If you've been waiting on the sidelines, you're not alone — and the market is starting to show it.

After a frustrating fall for many homeowners, sellers are returning to the market at a pace we haven't seen in a decade. Nearly 45,000 homes that were pulled from listings last year came back on the market in January, according to Redfin. That's a record 3.6% of all January inventory — the highest figure since Redfin began tracking this metric ten years ago.

What drove so many sellers off the market in the first place? Last September, close to 85,000 homeowners nationwide delisted their properties — a 28% jump from the prior year. Rising mortgage rates, still-elevated prices, and broader economic uncertainty had buyers pulling back, which meant sellers lost their leverage. Many simply decided to wait for a better moment.

Sound familiar? I heard similar sentiments from sellers right here in the Valley. When buyers started asking for concessions and prices weren't moving the way sellers expected, the decision to pause and reassess made sense for a lot of people.

But spring brings fresh optimism.

That said, don't mistake "sellers are returning" for "inventory is surging." Nationally, active listings were up 7.9% year-over-year in February — but that growth rate has been shrinking for nine consecutive months. We're still sitting about 17% below 2019 pre-pandemic inventory levels. Supply gains have been concentrated in the South and West, and most of the new listings are priced under $500,000.

Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com, put it well: the momentum has faltered. The big question heading into spring is whether lower mortgage rates — which have been hovering near four-year lows — will bring more buyers to the table, more sellers, or both.

Here in the Coachella Valley, that dynamic plays out a bit differently than national averages suggest. Our market has its own seasonality, its own buyer profile, and its own pricing pressures. If you've been thinking about relisting or making your first move this spring, now is a good time to have that conversation.

Reach out — I'm happy to walk you through what the current numbers mean for your specific situation.