Real Estate

The 5 cities where home prices are dropping fast as the housing freeze causes inventory to pile up

housing market neighborhood
Richard Newstead/Getty Images
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The housing market is still frozen over.

While that hasn't translated into meaningful price declines nationally, there are a handful of areas where things look better for home buyers.

Redfin said the median sales price for a home dropped in 14 of the 50 most populous US metro areas in the last month. That's largely due to the uncertainty hanging over the US economy, which is causing inventory to pile up in the market, Redfin said in its report.

"Sellers need to start coming to terms with two things: One, homes are more often going to sit on the market for longer than a week or two before they sell, and two, buyers are gaining the upper hand," James Gulden, a Redfin agent based in Boston, said in a statement.

The median home prices notched an all-time high in June, touching $435,300, but some areas cooled in July.

Here are the top five cities that saw the steepest drop in median home sales prices in the four weeks leading up to July 27, according to Redfin.

1. Oakland, California

The sun rising and reflecting on buildings in downtown Oakland, California.
Oakland, California.  Thomas Winz/Getty Images

Median sale price: $850,000 (June 2025)

YoY% drop in four-week period: -6.8%

2. West Palm Beach, Florida

West Palm Beach, Florida.
Nearby West Palm Beach, Florida.  Walter Bibikow/Getty Images

Median sale price: $425,000 (June 2025)

YoY% drop in four-week period: -4.9%

3. Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida  joe daniel price/Getty Images

Median sale price: $300,990 (June 2025)

YoY% drop in four-week period: -3.1%

4. Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas  Jonathan Ross/Getty Images

Median sale price: $556,340 (June 2025)

YoY% drop in four-week period: -2.9%

5. Houston, Texas

Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas  Nantiya Rattanatum/Getty Images

Median sale price: $369,000 (June 2025)

YoY% drop in four-week period: -2.8%

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Jennifer Sor
Jennifer Sor is a senior reporter at Business Insider. She covers financial markets and the economy, with a focus on retail investing, job trends, and the pursuit of wealth. She regularly speaks to famed forecasters and top investors in markets, and her work has been referenced in outlets such as CNN, Forbes, and Bloomberg Opinion's "Money Stuff."  She also regularly appears on television and radio to speak about markets and the US economy.Prior to her time at Business Insider, Jennifer covered tech and business news at the San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Business Journal. She graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara with a bachelor's degree in economics and English.Have an interesting story to share? Please reach out to her at jsor@jkmperu.com or @jennreports.81 on the encrypted messaging app Signal.