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Want more housing market stories from Lance Lamberts ResiClub in your inbox? Subscribe to the ResiClub newsletter. During the Pandemic Housing Boom, from summer 2020 to spring 2022, the number of active homes for sale in most housing markets plummeted as homebuyer demand quickly absorbed almost everything that came up for sale and sellers had ultimate power. Fast-forward to the current housing market, and the places where active inventory has rebounded to 2019 levels (due to strained affordability suppressing buyer demand) are now the very places where homebuyers have gained the most power. At the end of November 2025, national active housing inventory for sale was still -6% below November 2019 levels. However, more and more regional markets are surpassing that threshold. This list is growing: January 2025: 41 of the 200 largest metro area housing markets were back above pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels. February 2025: 44 of the 200 largest metro area housing markets were back above pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels. March 2025: 58 of the 200 largest metro area housing markets were back above pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels. April 2025: 69 of the 200 largest metro area housing markets were back above pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels. May 2025: 75 of these 200 major markets were back above pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels. June 2025: 78 of these 200 major markets were back above pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels. July 2025: 80 of these 200 major markets were back above pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels. August 2025: 80 of these 200 major markets were back above pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels. September 2025: 81 of these 200 major markets were back above pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels. October 2025: 84 of these 200 major markets were back above pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels. Now, at the latest reading for the end of November 2025, 90 of the 200 markets are above pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels. While this list of housing markets back above pre-pandemic 2019 inventory levels was growing through much of the year, it has stalled a little recently. The reason? Inventory growth has slowed in recent monthsmore than typical seasonality would suggestas some home sellers in soft and weak markets in the Sun Belt have thrown in the towel and delisted (more on that in another piece). This next table helps you see what the inventory picture in these same 90 markets looks like now and what it looked like last year. Among these 90 markets, youll find lots in Sun Belt markets like Florida, Texas, Arizona, and Colorado. Many of the softest housing markets, where homebuyers have gained leverage, are located in Gulf Coast and Mountain West regions. Some of these areas were among the nations top pandemic boomtowns, having experienced significant home price growth during the pandemic housing boom, which stretched housing fundamentals far beyond local income levels. When pandemic-fueled domestic migration slowed and mortgage rates spiked, markets like Cape Coral, Florida, and San Antonio, Texas, faced challenges as they had to rely on local incomes to sustain frothy home prices. The housing market softening in these areas was further accelerated by the abundance of new home supply in the pipeline across the Sun Belt. Builders in these regions are often willing to reduce net effective prices or make other affordability adjustments to maintain sales. These adjustments in the new construction market also create a cooling effect on the resale market, as some buyers who might have opted for an existing home shift their focus to new homes where deals are still available. In contrast, many Northeast and Midwest markets were less reliant on pandemic migration and have less new home construction in progress. With lower exposure to that demand shock, active inventory in these Midwest and Northeast regions has remained relatively tight, keeping the advantage in the hands of home sellers. window.addEventListener("message",function(a){if(void 0!==.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";r.style.height=d}}}); Generally speaking, housing markets where inventory (i.e., active listings) has returned to pre-pandemic levels have experienced softer/weaker home price growth (or outright declines) over the past 36 months. Conversely, housing markets where inventory remains far below pre-pandemic levels have, generally speaking, experienced more resilient home price growth over the past 36 months. ResiClub PRO members can find our latest inventory analysis for +800 metros and +3,000 counties here, and our latest analysis showing why the 2019 inventory comparison remains insightful here.
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E-Commerce
Your smartphone is only as good as the charge it holds. It doesn’t matter if you have the newest flagship iPhone or Androidwhen the devices battery dies, all the bells and whistles dont mean diddly. And manufacturers know it. For years, Apple and Google have managed to pack increasingly larger-capacity batteries into the phones they make. The larger the battery, the longer your phone can stay charged. But in recent years, both companies have also been turning to software features on their phones operating systems to help maximize battery life. Apple added several software-based battery maximization enhancements in iOS 26. Google has done the same with its popular line of Pixel phones , particularly those running Android 16. Heres how to use them. Check your batterys health and remaining capacity Android 16 brought a new feature to many Pixel phones called Battery health. Think of this as a one-stop dashboard that provides quick-glance access to critical information about your battery. As noted by 9to5Google, Battery Health provides a quick overview of your batterys condition on select Pixel phones running Android 16. This overview includes a visual indicator to show whether your battery is running normally, the charging type you selected (more on that below), and how much capacity your battery has left. This capacity information is perhaps the most vital, as it shows how much charge your battery can hold compared to when it was new (a new battery has 100% capacity). As batteries age, their capacity decreases, and as that capacity decreases, your battery needs more frequent charging. As a rule of thumb, if your batterys capacity drops below 80%, its best to consider replacing your failing battery with a brand-new one, though some of the tips below may still help you extend battery life. The new battery health feature in Android 16 makes it easier than ever to determine if you should make that choice. To access Android 16s new Battery Health feature: Tap the Settings app. Tap Battery. Tap Battery Health. Turn on Battery Health Assistance One feature that can help extend your Pixels battery life is found under the new Battery Health dashboard in Android 16. That feature is called Battery Health Assistance. This feature is limited to the Pixel 6a and later, so if you bought a new Pixel phone in the last several years, you should be able to take advantage of it. As batteries age, their maximum capacity decreases. But the rate of that natural decrease can be slowed by adjusting the batterys maximum voltage and the phone’s charging speed. Battery Health Assistance does just that, which is why its a good idea to keep the feature turned on. To do that: Tap the Settings app. Tap Battery. Tap Battery Health. Turn on Use battery health assistance. Turn on Battery Saver Battery Saver is another feature built into Android that can help you save valuable battery life each day. The feature doesnt target the battery itself. Instead, it works by adjusting power-hungry features on your phoneor turning them off completelywhich, in turn, helps preserve battery life. According to Google, Battery Saver does this by limiting some common features and apps: dimming the homescreen wallpaper, refreshing app content only when you open the app (instead of refreshing it in the background when not in use), and pausing location services when the screen is off. Battery Saver also automatically turns on the Pixels dark theme, which helps conserve power. Taken together, these limitations can help you save precious juice. And the best thing about Battery Saver is that you can turn it on manually or have it come on automatically. If you know youre going to need all the battery you can get for a day, its best to just manually engage Battery Saver first thing in the morning when you wake up. You can do this by swiping down from the top of your screen and tapping the Battery Saver icon. Alternatively, you can set your Pixel to automatically enable Battery Saver when your battery level reaches a certain threshold (e.g., 30%). To set up automatic activation of Battery Saver: Tap the Settings app. Tap Battery. Tap Schedule and reminders. Set Turn on based on battery level to ON, then adjust the slider to your desired battery level, which, when reached, should trigger Battery Savers activation. Turn on Adaptive Charging If you want to prolong your battery’s lifespan so it continues to hold as much charge as possible as it ages, turn on the Adaptive Charging feature on your Pixel phone. This feature can prolong your Pixels overall battery lifespan by dynamically managing when it charges. Manufacturers say that charging your phone to full only right before you need it reduces strain on the battery, which can help it last longer. Adaptive Charging manages this for you. Heres how to use it: Tap the Settings app. Tap Battery. Tap Battery Health. Tap Charging Optimization. Now select either Adaptive Charging. Theres one caveat to all the battery tips above. They arent available for all Pixel phones. Whether you can use the tips depends on which Pixel model you have and which Android operating system it runs. Google says the Battery Health feature requires a Pixel 6a running Android 16 or later. Additionally, some Battery Saver features require a Pixel phone running Android 11 or later. As a rule of thumb, to maximize your battery life and your phones battery-saving features, its best to upgrade to the latest version of Android your Pixel phone can run.
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E-Commerce
Can ChatGPT dethrone Gemini? Is Tim Cook capable of leading Apple into the next wave of AI? As 2025 winds down, journalist and podcast host Kara Swisher cuts through the noise and decodes whats really happening across OpenAI, Meta, Google, and more. Then, Swisher sizes up the state of Disney, Netflix, and the escalating bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery. This is an abridged transcript of an interview from Rapid Response, hosted by former Fast Company editor-in-chief Robert Safian. From the team behind the Masters of Scale podcast, Rapid Response features candid conversations with todays top business leaders navigating real-time challenges. Subscribe to Rapid Response wherever you get your podcasts to ensure you never miss an episode. One of the twists in the AI wars has been Google sort of bouncing back, this surge by Gemini versus OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Sam Altman calling this code red. You’ve said before that it’s hard to know who a winner will be. Interestingly, on Pivot, we thought Google was going to do this because they had all the pieces. If they didn’t, what a bunch of idiots, that kind of thing. They were ahead. They just didn’t take the bet because they were afraid of it. Yeah, of course. Well, Sundar [Pichai] is a much more riskhe’s more risk-averse. I think Sergey Brin has re-arrived there. I think you can feel his influence. He’s one of the founders. So I think that they had all the elements in place to do it and just had to make the . . . it’s very hard to jump from one thing to the next and do it. The one company that does do it is Netflix. It’s like, “Now we’re this. We’re not doing advertising. Now we are. We’re mailing DVDs. Now we’re not.” I love these guys. Every time they’re, like, “Eh, today we’re not buying anything,” which was a head fake. “Oh, we’re going to buy the studio.” I love it. It’s like, great. So Google just took advantage of its obvious assets, and the fact that it wasn’t ahead was the story. Not that it should be by every . . . they’ve got the technology, they’ve got the people, they’ve got the data, they’ve got the right businesses. They’re the most set up for this era. Now, look, ChatGPT has gotten really far. OpenAI has gotten very far, but ultimately, what I kept asking myself, is it “Netscape” or is it “Google”? Is OpenAI “Netscape” or “Google”? It’s feeling a little Netscapey these days. Even though they’re way ahead, a lot of times in technology the plains are covered with the bodies of pioneers. There’s all kinds of that. You know that from being around. There are so many companies that were there and then weren’t, but were important. Jony Ive, the iconic Apple designer working with Altman and OpenAI on some new device or interface or form factor or whatever. Big deal, differentiator. I don’t care. I think these devices are stupid. I think the way I see it pulling out, it’s just going to be around you. It makes such a big deal about these devices you wear. I think probably what I would see more interestingthis is sort of an opportunity for Appleis your AirPods, which you wear now comfortably. Even though at the time, if you remember when it rolled out, everyone said how ugly they were. I think if you put a camera in those and they could see as you go through the worldthe glasses format is probably the way it’s going to go. But does it have to be glasses on your face? Because not everybody wants to wear those. But if there was something in your ear that could see as you move through the worldwho’s the company who is most able to do that? There are two of them: Google and Apple, right? Because people are very comfortable in the Apple environment. So to me, they have a lot of opportunity in this area. Apple is having a lot of trouble getting its AI action together. Although does it not need to because you carry it through . . . I don’t know. I don’t know if they need it. I think they have to integrate it into its products, that’s for sure. So they don’t necessarily have to own the AI. They didn’t have to own Maps, did they? No. They tried, and they sort of half failed. And then they used Google, or they didn’t have to make a lot of stuff. They didn’t have to make all those apps. Everybody else did, and they took advantage of it. To me, they’re a system. They can write up on things. I think the integration is what’s difficult here. And so how do you integrate AI into the things that already exist? To me, I keep obsessing on the AirPods. I’m, like, “What if they were just a little more functional?” I know it sounds crazy, but I still have my pair of Google glasseswhich I’m going to keep so I can sell them someday to send one of my kids to college. It was directionally the correct idea; it just didn’t have enough functionality. Same thing with the Meta glasses. What do they do? They take a picture. That’s pretty much it. How much functionality is that? Not much. And so, where can you get more functionality out of the things you might do every day? Which is information you need. It sounds dumb, but directions, ordering food, getting places, appointment making, things like that. To me, that’s where they should focus on, honestly . . . the software rather than the hardware. At Apple, do you feel like Tim Cook is doing a good job? He did. He should leave now. That’s what I would do if I were him. What about Disney? Bob Iger is another one who sort of declared victory and then had to come back, and now his contract is ending. I think, personally, they need to merge with someone or sell. Ultimately, I think he’s done an amazing job with that brand, for sure. Again, another person, that probably shouldn’t have come back. I think he was bored. I think he retired a little too early, because he’s so vibrant and intelligent and he looks great. At one point he was sending me a lot of texts from some boat in French Polynesia he was sailing or something. And I’m, like, “Oh, you’re coming back.” And I joke with him onstage about it. I’m, like, “You’re bored. You have more to give, essentially.” I think he probably should find the right person to take over. They’ve got plenty of people. I’ve always maintained it’s the biggest of the small things. It’s too small in today’s environment. Andso they really have to hook up with a tech. I would think Apple would be a very good merger with them, or Comcast, or they’re just going to have to, given the size problems. I think they’re number two in streaming, but if this one passes, that’ll be a problem for them. I’m just getting a note here that Paramount is potentially back in the action with the cash bid. It’s a hostile cash bid. What a bunch of losers, honestly. You don’t see it happening, huh? Maybe. Maybe. I don’t know. I just think their only argument was “we’re friends with Donald Trump.” That seems noneconomic to me. I’m sorry, but Big Daddy and nepo baby really have to have a better argument than we’re friends with Donald. I mean, how ridiculous a way to conduct business is that? And so look, by the way, from an existential point of view, they’re f*cked if they don’t get this. They’re going to have to merge with someone else. I don’t care how rich they are. There’s only so much money you’re throwing at the yacht. But one of the things that drove me crazy is they had a thing right when they did the deal, and they’re, like, “We’re going to take technology and make it better.” And I was, like, “Specifically what?” And they’re, like, “Technology and make it better.” And I was, like, “Yeah, I’d like a specific.” And they were, like, “Technology.” It ultimately comes back to they’re rich. They can spend it. They can buy, I don’t know, all of France and give everyone a glass of wine. That’s not really economics. They just want to own it. It’s just a toy. Then it’s just a toy. And then, “Okay, all right, that’s what you’re doing.” How much are you willing to pay for your toy is the question. Exactly. But they need it. Let me just tell you from a business point of view, these things need to merge. I know everybody’s all upset in Hollywood . . . getting back to that . . . but there is no other direction, largely because Hollywood didn’t innovate for so long.
Category:
E-Commerce
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