Spring is often the busiest season for real estate, but recent market shifts and a decided buyer's market mean that sellers must price their homes accurately and focus on making their homes completely market-ready and appealing to buyers. The 2025 spring housing market in San Bernardino County, so far, is showing some notable trends. As expected for this time of year, inventory is rising steadily while buyer demand since January 2025 has slowly increased to its peak level before a steady decline during the spring. The season typically brings an increase in both new listings and market activity, but this year’s dynamics are shaped by mortgage rate levels and concerns about affordability. Homes continue to enter the market at a growing pace despite the ease in demand. This imbalance is impacting Expected Market Time and seller competition. A closer look at inventory levels, demand, and market speed offers a clear picture of current housing conditions in the region.

Steadily Rising Housing Inventory 

The number of homes for sale in San Bernardino County has increased significantly this year, and more are expected as the season progresses. While housing inventory is growing this year, the number of new sellers is still fewer than pre-COVID levels. Some homeowners are opting to delay selling their homes as they are comfortably locked into their current low fixed-rate mortgages. Still, the data reflects higher listing activity than in the past few years since COVID. 

• Inventory grew by 3% in the past two weeks, up 174 homes to 5,312. This is the highest total inventory since November 2024.

• The inventory has grown by 16% so far in 2025, the largest rise on record.

• This compares to a 4% increase during the same period in 2024 and a 10% rise over the 3-year pre-COVID average.

• Despite higher inventory, the number of new sellers remains below pre-COVID levels, though more are entering the market compared to the previous two years.

What Changes Affect Housing Demand?

Buyer demand, measured by new pending sales over the prior 30 days, has been soft relative to pre-pandemic norms. Decreases in demand since COVID have been tied to increases in home prices and mortgage rates, which hovered around 7 to 7.5% in 2024. In 2025, mortgage rates have been around 6.75%, which is lower than last year but still elevated compared to pre-pandemic rates. This has recently translated to a slightly higher number of pending and closed sales. If rates remain elevated, demand may have already peaked. However, if mortgage rates drop below 6.5% continuously, housing market demand could accelerate. This could happen if the U.S. economy continues to slow down.

Mortgage rates are affected by how specific economic releases compare to market expectations. For example, the recent release of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the Producer Price Index (PPI) provide two crucial indicators of inflation. Monitoring these releases and their effects is pivotal to predicting the movement of mortgage rates. Any sign of economic slowing will translate to lower rates. The following stats offer a snapshot of the current housing market demand in San Bernardino County:

• Demand decreased by 2% in the past two weeks, falling from 1,563 to 1,525 pending sales.

• Last year at this time, demand was slightly lower at 1,495.

• The 3-year average before COVID was 2,345 pending sales—54% more than current levels.

   

Expected Market Time and Buyer's Market in 2025

Market time, which reflects how long it would take to sell all San Bernardino County listings at the current pace of demand, has been increasing. Typically, after dropping to its lowest (or fastest) level at the start of spring, the Expected Market Time slows slightly through the rest of the season. With inventory steadily rising and demand falling somewhat, the Expected Market Time rose from 99 to 105 days in the last two weeks. In 2024, it climbed from 65 to 88 days during the spring period, substantially faster than today. Meanwhile, the 3-year average market time before COVID was 61 days, which is also faster than today. This imbalance between supply and demand has resulted in more properties sitting on the market longer and necessary price adjustments becoming more common.

A total of 63% of active listings have been on the market for at least a month and 41% for two months or longer. If current trends continue, whereby inventory grows by 28%, and demand falls by 5% as they did last spring, the Expected Market Time could reach 133 days by the end of the 2025 spring season, the slowest pace on record. Therefore, spring 2025 presents, decidedly, a buyer's market. Buyers currently have more inventory to choose from and less competition than in previous spring markets. Homes are sitting on the market longer, and many sellers are reducing prices, providing opportunities for negotiations. 

While a few homes may see multiple offers and sell easily, that will not be the case for the San Bernardino County housing market on the whole. How easily sellers can close on their listings depends on the location, the price range, how appropriate and accurate the price is, the home's condition, and specific amenities. More typically, many homes have been sitting on the market for a long time without success. Many sellers have been overzealous, pricing their homes much too high. Consequently, 36% of all active listings throughout San Bernardino County have reduced their asking price at least once. This is uncharacteristically high for a housing market that just transitioned into spring. 

Luxury Market is Slow, Prices Need Adjustment

The luxury housing segment in San Bernardino County has seen a slowdown in both buyer activity and sales pace. Inventory for homes priced above $800,000 rose by 6%, from 898 to 952. Meanwhile, demand for luxury housing fell by 11%, down 23 pending sales to 191. As a result, the Expected Market Time for homes over $800,000 increased from 126 to 150 days. Homes in higher price brackets are also seeing extended timelines. In the past two weeks, the Expected Market Time for homes priced between $800,000 and $1 million increased from 111 to 127 days. For homes priced between $1 million and $1.5 million, the Expected Market time increased from 104 to 131 days. Finally, for homes priced above $1.5 million, Expected Market Time increased from 289 to 353 days. At an Expected Market time of 353 days, a seller pricing their luxury home above $1.5 million would not expect to place their home into escrow until March of next year!

What Sellers Can Do To Be Successful in 2025

While, potentially, spring is the busiest time of the year for demand, providing the most buyer activity in relative terms, it also sees more sellers enter the market. As a result, the market begins to slow throughout the season. When that happens, would-be sellers suddenly lose their window of opportunity. Homeowners who wait too long and sellers who languish on the market because of improper pricing will face more seller competition and even longer Expected Market Times as the season progresses. Frankly, selling a house is NOT as instant as it was in the past several years.

Spring 2025 is a buyer's market. Thus, in a buyer's market, accurate pricing and flawless presentation are more critical than ever. Sellers need to be realistic about pricing strategies based on comparable properties and local demand. Homes that are overpriced or not well-prepared for showings will undoubtedly sit on the market much, much longer, and often require price reductions anyway. Sellers should take the following actions now: 

• Ensure the home is clean, well-maintained, and visually appealing inside and out.

• Make all necessary improvements and repairs to make the house market-ready.

• Set a competitive and market-supported listing price from the start, determining what your home is really worth using its most recent valuation.

• Work with an experienced real estate professional to create a strong marketing plan. The Best Realtor in the Inland Empire 2025 is a good start! 

• Be open to buyer feedback and responsive to market conditions.

These steps can improve the chances of attracting serious buyers and achieving a successful sale despite the market’s slower pace in 2025.