OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Omaha housing market shows mixed signals in 2026 with dropping interest rates increasing demand but inventory remaining tight for buyers.
- We spoke to Emily Lybarger, a real estate agent with Better Homes & Gardens, to get insight on how the Omaha market is looking in 2026.
- "Interest rates are dropping and I know they're probably not as low as most people want them to be right now but once interest rates drop significantly, then the demand is up and then there's a lot more competition," Lybarger said.
- Creighton economist Dr. Ernie Goss shares the factors contributing to unaffordability.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Finding the perfect house doesn't always happen when the market says it's the "right time." But as 2026 gets underway, knowing how the market looks could help with your decision.
I talked to an Omaha family that says the right home was worth moving for, even with higher rates.
"So we were just window shopping. We were just casually looking for houses and the perfect opportunity showed up," Nicole Claeys said.
Claeys and her family bought their forever home in early November. She says at the time, interest rates were pushing 7% — rates she admits weren't ideal, but the house checked every box.
"It was the right house in the right district, right friends, half a mile, so we knew we had to jump on this opportunity or this house would be gone," Claeys said.
While the Claeys bought their home in 2025, some experts say 2026 is shaping up to offer more options for buyers.
I spoke with Emily Lybarger, a real estate agent with Better Homes & Gardens. She tells me while that may be true, inventory for buyers is still tight here in the Omaha area.
"Since the interest rates are dropping right now we're having a lot more demand with first-time homebuyers, which is really good, but what that is doing is bringing a little bit more competition back to the market simply because we're low on inventory," Lybarger said.
According to Realtor.com's 2026 housing forecast, U.S. home prices, sales and inventory are all expected to rise this year.
But here in Omaha, Creighton economist Dr. Ernie Goss says he thinks housing prices will decline, and says there won't be as many buyers actively in the market.
"A lot of that's just the houses are just right now unaffordable for a large proportion of the population," Goss said.
Goss cites other costs associated with homeownership that make buying hard, like high property taxes, maintenance and insurance costs.
But if you are looking to buy or sell this year, here's some advice:
"Interest rates are dropping and I know they're probably not as low as most people want them to be right now but once interest rates drop significantly, then the demand is up and then there's a lot more competition," Lybarger said.
For Nicole and her family, the forecast didn't matter as much as finding the perfect fit.
"It's never gonna be perfect circumstances to buy or sell ever. You'll, you'll always have obstacles you have to overcome, but having the right realtor in your corner makes it a lot better," Claeys said.
