With the latest release of the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity from the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies indicating a softer remodeling market in 2026, some metros are expecting the opposite. With aging housing stock driving new owners to remodel and a need for age-in-place remodeling needs, cities like Austin, Texas, Raleigh, N.C., Nashville, Tenn., Phoenix, Ariz. and parts of Florida may actually see remodeling growth outperform the national average.
While the remodeling industry should not expect the same boom present during the pandemic, practical upgrades are always needed in the market. The 2026 market should be a consistent year with the right remodeling marketability.
“Single-family home sales and permitting activity have picked up modestly from very low levels, which should support a nominal increase in remodeling activity this year,” said Rachel Bogardus Drew, director of the Remodeling Futures Program at the Harvard center to Realtor.com. “The modest rebound in single-family home sales and permitting activity suggests that remodeling demand is likely to be most resilient in markets where turnover and household formation are picking up, even gradually.”
