Racine, Wisconsin Housing Market

How much can you negotiate in Racine?

Only 18 out of every 100 homes for sale have found a buyer. The other 82 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 Racine home takes 26 days to find a buyer. Half of them take even longer. Those sellers are paying to own a house they want to sell. Search for homes listed 30+ days ago. There are 261 homes for sale in Racine. That is 1.6 times the tightest month on record, but below the peak of 648. Supply is growing against last year.

What to do about it

• Search Racine homes listed 30+ 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 Racine?

Asking prices are at their highest point on record. You are buying at the top. Underwrite it that way. Prices are rising again. Every month you wait costs money. The question is no longer when. It is which house. Racine prices have risen in 102 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 Racine?

In Racine, 32 out of every 100 households rent. Most own their home. The renter share is shrinking. Five years ago it was 38 in 100. 6.4% of homes sit empty. That is normal for a healthy market.

The median Racine household earns $70,231 a year. Incomes here have grown 5.6% a year since 2019. Home prices have outrun incomes. Locals are being priced out. A typical home costs 4.5 times the median income. That is the national middle. Neither cash flow nor appreciation is free here. A tenant on the median income can pay about $1,756 a month. That is the standard 30% affordability line. Rents above it thin your tenant pool fast.

What numbers should you underwrite a Racine deal with?

• Price growth to assume — +7.1%/yr. 1 year: +6.6% · 5 years: +7.1% · ten years: +7.7%. The five-year and ten-year rates agree. That is a durable trend, not a boom artifact. It is a fair long-run input. Measure growth per square foot, not on the median. The median moves when the mix of listed homes moves. Your house does not. The one-year rate is a timing signal. It is not an underwriting input.
• Months of carrying cost — 1. A typical home takes 26 days to sell. Budget that long when you exit or refinance.
• Odds you cut your price to sell — 1 in 7. About 14% of homes on the Racine 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 — $188/sqft. The average listing runs +15% above the median. Luxury homes skew it. Comp your own size class per sqft.
• Competition when you exit — +8%. 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 — 4.5×. A typical home costs 4.5 times the median income. That is the national middle. Neither cash flow nor appreciation is free here. Home prices have outrun incomes. Locals are being priced out.
• Tenant rent ceiling — $1,756/mo. 30% of the median household income of $70,231. Rents above this line shrink your tenant pool fast.

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

Yes, if you negotiate. Buyers have the upper hand in Racine right now. 0.18 out of every 100 homes for sale have a buyer, 14% of sellers have cut their price, and a typical home takes 26 days to sell.

Are Racine home prices going up or down?

Asking prices are at their highest point on record. You are buying at the top. Underwrite it that way. 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 Racine?

+7.1%/yr. 1 year: +6.6% · 5 years: +7.1% · ten years: +7.7%. The five-year and ten-year rates agree. That is a durable trend, not a boom artifact. It is a fair long-run input. Measure growth per square foot, not on the median. The median moves when the mix of listed homes moves. Your house does not. The one-year rate is a timing signal. It is not an underwriting input.

How fast are homes selling in Racine?

A typical Racine home takes 26 days to find a buyer. Half of them take even longer. Those sellers are paying to own a house they want to sell. Search for homes listed 30+ days ago.

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

In Racine, 32 out of every 100 households rent. Most own their home. The renter share is shrinking. Five years ago it was 38 in 100. 6.4% of homes sit empty. That is normal for a healthy market.

What rent can Racine tenants afford?

A tenant on the median income can pay about $1,756 a month. That is the standard 30% affordability line. Rents above it thin your tenant pool fast. The median Racine household earns $70,231 a year.