Lower Merion homebuyers could see more choices as Montgomery County posts one of the nation's sharpest jumps in new listings.

New home listings in the county rose 9.7% year over year during the four weeks ending Aug. 2, placing Montgomery County third among the 50 most populous U.S. metros, according to a Redfin report published Aug. 6. Only St. Louis (13%) and San Jose, California (11.7%) posted larger gains. Boston (9.4%) and Chicago (8.1%) rounded out the top five.

The local surge stands out against a cooling national picture. Pending home sales fell 3.7% week over week nationally during the same period, the steepest weekly drop since 2022. Year over year, pending sales slipped 1.9%, hitting their lowest level in more than five months.

Mortgage rates are part of the drag. The average 30-year fixed rate reached 6.66% for the week ending July 30, its highest point in nearly a year, according to Freddie Mac data cited in the Redfin report.

"Some homeowners have been waiting for mortgage rates to fall and demand to surge — but now they realize that's unlikely to happen anytime soon, so they're taking the plunge now," Jamie Derouen, a Redfin Premier agent in the Houston area, said in the company's Aug. 20 market update.

Montgomery County also showed strength in pending sales. A separate Redfin report covering the four weeks ending Aug. 16 ranked the county fourth nationally for pending sales growth, up 3.6% year over year. Redfin economists said the uptick in listings, combined with slow demand, could benefit buyers because some sellers are willing to accept lower prices or offer concessions.

The supply increase builds on a trend visible earlier in the year. New listings across Montgomery, Bucks and Chester counties rose 6.1% year over year in May, reaching 2,155, while active listings climbed 12.6% to 5,753, according to MONTCO.Today citing Redfin data. About 43.6% of homes in the tri-county area sold above list price that month, far exceeding the national rate of 25.8%.

Prices remain elevated.

The tri-county median sale price hit $517,405 in May, up 1.6% from a year earlier. Within Montgomery County, the median ran around $430,000 in early 2026. In Lower Merion, sales as of Aug. 28 showed a median price of $734,950, with the highest sale at $3.05 million, according to Zillow data Patch reported.

Nationally, the median U.S. home-sale price was $406,362 during the four weeks ending Aug. 2, up 2.9% from a year earlier. New listings across the country rose just 0.2% year over year, reaching 354,313.

More inventory and slower demand could shift leverage toward buyers in a market where Lower Merion homes still command nearly double the national median.