley
The broker pointed to one North Dallas neighborhood that flipped from roughly ten buyers competing for every home two years ago to about ten homes available for every buyer today. That same swing, from frenzy to a buyer-friendlier balance, is exactly the shift playing out across much of the East Valley. It is why the experience of buying here now is so different from what your neighbor went through in the frenzy, and why old advice from that era can steer you wrong.
If you are a financed buyer using your VA benefit, you sit in a strong spot within this split. You bring a competitive, well-structured offer without needing a pile of cash, which is exactly the strength group two wins on. Know which market you are in, get your benefit lined up, and you compete from a position most buyers would envy.
The bottom line
The reason the housing headlines feel so contradictory is that they are describing four different markets as if they were one. The moment you figure out which group you are actually in, the noise clears and your real options come into focus. A cash buyer, a financed buyer, a locked-in owner, and someone shopping new construction should each play a completely different game. Get clear on yours, work with people who understand the difference, and you stop reacting to the market at large and start playing the one that is actually yours, right here across the East Valley.
This article is for general educational purposes and is not a commitment to lend or financial advice. Commentary attributed to a real estate broker reflects views expressed publicly and is paraphrased here for illustration; that individual is not affiliated with and does not endorse CrossCountry Mortgage or the author. Market conditions vary by area, price point, and property and change over time. Builder incentives are set by builders, may require use of a preferred lender, and are subject to conditions; you are not required to use a builder’s preferred lender. Loan approval depends on individual circumstances, and getting pre-approved does not guarantee loan approval. VA loan eligibility and benefits depend on individual circumstances. CrossCountry Mortgage is a private lender and is not acting on behalf of, or at the direction of, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Equal Housing Opportunity.
