Columbus Inventory Rose in 2025, but Prices Kept Climbing

Central Ohio inventory grew sharply at the end of 2025, giving buyers more listings to consider, but the evidence does not show that the region became a buyer’s market. Prices continued rising into 2026 even as listings increased and homes took longer to sell.

What changed at the end of 2025?

The December report from Columbus REALTORS counted 4,440 active listings across its regional multiple-listing service, a 14.2% increase from December 2024. That was a meaningful expansion in selection, but it came during the market’s normal winter slowdown.

Inventory fell 19.2% from November’s 5,497 listings, compared with a 15.4% November-to-December decline one year earlier. That seasonal drop matters because a year-over-year gain and a month-over-month decline can both be true. Neither comparison, by itself, establishes a lasting shift in bargaining power.

The same report recorded 2,291 closed sales and a regional median sale price of $322,000 in December. Sales volume was 5.6% higher than a year earlier, while the median price did not signal a broad correction.

More listings did not mean falling prices

The pattern continued into spring. An April 2026 market summary reported by Axios Columbus said regional inventory was up 13.4% year over year and new listings were up 7.8%, while closed sales were down nearly 14% and days on market were up 21.9%. Prices nevertheless continued to rise in most Central Ohio counties.

Those measures describe a market that was becoming less frantic, not necessarily inexpensive. More listings and longer marketing times can increase a buyer’s ability to compare properties or negotiate individual terms, but they do not guarantee lower prices across the region.

Why the measurements need context

Housing data sources do not all cover the same geography or property set. Columbus REALTORS reports activity from its regional MLS. The Federal Reserve’s Columbus inventory series, sourced from Realtor.com, covers the Columbus metropolitan statistical area and defines active inventory as single-family homes, condominiums and townhomes listed for sale, excluding pending listings.

That FRED series also warns that Realtor.com changed its inventory methodology in 2021, so older downloads may not be directly comparable with newer releases. A claim that inventory was highest since 2019 therefore needs a consistent series and methodology check; CREN could not verify that superlative from the December MLS release alone.

What buyers and sellers can actually conclude

The supported conclusion is narrower than the original headline. Central Ohio entered 2026 with more available homes than a year earlier, slower transaction timing and continued price growth. That combination can reduce some of the pressure surrounding an individual offer without creating a region-wide buyer’s market.

The next useful checkpoints are monthly inventory, closed-sale prices, days on market and the share of listings with price reductions, all measured from the same source over several months. A sustained rise in supply paired with flat or falling prices would provide stronger evidence of a structural change than one winter report.