Get tomorrow's brief in your inbox
April 13, 2026
Today: National housing markets are negotiating a 9% gap between asking and accepted prices, REITs are outperforming the S&P despite rate volatility, and reverse mortgage products are gaining traction as large independent mortgage banks expand into retirement lending strategies.
National median list prices hit $440,000, but pricing and buyer behavior are diverging. One-third of listings are cutting prices while buyers accept offers below asking, creating a 9% gap between seller expectations and market reality. Well-priced homes sell in 63 days, overpriced homes sit for 121 days (a 58-day spread that defines today's two-speed market). HousingWire
What this means for Richland County: If your Columbia listings are sitting past 70 days, you are overpriced for the current market. Price reductions are not a sign of weakness, they are the standard path to closing. Adjust pricing strategy now and frame it as market alignment, not desperation. With inventory growth slowing nationally but demand staying soft, well-priced Midlands homes will move while overpriced listings become stale.
Withdrawals now account for 22% of weekly activity nationally, signaling deals are failing to close at initial expectations. This friction is what forces pricing adjustments. HousingWire
Action item: Review your active listings. If DOM (Days on Market) exceeds 70, schedule a price adjustment conversation this week. Markets do not turn when prices fall, they turn when pricing and buyer behavior fall out of sync. We are in that moment now.
REITs are outperforming both the Dow Jones and S&P 500 in 2026 despite rate volatility and Middle East conflict. The FTSE Nareit All Equity REITs Index posted 3.8% returns in Q1 while the S&P 500 declined 4.6%. Office REITs like SL Green and Vornado have declined 19% year-to-date, but multifamily REITs (Equity Residential, AvalonBay) show only modest 2-6% declines. Commercial Observer
What this means for Columbia investors: Multifamily remains the defensive play. If you have clients considering commercial acquisitions, steer them toward apartment buildings in stable Midlands submarkets (Harbison, Forest Acres, Lake Murray areas). Office conversions to residential are happening nationally (1 Whitehall Street in NYC going to apartments for $100 million), but Columbia's office stock is less suited for conversion. Focus on income-producing multifamily with stable occupancy.
Retail is staging a comeback. Ares Management put $1.7 billion into Whitestone REIT's shopping centers, signaling institutional confidence in neighborhood retail. Simon Property Group (96.4% occupancy) continues proving retail is not dead. Commercial Observer
Action item: If you represent retail landlords in Columbia's strip centers (Harbison Boulevard, Two Notch Road corridors), this is validation. Well-located, well-maintained neighborhood retail with grocery anchors or service tenants is institutional-grade. Update your marketing materials to reflect this national shift.
Industrial investment continues. Prologis is partnering with Canadian institutional capital for $1.17 billion in industrial acquisitions. Commercial Observer
Columbia angle: Our proximity to I-77, I-26, and I-20 makes the Midlands a distribution hub candidate. Industrial land near Blythewood, Cayce, and the Lexington County side of I-20 is positioned for institutional interest if you can assemble parcels with rail or highway access.
Reverse mortgages are expanding beyond HECMs (Home Equity Conversion Mortgages) into proprietary products and second-mortgage strategies. Large independent mortgage banks like Guild Mortgage now have thriving reverse departments, underwriting and funding their own reverse products. Second-mortgage reverse strategies (HELOC or HELOAN with no payment, age-based) are gaining traction. HousingWire
What this means for Columbia agents: If you work with clients 62+ who are equity-rich but cash-flow constrained, reverse products are no longer niche. Bayview Asset Management's acquisition of Guild Mortgage brought more capital and product development to the reverse space. This is a legitimate retirement planning tool, not a last-resort option. Partner with a reverse-qualified lender and present it as an option alongside traditional cash-out refinances.
Action item: Add a reverse mortgage specialist to your referral network. For clients aging in place in paid-off homes (common in Shandon, Forest Acres, Irmo), this is a cash flow solution without monthly payments. Frame it as portfolio diversification for retirees, not desperation financing.
Agent plateau diagnosis. NAR data shows agents with 6-15 years of experience close a median of 11 transactions per year. Agents with 16+ years close 10. After years in the business, most agents are maintaining, not scaling. HousingWire
Columbia context: If your production has flatlined, the issue is not effort, it is systematization. Most plateaus fall into four categories: lead generation (pipeline unpredictability), conversion (leads go quiet after first contact), positioning (competing on effort instead of authority), or skill gaps (hesitation in pricing/negotiation). Diagnose which plateau you are in and build a 90-day skill plan. The article breaks down diagnostic frameworks and weekly operating systems to move past maintenance mode.
Action item: Run your own numbers. If you closed the same number of transactions last year as you did three years ago, you are stuck. Pick one skill to refine this quarter (pricing presentations, follow-up cadence, neighborhood specialization) and track improvement outside of live deals.
Market Outlook: National data shows a negotiating market, not a collapsing one. Columbia agents should adjust pricing expectations immediately, expand into reverse mortgage referrals for the 62+ demographic, and treat multifamily/neighborhood retail as the defensive commercial play. If your production has plateaued, systematize lead generation and refine one skill this quarter.
About This Brief: Daily real estate intelligence for the Columbia, South Carolina market. Covers Richland County, Lexington County, USC student housing, and Fort Jackson military housing. Not investment advice.