Key Takeaways
- The U.S. housing market has decisively shifted into a buyer-favorable regime, with home sellers exceeding buyers by a record 47.1% in December 2025, the widest imbalance recorded since Redfin began tracking this metric in 2013.
- This significant imbalance, representing 631,535 more sellers than buyers, grants buyers substantial negotiating power amidst high housing costs and economic uncertainty.
- The Israeli Army's Central Command is conducting intensive training to enhance its readiness for the "most intense defensive and offensive scenarios," including surprise terror attacks and simultaneous incidents.
The U.S. housing market has undergone a significant transformation, moving decisively into a buyer-favorable regime as of December 2025. Data from real estate brokerage Redfin (RDFN) reveals that home sellers outnumbered buyers by a record 47.1%, marking the largest disparity since the company began tracking this metric in 2013. This imbalance reflects a substantial excess of supply relative to demand, granting considerable negotiating power to prospective homebuyers.
In numerical terms, there were an estimated 631,535 more home sellers than buyers in the U.S. housing market in December. This figure represents a 7.1 percentage point increase from the previous month and a 22.2 percentage point rise year-over-year. The shift is largely attributed to high housing costs and ongoing economic uncertainty, which have caused many potential house hunters to withdraw from the market. While the Sun Belt regions experienced the strongest buyer's markets, the Northeast and Midwest still contained seller's markets.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Army is intensely focused on bolstering the readiness of its Central Command for a range of critical scenarios. Training exercises are concentrating on improving capabilities for the "most intense defensive and offensive scenarios." This includes preparing for surprise terror attacks, infiltrations into communities, attacks on routes, and incidents occurring simultaneously in multiple areas.
The drills are being conducted as part of lessons learned from recent conflicts and fresh strategic assessments. Major General Avi Bluth, Head of the Central Command, has emphasized that maintaining a high level of preparedness for a "surprise war" is the baseline scenario. These inspections and training initiatives are deemed a vital tool for identifying gaps, refining processes, and continuously improving the forces' readiness in both routine and emergency situations.
Ed Liston is a senior contributing editor at TheStockMarketWatch.com. An active market watcher and investor, Ed guides an independent team of experienced analysts and writes for multiple stock trader publications.