- Most homeowners would move if they could–but they feel stuck. Three-quarters of U.S. homeowners would choose to live somewhere else if they could move now without financial or logistical barriers, according to a recent survey conducted by Rocket Mortgage.
- Understanding their home’s value clears a major hurdle for many prospective sellers. Two-thirds of homeowners who plan to move at some point in the future would be more motivated to list if they had a clearer sense of what their house would actually sell for.
- Prospective sellers worry about penalties for pricing incorrectly. 4 in 5 homeowners would worry about their home sitting on the market without selling, and 45% worry they may need to lower the price.
- Redfin Early Access can help. It gives sellers the flexibility to test pricing strategies with “coming soon” and “private exclusive” listings before formally putting their homes on the market.
More than three-quarters (76%) of prospective home sellers nationwide say they would choose to live somewhere else if they could move today without financial or logistical barriers. More than half (54%) believe moving would improve their quality of life.
But many would-be sellers feel they can’t act on that desire: 58% say moving feels riskier than staying put, 49% feel financially locked into their current home and 42% say moving would hurt them financially.
Prospective home sellers show strong interest in listing strategies, like Redfin Early Access, that allow them to test the waters before fully committing.
More than four in five (83%) of prospective sellers say they are interested in a ‘coming soon’ approach to listing their home, and 84% say greater certainty their home would sell would make them more likely to list.
This is according to an online quantitative survey conducted by Redfin in April 2026, fielded to 1,000 U.S. homeowners. The sample included homeowners who plan to sell their home at some point in the future and do not currently have their home listed or under contract/in transaction. When we say “prospective sellers” or “would-be sellers” in this report, we are referring to homeowners who plan to sell at some point in the future; the results exclude homeowners who said they do not plan to sell at all. The results are demographically representative of this target audience.
Homeowners Want to Move, But Feel Stuck
Uncertainty and challenging housing-market conditions are the primary factors keeping homeowners who would like to move from listing their homes for sale.
Most would-be sellers say price certainty would give them a jump-start:
- 82% say improved market conditions would make them more likely to list
- 66% say a clearer sense of what their home would actually sell for would motivate them
Among these would-be sellers, concerns about “getting it wrong” are widespread. Four in five (80%) of them would worry if their home sat on the market without selling. Nearly half (45%) would worry they may need to lower their asking price.
That’s where Redfin Early Access comes in. Redfin and our exclusive national partner, Compass International Holdings, are offering home sellers the flexibility to test out pricing strategies and generate early demand with “coming soon” listings on Redfin.com before launching a listing to all sites. Redfin Early Access gives sellers the opportunity to gauge interest and test a price without the listing accumulating days on market or recording a price drop. And it gives homebuyers on Redfin a chance to find out about listings before they hit other sites.
Nearly nine in 10 (88%) homeowners planning to sell in the next three years say they’re interested in collecting feedback on price and interest from prospective buyers before publicly listing.
And among homeowners planning to sell at any point in the future:
- 84% say a more private, less exposed first step is appealing
- 56% say the ability to test pricing is a benefit of a ‘coming soon’ approach
“For real estate agents, the barriers to selling create both a challenge and an opportunity,” said Jason Aleem, Redfin’s chief of real estate services. “There are homeowners out there who want to sell, but they need a low-risk way to gauge the housing market before committing. And the appeal isn’t just practical—it’s emotional. Sellers are looking for more control, less stress, and fewer irreversible decisions upfront. Testing the waters with Redfin Early Access can help homeowners feel more confident, and ultimately help them feel at peace with their home-selling journey. It can also surface more inventory and expand buyer choice by appealing to sellers who may not otherwise list.”
Beyond pricing clarity, would-be sellers also value simplicity and saving time:
- 76% say easier preparation for showings would make them more likely to list
- 73% want a simpler listing process
- 73% want more predictable timing
- 65% want fewer in-person showings
Nearly half of prospective sellers (48%) say publicly listing and not getting the response they hoped for feels just as risky as waiting too long and missing a good time to sell. Pricing confidence is also shakier than it appears. While 85% of these prospective sellers say they’re confident in what their home is worth, only 18% believe they know their home’s value within 5% of the true value.
Off-Market Discovery Is Already Common
A significant share of buyers are already finding homes outside the traditional public listing path. Nearly half (47%) of homeowners say they found their current home through a non-public or less-public route. Nearly one-quarter (24%) found their home through a personal connection, 16% saw their current home before it was publicly listed, and 7% found their home via coming-soon or pre-market listings.
Roughly two in five (41%) found their current home through a public home search site or app.
House Hunters Prefer More Inventory Over More Info About Each Listing
Expanding access to pre-market inventory doesn’t just help sellers—it aligns with buyer demand as well.
More than half (53%) of homeowners who are also prospective buyers say they would prefer more inventory—even if it includes home listings with limited details, like no photos and no information on days on market or price drops.
More flexibility for sellers leads to more inventory. A recent Redfin analysis found that it has potential to expand inventory by up to 12%, upping the number of homes house hunters have to choose from.
Some Would-Be Sellers Worry Pre-Marketing Could Slow Sale, Lessen Chance of Bidding Wars
While 30% of homeowners say they have no concerns at all with a coming-soon approach, some homeowners have reservations:
- 27% of prospective sellers worry fewer buyers will see their home
- 24% worry it could lead to a slower sale
- 22% worry about fewer multiple-offer situations
- 17% worry about less transparency
Only 17% say they wouldn’t be interested in this type of approach.
For homeowners considering selling their home, it’s important to understand how using Redfin Early Access can help determine an accurate listing price and perhaps help sell homes faster. A recent Redfin analysis found that allowing sellers to test pricing could reduce the risk of sellers losing money from a price cut, and it could lower the risk of homes lingering on the market.
Methodology
This is according to an online quantitative survey conducted by Rocket Mortgage in April 2026, fielded to 1,000 U.S. homeowners. The sample included homeowners who plan to sell their home at some point in the future and do not currently have their home listed or under contract/in transaction. When we say “prospective sellers” or “would-be sellers” in this report, we are referring to homeowners who plan to sell at some point in the future; the results exclude homeowners who said they do not plan to sell at all. The results are demographically representative of this target audience.
Differences highlighted in this report were tested for statistical significance at the 95% confidence level, using Chi-square tests for categorical comparisons and Welch’s t-tests for comparisons of means.
