Pending Home Sales Rebounded — A Positive Signal for Spring

While much of the national housing conversation has focused on affordability challenges, there’s a meaningful positive data point worth highlighting: pending home sales have rebounded, according to recent NAR market intelligence.

Pending sales — contracts signed but not yet closed — are a leading indicator of where the market is heading. A rebound in pending sales tells us that buyers are actively making decisions and that the hesitation we saw in late 2025 is beginning to ease.

What’s driving renewed buyer activity?

• Improved inventory giving buyers more options
• Some stabilization in mortgage rates after months of volatility
• Pent-up demand from households who delayed purchases in 2024
• Sellers becoming more realistic on pricing, improving negotiability

For Chicagoland specifically, we’re seeing activity pick up in the sub-$500,000 price range in DuPage and Kane County — particularly in towns like Bartlett, Carol Stream, and Bloomingdale where move-in ready homes are still relatively attainable.

Builders, interestingly, are turning more pessimistic — which may mean fewer new construction starts ahead. That could tighten resale inventory again by 2027, another argument for buyers who are ready to move sooner rather than later.

Source: National Association of Realtors, May 2026