Sunita Somvanshi
Olympic gymnastics champion Simone Biles posted a tearful TikTok recently, saying goodbye to her Houston home of six years. The 3,998-square-foot property was listed at $1.275 million and went under contract within about five to six days of listing.
Five to six days is still extraordinarily fast — but it’s not how things are going for most people trying to sell a house right now.
What The National Numbers Actually Show
The National Association of REALTORS® September 2026 report puts the national median at 33 days on the market, up from 31 days the month prior. Existing-home sales did pick up 1.5% in September, but affordability is still pushing a lot of would-be buyers out of reach. The national median existing-home price was $417,500, with $613,600 attributed to the Western region. A separate look at elevated mortgage rates nearing a three-year high helps explain why that affordability gap keeps widening.
The toughest squeeze is on first-time buyers. NAR’s annual buyer survey found their share of all home purchases had fallen to 21% — the lowest figure since the survey began in 1981. The same survey put the median age of a first-time buyer at 40. That number says a lot. It used to be that buying your first home was something people did in their late 20s or early 30s. Now, by the time many people can afford to buy, they’re well into their forties.
Biles’s property attracted a buyer much faster than the national median, though the pace and price of sales vary widely depending on location and market conditions. For most families, the reality is closer to waiting more than a month, stretching budgets, and competing against buyers who can afford to pay cash. Economist Jeff Bezos recently made a related supply-side case for affordable rent using Austin’s data, pointing at zoning and housing supply as part of the broader affordability picture.
The emotional weight of leaving a home comes through clearly in Biles’s video — she wasn’t just selling a property, she was leaving behind years of memories. That feeling is real regardless of the price tag, and it’s part of why home buying and selling carry so much more weight than a typical financial transaction.
