Lawrence, Kansas Housing Market

How much can you negotiate in Lawrence?

Only 69 out of every 100 homes for sale have found a buyer. The other 31 are still waiting. Your offer may be the only one on the table. Few sellers are dropping their price. Asking prices are holding firm. Your discount will come from one stale listing, not from the whole market.

A typical Lawrence home takes 41 days to find a buyer. Half of them take even longer. That is 26% slower than a year ago. Those sellers are paying to own a house they want to sell. Search for homes listed 60+ days ago. There are 194 homes for sale in Lawrence. That is 3.2 times the tightest month on record, but below the peak of 337. Supply is growing against last year.

What to do about it

• Search Lawrence homes listed 60+ days ago that have already cut their price.
• Offer below the reduced price.
• Keep your inspection and financing contingencies.
• Ask the seller to pay closing costs.
• You can lose a few offers here and still win.

Is now a good time to buy in Lawrence?

Asking prices are 7.4% below their Apr 2026 peak. You are not buying at the top. Prices are rising again. Every month you wait costs money. The question is no longer when. It is which house. Lawrence prices have risen in 101 of the last 108 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.

Who will rent from you in Lawrence?

Most Lawrence households rent. 53 out of every 100 households are renters. The renter share is growing. Five years ago it was 52 in 100. Lawrence added about 2,100 renter households in five years. Renter households average 1.9 people. Singles and couples rent here. Two bedrooms beat four.

Households grew 8% in five years. The housing stock grew 7%. The two are moving in step. 6.5% of homes sit empty. That is normal for a healthy market.

The median Lawrence household earns $71,052 a year. Incomes here have grown 4.4% a year since 2019. Home prices have outrun incomes. Locals are being priced out. A typical home costs 6.6 times the median income. Most locals cannot buy. That keeps rental demand deep. It also caps the rent they can pay. A tenant on the median income can pay about $1,776 a month. That is the standard 30% affordability line. Rents above it thin your tenant pool fast.

That is the market, not your address. Run an address through the app to see its rent estimate and cash flow.

What numbers should you underwrite a Lawrence deal with?

• Price growth to assume — +6.1%/yr. Lawrence has grown about 6.1% a year for five years and for ten. That is a durable trend, not a boom artifact. It is a fair long-run input. Prices rose 6.7% over the last year. That is a timing signal, not a trend.
• Months of carrying cost — 2. A typical home takes 41 days to sell. Budget that long when you exit or refinance. It is 26% slower than a year ago.
• Odds you cut your price to sell — 1 in 8. About 13% of homes on the Lawrence market right now have already cut their asking price. Assume you are one of them when you sell. Do not underwrite an exit at your asking price.
• Comp on this, not median price — $215/sqft. The average listing runs +17% above the median. Luxury homes skew it. Comp your own size class per sqft.
• Competition when you exit — +11%. That is how much the number of homes for sale grew in a year. Your resale will face a bigger crowd than today's comps did.
• Price-to-income ratio — 6.6×. A typical home costs 6.6 times the median income. Most locals cannot buy. That keeps rental demand deep. It also caps the rent they can pay. Home prices have outrun incomes. Locals are being priced out.
• Tenant rent ceiling — $1,776/mo. 30% of the median household income of $71,052. Rents above this line shrink your tenant pool fast.

Is Lawrence a buyer's or seller's market in 2026?

Yes, if you negotiate. Buyers have the upper hand in Lawrence right now. 69 out of every 100 homes for sale have a buyer, 13% of sellers have cut their price, and a typical home takes 41 days to sell.

Are Lawrence home prices going up or down?

Asking prices are 7.4% below their Apr 2026 peak. You are not buying at the top. Prices are rising again. Every month you wait costs money. The question is no longer when. It is which house.

What price growth should I assume for Lawrence?

Assume +6.1% a year. Lawrence has grown about 6.1% a year for five years and for ten. That is a durable trend, not a boom artifact. It is a fair long-run input. Prices rose 6.7% over the last year. That is a timing signal, not a trend.

How fast are homes selling in Lawrence?

A typical Lawrence home takes 41 days to find a buyer. Half of them take even longer. That is 26% slower than a year ago. Those sellers are paying to own a house they want to sell. Search for homes listed 60+ days ago.

Is Lawrence a renters' market or an owners' market?

Most Lawrence households rent. 53 out of every 100 households are renters. The renter share is growing. Five years ago it was 52 in 100. 6.5% of homes sit empty. That is normal for a healthy market.

What rent can Lawrence tenants afford?

A tenant on the median income can pay about $1,776 a month. That is the standard 30% affordability line. Rents above it thin your tenant pool fast. The median Lawrence household earns $71,052 a year.