If you’ve felt uncertain about buying a new home recently, you’re not alone — and the data reflects that hesitation. NewHomeSource’s national click index shows that overall shopper activity slowed in 2025 as affordability challenges and economic uncertainty made many buyers more cautious.
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Here’s what the latest demand trends reveal — and how they could affect buyers heading into 2026.
See also: Entry-Level Home Prices: The Metros Where Values Have Surged — and What It Means for You as a Buyer
Buyer Engagement Has Fallen Since 2022
NewHomeSource listing clicks, a real-time signal of consumer interest, finished 2025 down 18% year over year. Even as mortgage rates eased slightly toward the end of the year, buyer activity did not rebound as quickly as many expected.
The takeaway for buyers is clear: lower rates alone haven’t been enough to bring shoppers back into the market. Many buyers are waiting until they feel more confident about their finances and the broader economy before moving forward.
Why Buyers Are Slower to Act
Several factors continue to slow buyer activity, including high home prices, rising homeowners insurance costs in many states, job market uncertainty, higher monthly payment estimates, and general economic anxiety.
Together, these pressures have stretched many new home shoppers — especially first-time buyers — leading more people to pause their search or take longer before making a decision.
Where Interest Is Holding Up
Despite the overall slowdown, some markets continue to see stronger-than-average online engagement. The top five markets for NewHomeSource click activity were Riverside–San Bernardino, Sacramento, Phoenix, Charlotte, and Las Vegas.
Other high-interest Sun Belt markets included Orlando, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, and Austin. These markets share several common traits: relative affordability, continued population growth, and better inventory availability compared with many coastal metros.
For buyers, stronger engagement in these areas often reflects markets where affordability and available inventory are still drawing attention from shoppers.
2026 Outlook for Shoppers
For buyers planning to purchase this year, current market conditions may offer some advantages:
Builders may continue offering incentives to attract buyers
Buyers may have more negotiating power than in recent years
Slower activity can allow more time to compare homes and communities
Improving inventory means more options to choose from
In short, the current gap between shopper interest and closed sales is creating a window where buyers who are financially ready may benefit from less competition and more flexibility during the buying process.
The insights in this article were taken from the quarterly executive summary published in Zonda's Homebuyer Outlook.
