The housing market is improving on paper, but here's the problem: middle income buyers still can't afford what's available.
New data from the National Association of Realtors and Realtor.com just dropped their Listing Income Alignment Score for March 2026. Nationally it hit 74.9 percent, up from 66.7 percent in March 2025, but still way below the pre pandemic baseline of 84.4 percent. Translation: buyers can only access three quarters of what they should in a balanced market.
The gap hits hardest in the middle. Households earning around $75,000 can access just 23 percent of listings nationwide. In a balanced market? That number should be 44 percent. We'd need 311,000 more homes priced under $261,000 to fix this.
Best markets for alignment? Toledo Ohio at 107.4 percent, St. Louis at 106 percent, Akron Ohio at 105 percent. Worst? Los Angeles at 39.4 percent, San Diego at 45 percent, Oxnard California at 46.8 percent.
Rising inventory doesn't mean much if it's priced out of reach.
DM me directly and I'll show you what's actually available in your price range right now.
