Realtor.com® Identifies 12 Emerging Luxury Markets Gaining High-End Ground

Realtor.com (NASDAQ:NWS) reports 12 emerging U.S. luxury housing markets where million‑dollar listings are expanding quickly.

Rhea-AI Summary

Realtor.com (NASDAQ:NWS) reports 12 emerging U.S. luxury housing markets where million‑dollar listings are expanding quickly. The national luxury threshold (90th percentile) was $1,274,423 in April 2026, up 2.0% month over month but 1.9% below April 2025.

Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ark. and Durham-Chapel Hill, N.C. lead luxury inventory growth, driven by new construction and appreciation of existing high-end estates.

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News Market Reaction – NWS

On May 12, the day this news came out, NWS closed 2.44% below the previous close.

Data tracked by StockTitan Argus for the May 12 session.

Market Context

This announcement highlights Realtor.com’s detailed tracking of luxury housing, with the national en...

Analysis

This announcement highlights Realtor.com’s detailed tracking of luxury housing, with the national entry-level luxury threshold at $1,274,423 and emerging high-end activity in markets like Fayetteville and Durham. For NWS, it extends a series of data-driven Realtor.com releases that complement recent earnings momentum. Investors monitoring this theme may focus on how luxury listing depth, regional growth in million-dollar inventory, and continued product innovation contribute to NWS’s digital real estate segment over time.

Key Figures

National luxury threshold: $1,274,423 Luxury threshold MoM change: 2.0% Luxury threshold YoY change: -1.9% +5 more

National luxury threshold

$1,274,423

April 2026, 90th percentile entry-level luxury

Luxury threshold MoM change

2.0%

April 2026 vs March 2026

Luxury threshold YoY change

-1.9%

April 2026 vs April 2025

High-end threshold

$2,003,139

April 2026, 95th percentile

Ultra luxury threshold

$5,711,785

April 2026, 99th percentile

Million-dollar listing share

13.5%

National share of listings at or above $1M

Fayetteville luxury inventory growth

37.7%

YoY million-dollar listing count, Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers

Durham luxury inventory growth

23.7%

YoY million-dollar listing count, Durham-Chapel Hill

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: 2026-05-07

5 events

1. 2026-05-07

   Earnings results

   24h Move

   +1.5%

   Q3 2026 revenue and earnings growth driven by multiple segments.

2. 2026-05-07

   Housing report

   24h Move

   +2.0%

   Realtor.com new construction insights highlighting urban scarcity and pricing.

3. 2026-05-05

   Strategic partnership

   24h Move

   +2.9%

   Zillow and Realtor.com agreement to share Preview listings nationwide.

4. 2026-05-05

   Publishing lineup

   24h Move

   -1.5%

   William Morrow summer book releases across multiple genres.

5. 2026-05-05

   Housing report

   24h Move

   -1.5%

   Realtor.com multigenerational homes study showing price and demand premiums.

24h Move is the share-price change in the day after each event; other market factors may also have contributed.

Key Terms

90th percentile, 95th percentile, 99th percentile

3 terms

90th percentile technical

"Luxury segmentation is based on market-specific price percentiles, with the 90th percentile representing entry-level luxury"

The 90th percentile is the value in a set of measurements that is greater than 90% of the observations and lower than the top 10%. For investors it highlights the high end of a distribution — for example, unusually high returns, costs, or prices — helping identify outliers, set conservative targets, or assess upside and tail risk much like looking at the 90th person in a 100-person line to see who’s near the top.

95th percentile technical

"the 95th percentile marking high-end luxury, and the 99th percentile indicating ultraluxury"

The 95th percentile is the value in a range of numbers such that 95% of the observations are equal to or below it and 5% are above it. Think of lining up 100 people by height and picking the person at position 95 — everyone shorter is at or below the 95th percentile. For investors, it highlights where most outcomes cluster and flags the relatively rare, extreme results useful for risk limits, stress testing, performance benchmarks and spotting outliers.

99th percentile technical

"the 95th percentile marking high-end luxury, and the 99th percentile indicating ultraluxury"

The 99th percentile is the value that separates the top 1% from the rest in a ranked set of data — think of being in the top 1% of a class or finishing a race among the first few. For investors, it highlights extreme outcomes (very high returns, risks, costs, or measurements) and helps spot outliers or tail events that can greatly affect portfolio performance or valuation assumptions.

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Fayetteville, Ark., and Durham, N.C., anchor a construction-driven luxury surge as national high-end pricing firms for spring

AUSTIN, Texas, May 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- While the traditional coastal powerhouses of New York and California continue to anchor the U.S. luxury market, a new tier of high-end activity is taking hold in mid-sized metros across the country. The Realtor.com^® April Luxury Housing Report highlights 12 emerging luxury markets where the seven-figure segment is expanding rapidly, often outpacing the national rate of inventory growth.

The national luxury threshold (90th percentile) reached $1,274,423 in April, up 2.0% from March. Although pricing remains 1.9% below year-ago levels, marking the 25th consecutive month of year-over-year decline, the stabilization of the national entry point is occurring alongside the aggressive scaling of luxury inventory in transition markets like Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR (+37.7% YoY) and Durham-Chapel Hill, NC (+23.7%).

"We are seeing a fundamental shift in where luxury is moving. The real story this spring isn't found in the established coastal cores, but in these 12 emerging markets that are actively transitioning into luxury markets," said Anthony Smith, senior economist at Realtor.com^®. "These are places where luxury has gained significant depth and momentum. Whether it's driven by corporate relocation in the Southeast or the desire for acreage and privacy in the Hudson Valley, these markets are offering a new value proposition for the high-end buyer that balances lifestyle with a slightly more accessible entry point than the national luxury floor."

National Luxury Overview: April 2026

Pricing	April 2026	Monthly Change	YoY Change
Luxury Threshold 90th Percentile	$1,274,423	2.0 %	-1.9 %
High-End Luxury Threshold 95th Percentile	$2,003,139	0.3 %	-5.9 %
Ultra Luxury Threshold 99th Percentile	$5,711,785	-1.0 %	-3.7 %
Million-Dollar Listing Share	13.5 %	-0.4pp	-0.6pp

High-End Emergence: Construction vs. Appreciation

To identify these markets in transition, Realtor.com® looked for metros with a meaningful volume of million-dollar listings (200–500 annually) where at least 10% of all inventory is priced above $1 million. The resulting list of 12 markets reveals two distinct drivers of luxury growth: new development and the appreciation of legacy estates.

In fast-growing hubs like Fayetteville, AR (41.3% new construction share) and Provo-Orem, UT (36.8%), the luxury segment is being actively created by builders to meet the demands of high-income professionals. Conversely, in markets like the Hudson Valley's Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh metro, growth is driven by the prestige of existing equestrian farmlands and historic enclaves.

"The drivers of this emergence vary by region," Smith added. "In the Research Triangle and Northwest Arkansas, builders are the primary engine, purpose-building luxury to meet modern customization demands. However, in places like Santa Fe or the Hudson Valley, the growth is more rooted in the appreciation and re-entry of existing homes into the million-dollar tier. In the Hudson Valley specifically, we're seeing a quiet ascent of estate-driven communities like Tuxedo Park and Millbrook, where privacy and land are the primary amenities, attracting buyers who want an alternative to the density of New York City."

Top Emerging Luxury Markets

Rank	Area	10% Most Expensive Listings Start at:	Million-Dollar Listing Count YoY	Share of New Construction (Luxury)	Share of Million-Dollar Listings
0	USA	$1,274,423	0.6 %	18.1 %	13.5 %
1	Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ark.	$1,017,305	37.7 %	41.3 %	10.6 %
2	Durham-Chapel Hill, N.C.	$1,239,750	23.7 %	30.3 %	16.1 %
3	Santa Fe, N.M.	$2,736,250	20.7 %	12.4 %	40.3 %
4	Colorado Springs, Colo.	$1,003,594	17.8 %	14.7 %	10.4 %
5	Knoxville, Tenn.	$1,024,042	16.0 %	22.2 %	10.3 %
6	Asheville, N.C.	$1,497,500	8.9 %	17.6 %	18.1 %
7	Provo-Orem-Lehi, Utah	$1,299,737	8.8 %	36.8 %	15.3 %
8	Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, N.Y.	$1,295,000	6.7 %	12.9 %	14.3 %
9	St. George, Utah	$1,500,000	6.4 %	13.1 %	22.0 %
10	Savannah, Ga.	$1,028,400	4.5 %	23.0 %	10.4 %
11	Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, S.C.	$1,971,050	1.0 %	14.3 %	22.5 %
12	Portland-South Portland, Maine	$1,649,950	0.4 %	14.2 %	21.4 %

(Metropolitan areas where the average monthly million-dollar listing count over the past 12 months was between 200 and 500, the median listing price was below $1,000,000, and at least 10% of active listings were priced at $1 million or above. Ranked by year-over-year growth in million-dollar listing count.)

The New York and Miami Dynamic
New York City reclaimed the top spot for million-dollar listing counts (11,580) over Miami (10,373), a reflection of the city's well-established spring inventory surge. Despite the monthly flip, Miami's trajectory remains structurally changed, with an inventory base that has tripled since early 2022, proving that even as seasonal patterns return, the geographic footprint of U.S. luxury has permanently expanded.

Methodology

All data in this report is sourced from Realtor.com® listing trends as of April 2026, reflecting active inventory of existing homes, including single-family residences, condos, townhomes, row homes, and co-ops. Listings reflect only those provided by  MLS platforms to Realtor.com via a listing feed. New-construction listings are excluded unless actively listed on participating MLSs.

Luxury segmentation is based on market-specific price percentiles, with the 90th percentile representing entry-level luxury, the 95th percentile marking high-end luxury, and the 99th percentile indicating ultraluxury. All calculations are based on listing prices, not final sales prices.

Metropolitan and micropolitan areas are defined using the Office of Management and Budget's OMB-2023 delineations, with Claritas 2025 household estimates used for relative comparisons. Where appropriate, we limited analysis to metros or micros with a minimum threshold of active million-dollar listings on average over the past year to ensure meaningful comparisons.

Historical listing trend data extends to July 2016, but year-over-year comparisons in this report use March 2025 as the baseline.

Luxury by the Numbers

90th percentile = Entry-level luxury (top 10% of prices)

95th percentile = High-end luxury

99th percentile = Ultraluxury (often rare or custom properties)

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: Emily Do, press@realtor.com

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/realtorcom-identifies-12-emerging-luxury-markets-gaining-high-end-ground-302768628.html

SOURCE Realtor.com

FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

What did Realtor.com reveal in its April 2026 luxury housing report for NWS investors?

Realtor.com highlighted 12 emerging luxury markets where million-dollar listings are growing faster than the U.S. overall. According to Realtor.com, the national 90th percentile luxury threshold reached $1,274,423 in April 2026, rising 2.0% from March while remaining 1.9% below year-ago levels.

Which emerging luxury markets led growth in the April 2026 Realtor.com report (NWS)?

Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Arkansas and Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina led emerging luxury market growth in April 2026. According to Realtor.com, Fayetteville’s million-dollar listing count rose 37.7% year over year, while Durham-Chapel Hill climbed 23.7%, both with double-digit luxury new-construction shares.

What is the U.S. luxury home price threshold in April 2026 according to Realtor.com (NWS)?

The U.S. entry-level luxury threshold (90th percentile) was $1,274,423 in April 2026. According to Realtor.com, this level increased 2.0% month over month but stayed 1.9% below April 2025, marking the 25th straight month of year-over-year price declines at the luxury entry point.

How do new construction and estate appreciation drive luxury growth in the April 2026 NWS report?

Luxury growth is driven both by new construction hubs and appreciating legacy estates. According to Realtor.com, metros like Fayetteville and Provo-Orem show high luxury new-construction shares, while areas such as the Hudson Valley and Santa Fe see more million-dollar entries from existing estate-style properties.

How did New York City and Miami compare in million-dollar listings in April 2026 (NWS)?

New York City surpassed Miami in April 2026 million-dollar listing counts. According to Realtor.com, New York recorded 11,580 million-dollar listings versus Miami’s 10,373, though Miami’s luxury inventory has roughly tripled since early 2022, indicating a lasting expansion of high-end housing supply.

What share of U.S. listings were above $1 million in April 2026, per Realtor.com (NWS)?

Million-dollar listings made up 13.5% of U.S. active listings in April 2026. According to Realtor.com, this share was 0.4 percentage points lower than March and 0.6 percentage points below the prior year, even as some mid-sized metros showed rapid growth in high-end inventory.

How does Realtor.com define luxury, high-end, and ultraluxury homes in its April 2026 NWS report?

Luxury segments are defined by price percentiles within each market. According to Realtor.com, the 90th percentile represents entry-level luxury, the 95th percentile defines high-end luxury, and the 99th percentile marks ultraluxury, often rare or custom properties, all based on listing prices rather than final sales.