Prices, inventory, and demand — distilled every month into one clear verdict: buyer’s market or seller’s. The investor’s read, before you make an offer.
The median asking price in Cincinnati is about $291,000 as of Sep 2026, down 8.5% from a year ago. The typical listing is 5% smaller than a year ago, and asking price per square foot is flat. So the size of homes on the market explains much of the drop. That is the asking price on listed homes, so sold-price and home-value sites show different numbers (why).
Only on the right house. Neither side has the upper hand in Cincinnati right now. The signals split. Compared with 2017–2019 at this time of year, there are 24% fewer homes for sale, but 24% of sellers have cut their price, against 17% then. The market will not hand you a discount. You have to find it in one specific listing.
Cincinnati has 24% fewer homes for sale than in 2017–2019 at this time of year, and the typical listing has been on the market 46 days, shorter than 74% of the 765 cities we track. For every 100 homes still for sale, 57 are under contract. Well-priced homes will draw more than one offer. Your discount is in the listing that has sat, so set a price alert and move when a stale one gets cut.
Across 9 full years, Cincinnati asking prices ran lowest in January, about 11.8% below the year's average. They peaked in May. The most homes for sale show up in October, about 19% above the yearly average. Shop in October for choice, and expect the softest asking prices in January.
For every 100 homes still for sale, 57 are under contract. In 2017–2019 at this time of year it was 68. The rest are still waiting for a buyer. About 1 in 4 sellers has already dropped their price. Each one has learned their first price was too high. Start your offer below their new price.
The typical Cincinnati listing has been on the market 46 days. That is 6% longer than a year ago. There are 1,637 homes for sale in Cincinnati. That is 3.2 times the tightest month on record, but below the peak of 2,852. Supply is growing against last year.
The median asking price is 38.2% below its May 2023 peak. Per square foot the gap is smaller: 8.1% below the Jun 2024 high. Part of the drop is smaller homes coming to market. Prices stopped falling about a year ago. They are flat now. Waiting will not get you a cheaper house. It might still get you a more motivated seller. Cincinnati prices have risen in 83 of the last 111 months. Drops here have been short and shallow. Buying in a slow month has rarely hurt a long hold.
This market is turning. Which way is not settled yet. Check the monthly numbers above before you commit.
Ranked among the 21 Ohio markets we track:
Read how the pending ratio measures demand and how we read these numbers, then run the numbers on a deal.
The median asking price in Cincinnati is about $291,000 as of Sep 2026, down 8.5% from a year ago. The typical listing is 5% smaller than a year ago, and asking price per square foot is flat. So the size of homes on the market explains much of the drop. This is the asking price on homes listed for sale. Sites that report sold prices or estimated home values will show a different number. Our Cincinnati figures cover 50 of the 58 ZIP codes with a Cincinnati mailing address, so citywide counts such as homes for sale run low.
Neither side has the upper hand in Cincinnati right now. We compare Cincinnati with 2017–2019 at this time of year: 24% of sellers have cut their price, against 17% then; there are 24% fewer homes for sale; there are 57 pending sales per 100 listings, against 68 then.
The median asking price is 38.2% below its May 2023 peak. Per square foot the gap is smaller: 8.1% below the Jun 2024 high. Part of the drop is smaller homes coming to market. Prices stopped falling about a year ago. They are flat now. Waiting will not get you a cheaper house. It might still get you a more motivated seller.
45229. Only 50 homes under contract for every 100 still for sale. 38% of sellers there have cut their price, and the typical listing has been up 104 days.
HUD's fiscal year 2026 fair market rent for Hamilton County is $1,353 a month for 2 bedrooms and $1,785 for 3 bedrooms. The figures include tenant-paid utilities and cover the whole county.
ZIP 45205 is on both lists. That is rare. It is the one place in Cincinnati where leverage and growth overlap.
| ZIP | $/sqft, 2 yrs | $/sqft now | Buyers per home | For sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45225 | +27.7% | $110 | 0.63 | 10 |
| 45220 | +24.9% | $212 | 0.29 | 21 |
| 45229 | +24.7% | $200 | 0.50 | 22 |
| 45205 | +11.6% | $120 | 0.39 | 35 |
| 45245 | +11.3% | $215 | 0.60 | 48 |
Computed from each ZIP's own ten-year history. ZIPs with fewer than 10 homes for sale are excluded: a median across a handful of listings is noise, not a signal.
Cincinnati has 58 ZIP codes. Each links to its live market dashboard.
Closest matches on asking price, price per square foot, time on market, buyer demand, and price cuts.
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