For the First Time in Recent History, New Home Price Reductions Outpace Existing Homes: Realtor.com® Report Finds
Rhea-AI Summary
NWS / Realtor.com finds that in late 2025 nearly one in five newly built homes saw price reductions, overtaking resale cuts (18.3%) for the first time in recent history.
Key metrics: seven states led higher new-construction cuts; median new-home listing was $451,128 (up 0.3% YoY); newly built condos carried a 30.7% premium versus existing attached homes.
Positive
- New construction price cuts outpaced resales at ~20%
- Newly built condos/townhomes show a 30.7% premium over existing attached homes
- Newly built single-family homes priced 10.7% above existing single-family homes
Negative
- Nearly 1 in 5 new homes had price reductions, signaling builder price pressure
- Median new-home listing rose only 0.3% YoY to $451,128, showing weak topline growth
- Seven states show higher new-construction cuts than national level, indicating regional inventory stress
Key Figures
Market Reality Check
Peers on Argus
NWS fell 1.62% with key peers also lower: NWSA -1.15%, TKO -2.23%, WMG -3.22%, ROKU -3.51%, FOXA -3.47%. However, no peers appeared in the momentum scanner, so the move screens as stock-specific rather than a coordinated sector rotation.
Historical Context
| Date | Event | Sentiment | Move | Catalyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 05 | Investor briefing | Neutral | -2.5% | Announcement of Dow Jones investor briefing with leadership presentations in March. |
| Feb 05 | Earnings update | Neutral | -2.5% | Q2 2026 results: revenue and EBITDA growth but lower net income and EPS mix. |
| Feb 05 | Housing inventory data | Neutral | -2.5% | Realtor.com report on slowing inventory gains and prices near <b>$399,900</b>. |
| Feb 04 | NYC rent report | Neutral | -2.6% | NYC rent and vacancy data showing tight rental market and low mobility. |
| Jan 27 | HOA fee study | Neutral | -0.6% | Realtor.com analysis of HOA prevalence and rising median monthly fees. |
Recent NWS housing and corporate updates have often been followed by modest share price declines of roughly 0.5%–2.6%, even when the news flow was informational or mixed rather than clearly negative.
Over the past few weeks, NWS has released a series of data‑driven Realtor.com® reports and corporate updates. These include HOA fee research on Jan 27, NYC rent trends on Feb 4, and a January inventory report on Feb 5. The same day, NWS reported fiscal 2026 Q2 results with revenues of $2.36 billion and Total Segment EBITDA of $521 million, followed by an investor briefing announcement. Despite largely informational to mixed news, the stock saw consistent one‑day declines of about 0.5%–2.6% after each event, suggesting a cautious tape around NWS news flow.
Market Pulse Summary
This announcement highlights rising price reductions for new homes—above the 18.3% cut rate in existing homes—and a modest 0.3% year‑over‑year gain in the median new-home listing price at $451,128. For NWS, the report underscores Realtor.com®’s role in tracking affordability and regional divergence, with notable new‑construction discounting in states like Nevada and Indiana. Investors may watch how these housing trends influence traffic, data products, and advertiser demand across the company’s digital real‑estate portfolio.
Key Terms
co-ops technical
AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.
"New construction has been one of the steadiest parts of the housing market over the past few years, but builders are clearly responding to today's affordability pressures and higher-levels of existing-home inventory," said Danielle Hale, chief economist at Realtor.com®. "Nearly one in five new homes cut prices, more than in the resale market for the first time in recent history. This is not just a reflection of regional divergence and where new homes are built; we are seeing builders compete more directly on price to keep sales moving, even as overall new-home prices remain relatively stable."
There are seven states,
State | New Construction Price Reduced Share | Existing Home Price Reduced Share |
24.8 % | 19.6 % | |
23.3 % | 22.1 % | |
21.6 % | 17.4 % | |
21.6 % | 17.4 % | |
21.3 % | 19.1 % | |
19.9 % | 10.7 % | |
19.0 % | 17.5 % |
In the fourth quarter of 2025, the median listing price for a newly built home was
In Key Metros, Condos Can Carry A Price Premium Compared to Single Family Homes
This report also explored newly built condos compared to newly built single family homes and found newly built condos and townhomes cost more than newly built single-family homes nationwide. This finding is due largely to geography and where new condos are being built.
Newly built attached homes are concentrated in high-cost urban markets, while new single-family construction is expanding in more affordable metros, particularly across the South and West. Nearly
"What we're seeing is a market where single-family new construction is filling an affordability gap that resale homes increasingly can't," said Joel Berner, senior economist, Realtor.com®. "Condos are still playing an important role in certain markets, but they're skewing more luxury, while detached homes are doing more of the work when it comes to expanding supply."
Methodology
Realtor.com housing data as of December 2025. Listings include the active inventory of newly built single-family homes and condos/townhomes/row homes/co-ops for the given level of geography on Realtor.com. Realtor.com new construction data history goes back to January 2023.
About Realtor.com®
Realtor.com® pioneered online real estate and has been at the forefront for over 25 years, connecting buyers, sellers, and renters with trusted insights, professional guidance and powerful tools to help them find their perfect home. Recognized as the No. 1 site trusted by real estate professionals, Realtor.com® is a valued partner, delivering consumer connections and a robust suite of marketing tools to support business growth. Realtor.com® is operated by News Corp [Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV] subsidiary Move, Inc.
Media contact: Mallory Micetich, press@realtor.com
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/for-the-first-time-in-recent-history-new-home-price-reductions-outpace-existing-homes-realtorcom-report-finds-302685747.html
SOURCE Realtor.com