Yong's Monthly Read

May 2026

Phoenix metro · Full stat suite · Yong's read

At a glance

The month, in six numbers.

Median PPSF

$256

-0.7%YoY

Median DOM

72days

+1.4%MoM+1.4%YoY

Closings

7,944

-2.6%MoM+3.8%YoY

Closed volume

$4775.5M

+5.3%YoY

New listings

9,380

Phoenix metro · monthly total

Months of supply

4.4mo

Trailing 12 · balanced

The read

May 2026, in Yong's words.

Phoenix metro closed 7,944 residential transactions in May 2026, with aggregate dollar volume of $4775.53M. Volume rose +3.8% year-over-year. Median price-per-square-foot landed at $256.

Median days on market sat at 72 days, 1.4% longer than a year ago. Across the trailing twelve months the median price-per-sqft trend held its shape, with no meaningful directional move in the line.

Recent absorption pace puts months-of-supply at 4.4 months on the trailing-3-month gauge, with the long-run trailing-12 gauge at 4.4. By that ratio the metro classifies as a balanced market, the gauge below telegraphs where the metro sits on the buyer-to-seller spectrum.

Inside the latest closed cohort, negotiation pressure tilted modestly toward buyers: 13.5% of closings printed above list, 60.3% below. Sellers showed real concession discipline; 54% of closed listings cut their list price before going pending.

Portrait of Yong Choi

Written by

Yong Choi

Global Real Estate Advisor

Luxury bands · price per sqft, days on market, closings

The price arc, band by band.

Active snapshot · 2026-09-19

Estancia, an entry-to-luxury enclave in north Scottsdale

Price band

$800K – $2M

Active
3454
Median PPSF
$390
Median DOM
52days

Twelve-month signal

Last 12 months

3454 active listings; median days on market 52 days. The bridge tier: luxury-adjacent entry, broadest active pool.

Paradise Valley, the quintessential mid-luxury Phoenix market

Price band

$2M – $5M

Active
963
Median PPSF
$677
Median DOM
78days

Twelve-month signal

Last 12 months

963 active listings; median days on market 78 days. The most actively transacting luxury band.

Desert Mountain, a premier guard-gated community at the upper luxury tier

Price band

$5M – $10M

Active
242
Median PPSF
$1,055
Median DOM
69days

Twelve-month signal

Last 12 months

242 active listings; median days on market 69 days. Selective inventory; representation-driven, longer time horizons.

Silverleaf at DC Ranch, the top of the Phoenix luxury market

Price band

$10M+

Active
92
Median PPSF
$1,590
Median DOM
113days

Twelve-month signal

Last 12 months

92 active listings; median days on market 113 days. Ultra-luxury; off-market share is meaningful, so the published count understates true activity.

Active ÷ trailing closings · Phoenix metro

Months of supply.

Balanced market

Phoenix metro · 3-month gaugeBuyer-leaningBalancedSeller-leaning
Strong buyers
Buyers
Balanced
Sellers
Strong sellers
4.44 mo

3-month gauge

4.44mo

Most current. Closings T3M

12-month gauge

4.40mo

Long-run. Closings T12M

Active inventory

22,957

IDX-displayable across the metro

Supply and absorption are matched. Neither side carries structural leverage; negotiation reduces to listing-specific dynamics.

From supply to the deal

What sellers gave.
What buyers paid.

Negotiation pulse

What the gap looked like.

Monthly snapshot · August 2026

Median gap to list

1.3% below

+0.2%+0.2pp YoY

Closed sale ÷ list

Closed over asking

13.5%

Share of closings

Closed below asking

60.3%

Share of closings

Buyers are negotiating a modest gap off list. Selective seller leverage holds.

Sellers blinking

Reductions inside the close pool.

Monthly snapshot · August 2026 · n = 5,882 closings

Closings with a reduction

53.8%

-2.2%-2.2pp YoY

At least one cut from list

Typical reduction depth

5.0%

Median net change from original list

Heavy capitulation. Nearly half of closings carried a recorded reduction; buyer-leaning negotiation climate.

How we read the market

Three inputs.

  1. 01

    Recorded market transactions

    ARMLS listing and sale records · refresh cadence varies by dataset

    The full set of recorded listing-and-sale transactions across the Valley. Source-of-record for headline volume + closed-price stats.

  2. 02

    Public deed filings

    County recorder · weekly cross-reference

    Captures recorded transactions that weren’t publicly listed, including off-market trades, intra-family transfers, and entity-to-entity sales.

  3. 03

    Private RLSIR registry

    Off-market trades facilitated by the network

    Yong’s and the Russ Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty network’s direct knowledge of pocket trades, club-membership-driven transfers, and pre-listing introductions.

Weekly cadence reports the supply pulse (new-listing cadence + rolling averages) at metro granularity. Monthly cadence reports the full stat suite: median price-per-sqft, median days-on-market, transaction volume, and inventory tier breakdown. Adjustments are noted inline where applicable.