The spring buying surge that never quite translated to closings
Where competition is fiercest – and where brokers need to move fast
The shopper-to-listing ratio varies sharply by region. In the Northeast, chronic underbuilding has kept inventory under sustained pressure.
Buffalo, New York led all major metro areas with 10.5 engaged shoppers per listing in spring, followed by Providence, Rhode Island (9.5), Hartford, Connecticut (8.5), San Francisco, California (7.6), and Cleveland, Ohio (7.3).
Clients in these markets face compressed timelines and limited negotiating leverage — brokers here need to be positioning buyers well before a listing goes live.
The Sun Belt presents a markedly different picture. A sustained wave of new construction has given buyers considerably more options, and the pressure has shifted to sellers.
Houston, Texas recorded just 2.2 engaged shoppers per listing, the lowest of any major metro, followed by Miami, Florida (2.4) and San Antonio, Texas (2.9).
