Engaged Home Shoppers Rose 20% This Spring, Zillow Research Says

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For mortgage professionals, the signal is clear: buyer interest is still there, but affordability is keeping many serious shoppers from moving.

Engaged home shoppers increased 20% this spring, according to Zillow Research, which published its report on September 24, 2026. Zillow also said high-intent home shoppers outnumber listings 4.8 to 1, a gap that points to more buyer interest than available inventory in the market Zillow analyzed.

For loan officers, the takeaway is practical: demand has not disappeared, but plenty of serious shoppers are still stuck between wanting to buy and being able to make the numbers work. Zillow’s summary specifically points to affordability pressures as a reason many of these shoppers remain sidelined, even as their search behavior shows intent.

Key takeaways

• Zillow Research reported that engaged home shoppers rose 20% this spring.
• High-intent shoppers outnumbered listings 4.8 to 1, according to the Zillow Research summary.
• The data points to pent-up housing demand, not a fully released wave of purchase activity.
• Affordability pressures are still keeping many would-be buyers on the sidelines.

Sources

• Zillow Research — Engaged Home Shoppers Rose 20% This Spring, a Sign of Pent-Up Demand

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