Kansas City Housing Market Trends 2026

0:00 Something abnormal is happening in the 0:02 Kansas City housing market. And I’m not 0:04 talking about a crash. I’m not talking 0:05 about prices plummeting like you might 0:07 see in Dallas or Florida. I’m talking 0:09 about something more subtle, something 0:11 most people aren’t paying attention to. 0:13 But if you’re thinking about buying or 0:15 selling a home in Kansas City right now, 0:17 this is the shift you need to understand 0:19 because what’s happening right now is 0:21 creating opportunities for buyers who 0:23 know where to look and challenges for 0:24 sellers who don’t understand the new 0:26 rules of the game. If you’re new here, 0:28 I’m Kyle and I’ve helped hundreds of 0:30 people move to, from, and around the 0:32 Kansas City Metro. So, if you’re even 0:34 thinking about moving in the next three 0:35 days or three years, reach out at moving 0:38 tok.net/info. 0:40 So, in this video, I’m going to break 0:42 down exactly what’s happening in the 0:43 Kansas City housing market right now, 0:45 what makes us different from other 0:46 markets you’re hearing about, and most 0:48 importantly, what you should do about 0:50 it, whether you’re buying or selling. 0:52 Let’s start with the headline everyone’s 0:54 been talking about, inventory. For 0:56 years, buying a home in Kansas City felt 0:58 like a sprint. Homes would hit the 1:00 market and be under contract in days, 1:02 sometimes hours, with multiple offers, 1:04 waved inspections, bidding wars. But 1:07 something’s been shifting. Currently, we 1:09 have about 8,000 homes on the market in 1:11 the Kansas City metro. And that’s about 1:12 10% more than we’re sitting on the 1:15 market this time last year at around 1:17 7,200. Now, here’s the context most 1:19 people are missing. Back in October of 1:21 2021, at the absolute peak of the 1:24 pandemic buying frenzy, we only had 1:26 about 4,000 homes on the market. So, we 1:29 basically doubled inventory from the 1:31 pandemic lows. But if you zoom out even 1:34 further, we’re actually just getting 1:36 back to normal. In 2019, before CO 1:38 turned the housing market upside down, 1:40 we had a similar number of homes on the 1:43 market this time of year. So, what’s 1:45 abnormal isn’t that inventory is 1:47 exploding. It’s that inventory keeps 1:49 climbing into the fall and winter months 1:51 when it usually drops off. In years 1:53 past, all of that inventory was getting 1:55 absorbed by the buyer demand that we had 1:57 there. And then typically by October, 2:00 sellers are pulling their homes off the 2:01 market for the holidays. Families don’t 2:03 want to deal with showings during 2:04 Thanksgiving or Christmas. Listings slow 2:06 down and the market cools. But this 2:08 year, sellers are staying put with new 2:10 listings hitting the market and less 2:13 buyer demand. Right now, we’re sitting 2:14 at about 2.7 months of supply. For 2:17 reference, last year we were at about 2:19 2.4 months and the year before we had 2:22 2.2 months. So supply is growing, but 2:25 we’re still technically in what’s called 2:27 a sellers market. A balanced market is 2:29 usually between 4 to 6 months of supply. 2:31 But here’s where it gets interesting. 2:33 Inventory is up and so are sales. We’re 2:36 actually up 3 12% compared to this time 2:38 last year. Around 26,000 homes have sold 2:41 so far in 2025. But sellers are getting 2:44 a little less than their asking price. 2:45 It’s about 97 12% the list price versus 2:49 98% last year. So why is that? Well, 2:52 it’s pretty simple. More supply means 2:55 buyers have more options and that gives 2:57 them a little more negotiating power. 2:59 But before you think, oh, so it’s a 3:01 buyer market now. Hold up a minute 3:03 because Kansas City isn’t just one 3:05 market. It’s dozens of micro markets 3:08 behaving in completely different ways 3:10 depending on price point, location, and 3:12 condition. Let me show you what I mean. 3:13 Recently, I had a listing that we priced 3:15 a little too high in Kansas City, 3:16 Missouri. The seller wanted to test the 3:18 market, and honestly, I understood where 3:19 he was coming from. His neighbor had 3:21 sold for a certain price about a year 3:23 ago, and he figured his home was worth 3:25 at least that much. Now, out the gate, 3:27 activity was great. We got nearly two 3:29 dozen showings in the first two weeks. 3:31 People were interested, but we didn’t 3:32 have any offers. And then 2 weeks in, we 3:35 decided to reduce the price. 3:36 Immediately, we got an FHA offer, but my 3:39 seller decided to pass on it because he 3:41 didn’t want to deal with the FHA 3:43 appraisal guidelines and the potential 3:44 repair requests that come with that. Big 3:46 mistake. We sat for another 45 days, and 3:49 by the time we circled back to that 3:50 original buyer, they’d moved on. They 3:52 found something else. We ended up 3:54 selling for 7% less than our first price 3:57 reduction. Ouch. My seller left tens of 3:59 thousands of dollars on the table 4:01 because he didn’t listen to what the 4:02 market was telling us. Now, same week, 4:05 completely different story. We wrote an 4:06 offer for a client in Overland Park on a 4:08 home listed for $499,000. 4:10 It was in the Blue Valley School 4:12 District. The home was immaculate. 4:14 Beautiful updates, perfect condition, 4:15 great location. We were one of 20 4:18 offers. 20. It sold for $60,000 over ask 4:23 price. That is the Kansas City metro 4:25 market in a nutshell right now. It 4:27 depends entirely on location price and 4:29 how well the home shows. In some 4:31 neighborhoods, sellers still have all 4:33 the leverage. and others. Buyers are 4:35 finally getting some negotiating power. 4:36 And if you don’t understand which market 4:38 you’re in, you’re going to make the 4:40 wrong move. By the way, if you’re 4:42 thinking about selling a home in Kansas 4:43 City and you want to know the value of 4:45 it, click the link in the description 4:46 below. So, let’s break this all down by 4:48 price point because that’s where the 4:50 differences get really interesting. 4:52 Starting with starter homes, the $200 to 4:55 $300,000 range for a single family home. 4:57 These are moving. The median list to 5:00 sold price ratio is 250,000 to 252,500 5:05 and they’re selling in a median of just 5:08 18 days. But when you look at the active 5:10 inventory in that range, homes are 5:12 sitting for a median of 36 days. So what 5:15 does that tell you? Well, it says that 5:17 wellpriced movein ready homes in this 5:19 range sell fast. But if you overpric 5:21 even by 10 to 15,000 or the home needs 5:24 work, you might sit. For condos and town 5:26 homes, the median list to sold price is 5:29 249,000 to 245,000 with a median of 15 5:34 days on market. So buyers in this 5:36 segment are getting slight discounts and 5:38 sellers need to be realistic about 5:40 pricing. Now the middle market 300,000 5:43 to 700,000. This is where the most 5:45 activity is. The median list to sold 5:48 price is 429,000 to 430,000. And these 5:52 homes are selling in a median of just 21 5:54 days. This price range is strong because 5:56 it’s where most buyers with today’s 5:58 interest rates can still qualify. This 6:00 segment also has the most inventory with 6:02 over 3,100 active listings. So, there’s 6:04 choice. But homes that show well and are 6:07 priced right are still moving quickly. 6:09 And then there’s the luxury market. 6:11 Homes over 1 million. This year, 814 6:14 homes have sold over a million bucks. 6:16 The median list price to sold price is 6:18 1.35 to 1.325 million, and they’re 6:22 selling in just 17 days. But that can be 6:24 deceiving because it depends heavily on 6:27 the location. Luxury homes in Leewood, 6:29 those are flying off the market. I’m 6:31 talking days, sometimes hours in the 6:34 single digits for the right property. 6:36 But luxury homes in Kansas City, 6:38 Missouri, especially in neighborhoods 6:39 that aren’t Brookside or Sunset Hill, 6:41 those are sitting longer. When you look 6:42 at active inventory over 1 million, the 6:44 median days on market is 52 and the 6:47 average is over a 100 days. So, in the 6:50 luxury sector, pricing and location 6:52 matter even more. You can’t just throw a 6:55 number out there and hope. You have to 6:57 be strategic. Now, you might be hearing 6:58 about markets in Texas and Florida 7:00 getting flooded with new construction 7:02 from national builders like LAR, Dr. 7:04 Horton, and Toll Brothers. Thousands of 7:06 new homes hitting the market all at 7:08 once, driving prices down, creating 7:10 massive incentives. That’s not happening 7:12 here. In fact, new construction 7:13 inventory in Kansas City is actually 7:15 down 6.7% over the last 12 months. 7:18 Builders have been pulling back due to 7:20 elevated interest rates. The median 7:21 sales price for new construction is down 7:23 4.3% this year and sales are down almost 7:27 10% year-to date. So, we’re not getting 7:29 flooded. We’re getting a slow, steady 7:31 trickle of new inventory. But where is 7:33 this new construction happening? There’s 7:35 a lot of activity in southern and 7:37 western Johnson County. Places like 7:39 Overland Park and Spring Hill. North of 7:41 the river and Riverside, Parkville, and 7:43 Kansas City, Missouri. and southeast 7:45 Jackson County like Lee Summit and Blue 7:48 Springs and builders, they’re offering 7:50 incentives, but since we’re not sitting 7:52 with a ton of inventory like other 7:54 markets, it’s not the same story that 7:56 you’ll hear with these big production 7:58 builders. Even still, we get emails 8:00 every day from builders with 10 to 8:02 $15,000 in incentives. So, there are 8:05 deals out there if you’re open to new 8:07 construction, but the inventory just 8:08 isn’t there in the same volume as other 8:11 markets. And this is part of the reason 8:13 why our inventory has continued to grind 8:16 up because we don’t have this massive 8:18 amount of new homes hitting the market. 8:20 And if we dive even deeper into new 8:22 construction permits pulled, we’re 8:24 trending higher than last year. In 2024, 8:27 the first 7 months saw about 2500 single 8:29 family permits issued. And this year, 8:31 that number is up about 2%. But that’s 8:34 still well below the 2021 peak when over 8:37 6,500 permits were pulled. So, new 8:39 construction is more balanced here, and 8:42 that’s actually a good thing for 8:43 long-term stability. And if you think 8:45 I’m wrong, just ask people in Florida 8:47 and Texas who are sitting on the market 8:49 for months at a time trying to sell 8:51 their homes. Next, let’s dive into the 8:53 neighborhoods because they’re not all 8:54 feeling this shift in the same way. So, 8:56 let me walk you through what we’re 8:58 seeing in key areas because this is 9:00 where the rubber really meets the road. 9:02 Let’s start in Johnson County because 9:03 that’s where a lot of people want to be. 9:05 Johnson County is still hot. The median 9:08 sales price for 2025 is 469,000, 9:12 up 4.3% from last year. Days on market 9:15 is 36, which is actually down 3% from 9:17 last year, and supply is still low at 9:19 about 2.2 months. So, if you’re selling 9:22 a home in Johnson County and your home 9:23 shows well, you’re in great shape. You 9:25 still could get multiple offers if the 9:27 price is right. Now, Brookside, Kansas 9:30 City’s most desirable urban 9:31 neighborhood, has just over 1 months of 9:34 supply. One month. The median list to 9:37 sold price is 509,000 to 515,000 9:41 and homes are selling in a median of 9:43 just 3 days. 3 days. So, if you can 9:46 afford Brookside and you find something 9:48 you like, you better move fast because 9:50 by the time you schedule that second 9:51 showing, it’s probably already under 9:53 contract. But then we’ve got the Urban 9:55 Corps of Kansas City, Missouri. And this 9:57 is where the slowdown is most obvious. 9:59 The median list to sold price is 275,000 10:02 to 265,000. 10:05 Sellers are taking about $10,000 less 10:07 than their asking price. The median days 10:09 on market for active inventory is 63 10:11 days with the average at 85 days. Now, 10:14 compare that to the rest of Kansas City, 10:16 Missouri outside of the urban core where 10:18 the median list to sold price is 295,000 10:21 across the board. So, sellers are 10:23 getting right at asking and homes are 10:26 selling in a median of just 15 days. So, 10:28 what’s the difference? Condition, 10:30 location, and buyer demand. The urban 10:33 core has older housing stock and many 10:35 homes need updates. Buyers in that price 10:37 range have been stretched with the 10:39 ongoing elevated rates. So, they’re 10:40 being picky. They’re looking at 10:42 inspection reports with a fine tooth 10:44 comb. They’re asking for concessions. 10:45 They’re walking away if the numbers 10:47 don’t work. So, if you’re selling in the 10:49 urban core, you have to price 10:50 aggressively and make sure your home is 10:52 movein ready. Otherwise, you’re going to 10:54 sit. Now, let’s talk about what’s 10:55 happening in the broader Kansas City 10:57 economy because that directly impacts 11:00 housing. Job growth. It’s been slowing. 11:02 Back in 2022, we were adding about 30 to 11:06 40,000 jobs per month in the Kansas City 11:08 metro. By mid 2024, that had dropped to 11:11 around 10 to 20,000 per month. And this 11:13 year, we’ve seen months with negative 11:15 job growth. April saw a loss of 5,100 11:18 jobs, and May saw a loss of,900. The 11:21 unemployment rate is currently 4.4% in 11:23 the Kansas City area, up from 3.9% this 11:26 time last year. The national 11:27 unemployment rate is 4.6%, 6%. So, we’re 11:30 slightly better than the national 11:32 average, but the trend is heading in the 11:34 wrong direction. Some industries are 11:36 hiring. Education and health services 11:38 added about 5,300 jobs, mostly in 11:40 healthcare and social assistance. 11:42 Panasonic has reportedly hired,00 of 11:45 their estimated 4,000 jobs they’re 11:47 expecting to create at their massive new 11:49 battery plant in Dodto. But there are 11:52 losses, too. Ford is reportedly laying 11:54 off thousands of workers at their Kansas 11:56 City manufacturing plant. That’s going 11:58 to have a ripple effect on the market, 12:00 especially in the Northland and Klay 12:02 County where a lot of those workers 12:03 live. So, the broader economic picture 12:06 explains some of the housing slowdown. 12:08 Fewer buyers can qualify with today’s 12:10 rates, and job security concerns are 12:11 making people more cautious about making 12:14 the biggest financial decision of their 12:16 lives. But here’s the thing, Kansas 12:18 City’s economy is still fundamentally 12:20 strong. We’re diversified. We’re not 12:22 relying on one industry. and we’re 12:24 seeing major long-term investments like 12:26 Panasonic, the airport expansion, the 12:28 street car extension, and we have the 12:30 World Cup in 2026. So, while we are 12:32 experiencing a slowdown, I don’t think 12:34 we’re heading for a crash. I think we’re 12:36 just rebalancing, and that’s actually 12:38 healthy. Now, even though sales are up 3 12:41 12% from last year, let’s zoom out for a 12:43 second. We’ve sold around 26,000 homes 12:46 so far this year. At this same point in 12:48 2022, it was nearly 29,000 and in 2021 12:52 it was over 31,000. So sales are 12:55 recovering, but we’re still way behind 12:58 the boom years. And back in 2021 and 13:00 2022, inventory was in the low 4,000s. 13:03 Today, we’ve got nearly 8,000 homes on 13:05 the market with fewer buyers than 13:06 before. What’s happening is a mismatch. 13:10 A lot of sellers are still pricing like 13:11 it’s 2021 or 2022. They remember their 13:14 neighbor selling for a certain price. 13:15 They remember homes going over asking. 13:18 They think their home is worth that. But 13:20 the market’s moved on. More options, 13:23 more competition, and that means softer 13:25 sale to list price ratios. It means 13:27 longer days on market. It means more 13:30 negotiation. The market will tell you if 13:32 you’re priced too high. You’ll get 13:33 showings, but no offers, and you have to 13:35 listen because the longer you sit, the 13:38 more you’ll have to reduce, and by then, 13:40 you’ve lost the momentum and the buyers 13:42 who were interested at the beginning. I 13:44 see this all the time. A seller lists at 13:46 450,000 because that’s what they want. 13:49 They get 15 showings in the first two 13:50 weeks, but no offers. 3 weeks later, 13:53 they drop to 435. Now, they’ve been on 13:56 the market for a month, and buyers are 13:58 wondering what’s wrong with the house. 14:00 They finally sell for 420,000, which is 14:02 probably where they should have started. 14:04 The lesson here is don’t let ego or 14:06 emotion cost you tens of thousands of 14:09 dollars. So, what should you do if 14:10 you’re thinking about buying or selling 14:12 in today’s Kansas City market? Let me 14:14 share what’s working for our clients 14:16 right now. If you’re a buyer, here’s 14:18 what I recommend. First, target homes 14:20 that have been sitting on the market for 14:22 30, 40, 50 days. These sellers are 14:25 usually the most motivated and open to 14:27 negotiating. Look for price drops. 14:29 They’re a clear sign that the seller is 14:31 getting anxious. Second, ask the seller 14:34 for concessions. We’re not seeing the 14:35 massive concession packages like Dallas 14:38 is reporting, but we’re getting5 to 14:40 $10,000 in closing costs and repair 14:42 credits regularly. In some cases, we’re 14:44 getting more if the home’s been sitting. 14:46 Third, check out builder incentives if 14:48 you’re open to new construction. 14:50 Builders are offering rate buyowns that 14:52 can lower your monthly payment 14:53 significantly, especially in the first 14:56 few years. That can make a huge 14:58 difference in affordability. Fourth, be 15:00 strategic about location. Johnson County 15:03 and hot neighborhoods like Brookside are 15:05 still competitive, but in the urban core 15:07 neighborhoods with higher inventory, you 15:09 have a lot more negotiating power. So, 15:11 if you’re flexible on location, you can 15:13 get a better deal. And lastly, move 15:15 fast. If you find the right home in a 15:17 hot area, that Overland Park home I 15:19 mentioned earlier, 20 offers. If you’re 15:21 in a competitive neighborhood and you 15:23 find something you love, don’t wait. 15:25 Don’t overthink it. Make your best offer 15:28 and go for it. Now, if you’re a seller, 15:30 here’s what you need to know. Price is 15:32 your number one marketing strategy. I 15:35 have gotten millions of views on an 15:37 overpriced home and still couldn’t sell 15:39 it. If you overpric, you’ll get showings 15:42 but no offers. And once you sit for 30, 15:44 60, 90 days, buyers start wondering 15:47 what’s wrong with your home. You lose 15:49 momentum, and you end up selling for 15:51 less than if you’d priced it right from 15:53 the start. Second, make sure your home 15:55 shows well. In a market with more 15:57 options, buyers are picky. And if your 15:59 home needs updates or repairs, either 16:01 make them or price accordingly. Don’t 16:03 expect buyers to overlook outdated 16:05 kitchens or worn carpets when they have 16:08 50 other homes to choose from. Staging 16:10 matters, too. And this is something that 16:12 we actually offer complimentary to our 16:14 sellers because homes that are staged 16:16 sell faster and for more money. Third, 16:19 be realistic about timing. If you’re 16:21 selling in the winter months, expect it 16:22 to take longer. There are buyers 16:24 shopping now, but there are a lot fewer 16:26 of them than there were in the spring 16:28 and summer months. So, if you need to 16:30 sell quickly, price aggressively or wait 16:33 till spring. Fourth, listen to your 16:35 agent. If we’re telling you to reduce 16:37 the price, it’s because the market is 16:38 telling us. Don’t let pride or emotion 16:41 cost you thousands, sometimes tens of 16:43 thousands of dollars. Here’s the thing I 16:45 want you to understand. Kansas City is 16:47 not Dallas. We’re not Denver. We’re not 16:48 Florida. Those markets got flooded with 16:51 new construction from national builders 16:52 who built thousands of homes all at 16:54 once. Add in interest rates and surging 16:57 home prices, and you’ve got markets that 16:59 are unaffordable and buyers who are worn 17:01 down. In Kansas City, it’s been more of 17:04 a gradual grind up in inventory. We’re 17:06 slowly getting back to the prepandemic 17:09 levels. And I think that’s a good thing 17:10 because it means we’re not going to 17:12 experience the massive price corrections 17:14 we’re seeing in other markets. We’re not 17:16 oversaturated. We’re just rebalancing. 17:18 And looking ahead, I’m optimistic. We’ve 17:20 got the World Cup coming in 2026. The 17:22 street car extension just opened. The 17:24 new airport terminal, Panasonic and 17:26 other major companies are investing 17:28 here. So, while we’re experiencing a 17:30 slowdown right now, just like most other 17:32 markets, I don’t think it’s permanent. I 17:34 think it’s a healthy correction that’s 17:36 setting us up for long-term sustainable 17:38 growth. And that’s the kind of market 17:39 you want to buy into. Not the boom and 17:42 bust cycle you see in other cities, but 17:44 steady, reliable appreciation. So, 17:46 here’s the bottom line. Kansas City 17:48 isn’t experiencing a crash. It’s 17:50 rebalancing. Inventory is climbing 17:52 gradually back to prepandemic levels, 17:54 and buyers have more choices, but we’re 17:57 not flooded with inventory like Texas or 17:59 Florida. We’re not seeing massive price 18:01 drops, and homes that are priced right 18:03 and show well are still selling quickly. 18:05 The abnormal thing happening is that 18:07 inventory keeps climbing into the fall 18:09 and winter months when it usually 18:11 recedes. and that’s creating a window of 18:13 opportunity for both buyers and sellers 18:16 who understand what’s happening. If 18:17 you’re thinking about moving to or 18:19 anywhere around Kansas City, my team and 18:22 I would love to help. Just head over to 18:23 moving tokc.net/info 18:26 to connect with us or shoot us an email 18:28 at info@moving tok.net. And if you want 18:30 to see where most people are actually 18:32 moving from when they relocate to Kansas 18:34 City, check out this next video right 18:36 here. It breaks down the top cities and 18:38 states where the majority of people are 18:40 moving from, and the number one spot may 18:42 just surprise you. Thanks for watching, 18:44 and I’ll see you on the next one.