By Jonathan Bodeen · 5 January 2026
But What Winds Will the New Year Bring?
In our own business, we have felt a pickup in the last month or so. We are getting more phone calls from old clients and referrals as well (Thank you to all of you who refer us your friends and family! It’s the life blood of our business!).
Our sample size is too small to be anything but anecdotal, so let me show you some real data.
You may have noticed the Cromford Index creeping up in recent months, but still in a placid place. Now this represents the WHOLE valley. See this chart below to break this down by city. Most cities are actually now BACK in sellers’ markets (indicated by a reading above 110). My dad posted a similar chart last week, but we love good news.
I have predicted in the past, that if interest rates can get below 6.5, and even better, close to 6%, and STAY that way for more than a blink of an eye, we would see improvement. Well that is exactly what has been happening.
The holidays are finished however. Now the seasonal upsurge of new listings and new buyers hitting the market will occur. The question is, which will surge faster, buyers, or the houses they want to buy? If the surge of homes outpaces the surge of buyers, we will drop back into malaise.
My personal prediction is that this year will be a marked increase of buyers entering the market. Nothing like we had in 2020 and 2021, but a good step up from where we’ve been from 2022 through 2025. If interest rates pop back up towards 7%, that would dampen my expectations severely.
Within the next weeks and months, we will see how it shapes up. Stay tuned!
Market data referenced in this article comes from The Cromford Report.