Inventory is SLOWLY creeping up in Kansas City

Table of Contents

1. The Early Signs of a Shift

2. National Trends to Watch

3. Kansas City Inventory Snapshot

4. Affordability & Buyer Behavior

5. The Return of Strategy for Sellers

6. A Market of Microclimates

7. What It Means for Buyers

8. Final Thoughts

1. The Early Signs of a Shift

Inventory is creeping up in Kansas City. It’s not dramatic yet, but it’s enough to raise eyebrows. We’re still seeing bidding wars in hot pockets—but the bigger picture is shifting.

Sales are down. Buyer demand is softer. And homes that would've flown off the market a year ago are now sitting. This is the kind of early tension we often see right before a housing market begins to shift.

And if you’re looking at what’s happening in cities like Denver, Austin, and Phoenix, you’ll recognize a pattern: inventory builds, affordability breaks, and suddenly sellers are chasing the market with price cuts.

So what’s the real question? How close is Kansas City to that tipping point?

2. National Trends to Watch

Let’s zoom out. Because Kansas City doesn’t exist in a vacuum.

Nationally, active inventory has jumped more than 30% in the past year. In Denver, inventory is now 99% above the long-term average. These are levels we haven’t seen since before the pandemic.

Why is this happening? In short: affordability.

• Home prices soared

• Mortgage rates doubled

• The average monthly payment is now eating up 40%+ of household income in many cities

Buyers are pulling back. Sellers are finally listing—downsizing, relocating, or just tired of waiting.

In cities like Austin and Phoenix? Price cuts. Longer days on market. Values sliding in Denver. These trends are real—and playing out in real time.

3. Kansas City Inventory Snapshot

Let’s get local.

Back in June 2019, we had just over 8,000 homes for sale. That gave us about 2.5 months of supply.

Fast-forward to June 2025, and we have 6,800 homes on the market—but the same 2.5 months of supply.

How?

Sales volume is down.

• June 2019: ~19,000 homes sold by mid-year

• June 2025: ~15,000 homes sold

In 2023, sales dropped 14%. In 2024, they inched up just 2.3%. We’re sitting around 36,000 total sales for the year—down from 46,000 in 2021.

So yes, there are fewer listings… but also fewer buyers. And that’s why supply levels haven’t changed. It’s a rebalancing.

4. Affordability & Buyer Behavior

To be clear: not all neighborhoods are cooling.

Some areas are still seeing multiple offers and quick contracts. But zoom out? The median days on market is around 50.

That’s a shift.

We’re seeing:

• Strong demand in hot areas

• Hesitation in others

• More segmented markets

Buyers are more cautious. Affordability is stretched. And in some neighborhoods, we’re already seeing price cuts and increased negotiation room.

In 2019, Kansas City was a very affordable market. Not anymore. Rates have more than doubled since 2021. Prices are up. And when you factor in property taxes and insurance, the monthly cost of owning has jumped significantly.

Let’s break it down:

• Principal & Interest: Higher due to increased rates

• Property Taxes: Higher, especially in reassessed areas

• Insurance: Up across the board

• HOA/Maintenance: Also climbing

That monthly payment? It’s eating a bigger piece of the pie.

5. The Return of Strategy for Sellers

For a long time, sellers were “locked in” to their low-rate mortgages. That’s called the lock-in effect—why give up a 3% loan for a 7% one?

But now?

• Job changes

• Downsizing

• Aging sellers (who often aren’t affected by lock-in)

All are contributing to the new inventory. A lot of KC’s equity is held by older sellers—and they’re finally making moves.

The market is reintroducing strategy:

• Price for today, not for 2021

• Present your home well

• Understand the nuance between your street and the next

I’ve got a listing in Northeast KCMO that’s sitting—despite great photos, good price, and full marketing. Why? Because that pocket is now at 4.2 months of inventory. Contrast that with Brookside: just 0.6 months and median days on market of 10.

6. A Market of Microclimates

Kansas City’s not one market—it’s many.

Hot:

• Brookside

• Overland Park (1.3 months of inventory, 10 DOM)

Slower:

• Northeast KCMO

• Some inner-core areas with 50+ DOM

This segmentation is what a market transition looks like. Not a crash. Not a freeze. A sort.

It’s a sorting-out process where some pockets stay hot while others cool. It’s not the same everywhere.

Watch for:

• Price cuts

• Stale listings

• Fewer showings

That’s your signal that demand is softening in that micro-market.

7. What It Means for Buyers

For the first time in years, opportunity is reappearing.

Yes, some homes are still hyper-competitive. But others? They’re negotiable again.

If you’ve been waiting for:

• More selection

• Less bidding war stress

• Actual breathing room to decide…

...this might be your time.

8. Final Thoughts

We’re not crashing. We’re not overheated. We’re shifting.

What happens next depends on:

• Inventory (which is rising)

• Affordability (still stretched)

More inventory = less seller leverage
High rates = more buyer pullback

We don’t expect a free fall. KC didn’t go through the wild spikes of places like Denver or Austin. Our market is more stable, more income-aligned, and less speculative. That gives us a buffer—but not immunity.

Most likely? A slow normalization:

• Price growth cools

• Buyers get some power back

• Sellers need stronger strategies

Real estate always moves in cycles. And KC is no exception. But here? The shifts tend to be slower, more measured, and easier to navigate—if you’re paying attention.

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▶️ Next up? Watch our video on Top New Construction Neighborhoods in KC.

See you there!

Hey, I’m Kyle Talbot—Kansas City real estate agent, content creator, and team lead of Moving to KC the #1 relocation-focused real estate team in Kansas City. We help people relocating to Kansas City—as well as local buyers and sellers—navigate the KC housing market with ease.