Jesse Wahby and her husband Logan Reardon have been renting a home in St. Clair Shores for three years, giving them enough time to finish school and save for the down payment on a house.
Now that they’re ready to buy their dream home, the search has proven disappointing.
“We’ve been looking for five months,” said Wahby, a graduate of Michigan State University and a nurse practitioner. “We got married in September and want to find a home so we can start a family.”
Many of their friends are already homeowners.
“I feel like we’re kind of behind everyone else,” Wahby said, of her and her husband who are hoping to find a home in the New Baltimore or Chesterfield Township area. “We have a Jetski so we’re looking for something close to the water and near the expressway.”
Wahby said they’ve placed bids on two homes but lost them both to other buyers.
As with many buyers who have been looking over the winter months, Wahby is hoping spring brings a new crop of homes to the market.
Latest trends
It’s true what they say about winter being hard on the housing market.
“February is typically a slower month for home sales and that was the case again this year. A mix of several days of measurable snowfall, along with a few cold snaps, prompted some buyers to hit pause on their search,” said Jeanette Schneider, president of RE/MAX of Southeastern Michigan. “Meanwhile, interest rates, tariff developments and broader economic factors continue to influence the timing decisions of both buyers and sellers to enter the market.
“As a result housing sales were down close to 12% across Macomb, Oakland and Wayne counties.”
These factors have slowed home sales everywhere but with different results.
In some areas of the country, properties are staying on the market longer and that’s helping to grow inventory levels.
“Active buyers now have more homes to choose from and a little more time for decisions going into the spring market, a benefit last year’s buyers didn’t have,” Karen Kage, CEO of Realcomp II Ltd. said, in a news release.
The housing market in Southeastern Michigan, however, is not experiencing that.
“Both Macomb and Oakland are seeing homes on the market averaging 37 days and there’s still an inventory issue,” said Schneider, following a review of RE/MAX of Southeastern Michigan’s annual housing report.
Other factors in the February report showed:
• The number of days on the market in Macomb County went from 31 days in 2024 to 37 days in February 2025, an increase of 19.4%
• Oakland County: 35 to 37, up 5.7%
• Wayne County: 36 to 41, up 13.9%
• Livingston County: 39 to 33, showing a drop of 15.4%
Livingston County was among the few areas to show an increase of 13.8% in the number of homes sold in February, going from 109 in 2024 to 124 in 2025.
Macomb County home sales were down by 10.4%, from 529 homes to 474.
Oakland County: 762 to 669, a drop of 12.2%
Wayne County: 1,132 to 970, drop of 14.3%
One trend that was consistent among all the counties in Southeastern Michigan was the median price of homes. All of the counties showed an increase with Wayne County seeing the highest increase at 15.2%, followed by Livingston at 9.9%, Macomb at 3.7% and Oakland County seeing an increase of 1.3%.
Schneider said there are currently 1,817 homes for sale in Macomb County.
Among the most popular areas for buyers are Sterling Heights, where median home prices are still around $310,000, Shelby Township at $353,500 and Clinton Township at $282,450. Among the cities still giving more bang for your buck is Warren, where homes average around $200,000.
Oakland County currently has 2,439 homes for sale.
The median prices for these areas showed:
• Rochester Hills at $438,000
• Pontiac $126,500
• Madison Heights $225,000
• Royal Oak $365,000
• Southfield $245,000.
These are the average prices for most existing homes.
Future trends
As for the average price on new home construction?
What might have been $400,000 in February and March could see a significant increase by spring and summer due to the tariffs.
“We get our drywall from Mexico, our lumber from Canada and our appliances from China,” Schneider said, of three countries that have been targeted by President Donald Trump’s tariff initiatives. “I’m already hearing that builders are adding language in the contracts that says prices may change.”
So, that would be one warning for home buyers.
Other tips would include:
• Reading the contract and be sure you are aware of the totals or changing prices.
• The National Association of Realtors also recommends working with a trusted real estate professional.
• Make a good offer because with a low-inventory market, yours is unlikely to be the only one on the table. Talk to your agent to be sure your offer is appealing to the seller.
• If you’re buying an existing home, factor in maintenance and repair costs for the first year. The NAR said lenders and insurance companies generally suggest setting aside 1% to 4% of a home’s value for annual maintenance costs. This will prevent your new home from deteriorating.
• Narrow down your search area so you can revisit listings that might include a cost reduction.
• Develop a wish list (see example the National Association of Realtors) and prioritize items that are most important, such as school districts and neighborhoods.
• Read the contract and be sure you are aware of the totals or changing prices.
Schneider also advises home buyers to be patient.
Patience and persistence are key to finding your dream home.
“I know it gets hard. It can be challenging and it wears on a person but, really, patience and persistence in the end will pay off,” said Schneider, who moved into a new home and knows exactly what buyers are going through.
Schneider said they put an offer in on a home they wanted and while they never heard back from the seller they never gave up. “We kept watching and they did a price reduction before Christmas when no one was watching, and we jumped on it,” she said, of her dream home on the water.
Schneider said they are seeing homes available in all price points.
However, sellers really need to price their homes appropriately.
“Nowadays, buyers are a lot more savvy,” Schneider said, noting what might have slipped by years ago no longer flies.
“We found a home in Chesterfield Township that we really liked,” Wahby said. “It was a beautiful house but they didn’t winterize the pool. It looked like a swamp.”
So, they crossed it off their list.
‘It’s discouraging,” Wahby said, but they remain hopeful that spring ushers in a new crop of houses.