If you’ve been waiting for a little breathing room in the Hampton Roads housing market, there are some encouraging signs. Buyers have more homes to consider. Sellers have more competition. But before anyone assumes that every house is suddenly negotiable, we need to look at what’s happening around the specific property.

My read: buyers have more opportunity to negotiate thoughtfully, and sellers need to pay closer attention to pricing and preparation. The details still decide how much leverage either side has.

What the numbers tell us

REIN’s September 2026 report counted 6,357 active residential listings across Hampton Roads, up about 16% from September 2025. That was the highest inventory level since April 2020.

Median days on market reached 30, compared with 27 a year earlier. Meanwhile, the median sales price was $375,000, down from August but still about 2.7% higher than September 2025. Inventory stood at 2.97 months of supply. Read REIN’s September report.

Those figures suggest buyers have more choices and somewhat more time. They don’t establish that buyers are in control across the region, or that home values are falling across the board.

Buyers: use the additional choices wisely

Having more homes to compare can make it easier to stay focused on your priorities. You may have an alternative if negotiations don’t work out, which matters when you’re making a major purchase. Depending on the property and the seller’s circumstances, we might discuss a price adjustment, closing cost assistance, repairs, or a different closing timeline. We’ll build the offer around comparable sales, competing listings, condition, and your budget.

I also want buyers to avoid assuming that a home has a problem simply because it hasn’t sold immediately. Sometimes the price needs adjusting. Sometimes the property appeals to a smaller group of buyers. Sometimes there’s an issue that deserves investigation.

We ask questions before drawing conclusions.

Sellers: give buyers a reason to choose your home

When buyers can compare several properties, details become easier to notice. An unfinished repair, poor listing photos, or a price that’s difficult to support can give someone a reason to keep looking. Before listing, I want us to walk through the house and decide what deserves attention, what can stay as it is, and how the price should reflect its condition.

That doesn’t mean renovating every room. Spending money without a clear purpose can eat into your proceeds. The goal is to make sensible preparations and enter the market with a price we can explain using relevant evidence. Then we watch the response and adjust when necessary.

Your neighborhood matters more than a regional label

A regional report is useful context. It can’t tell us exactly how a particular home will perform. A waterfront property, a condo with substantial monthly fees, and a recently updated single-family home can attract different buyers and raise different questions. Even two homes in the same neighborhood may compete very differently because of layout, condition, or price.

For a buyer, I want to know what comparable options are available and what similar homes have actually sold for. For a seller, I want to know which properties buyers will compare with yours and why they might choose one over another.

That’s where we find information we can use in negotiations.

What if you need to sell and buy?

A changing market can affect both sides of your move. You might face more competition when selling while gaining more choices for your purchase. It’s worth looking at the complete transaction before deciding whether the timing works.

We’ll talk through likely sale proceeds, your next housing payment, moving costs, and how the two closings could fit together. If one side takes longer than expected, we need to understand your options before you’re under pressure.

Should you make a move now?

Start with your own circumstances. Why are you moving? How long do you expect to stay? What payment fits comfortably, and what would you need from a sale? I won’t tell you to buy just because inventory has increased, or sell because a headline says the market is shifting. I want to look at your situation and the properties involved.

If you’re considering buying or selling in Hampton Roads, get in touch with me. We’ll work through the numbers, discuss the tradeoffs, and put together a plan you understand before you commit.