Three of the nation’s largest housing markets are seeing a sharp rise in the number of homes for sale, giving buyers more choices even as the overall U.S. housing market shows signs of cooling.

In January, 46 of the country’s biggest metro areas had more homes on the market than they did a year earlier. Seattle saw the biggest increase, with inventory jumping 32.4%.

Charlotte, North Carolina, followed at 28.6%, while Washington, D.C., ranked third with a 26.8% rise, according to Realtor.com’s January 2026 Monthly Housing Market Trends Report.

In Seattle and Charlotte, much of the inventory growth is being driven by homes lingering on the market longer rather than a surge of new sellers, Realtor.com Senior Economist Jake Krimmel told FOX Business.

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People gather at Kerry Park to see the Space Needle at dusk in Seattle June 21, 2025. (Juan Mabromata/AFP via Getty Images)

Homes in Seattle took about 15 days longer to sell than they did a year ago, while Charlotte homes remained on the market roughly 12 days longer. 

“[Washington], D.C., is a little different, where stronger new listing growth seems tied to uncertainty over the local job outlook,” Krimmel told FOX Business.

Seattle’s expanding supply is also being influenced by layoffs in the tech sector, according to Michael Orbino, a managing broker at Compass.

“Several companies, including T-Mobile, Microsoft and Amazon, are repositioning their workforces,” Orbino said in a statement. “This is not a large part of the inventory but often puts buyers in pause mode, which has the effect of slowing down absorption, which increases inventory.”

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An aerial view of Charlotte, N.C. (iStock)

Several other metro areas also saw significant increases in homes for sale.

Louisville, Kentucky, was up 25.6%, while Las Vegas and Indianapolis each rose 25.4%. Baltimore saw inventory climb 24.1%, San Jose increased 23.3% and Cincinnati rose 21%, Realtor.com reported.

Regionally, the West posted the largest year-over-year inventory gain in January, up 12.2%. The Midwest followed at 10.3%, with the South close behind at 10.1%. The Northeast continued to lag, with inventory rising just 6.6%, according to the report.

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The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Jan. 26, 2026. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Nationally, housing inventory is up 10% from a year ago, but the pace of recovery is slowing. Year-over-year inventory growth has declined for nine consecutive months, and new listings rose just 0.7% compared with last year, Krimmel said.

January inventory remained more than 17% below 2017 to 2019 levels, according to Realtor.com.

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“Even though January is the slow season for housing, it’s an important moment to take stock,” Krimmel added. “The data and trends coming in right now will set the stage for how the market might behave once things pick up in the spring.”