Homes in the Ozarks region used to sell in under 20 days. Average days on market have now climbed to roughly 90, a shift that arrived within the past 30 to 45 days and is reshaping how both buyers and investors deploy capital across the state, according to Rachel Countryman, a real estate professional with eXp Realty who works across residential, commercial, and land development in Southern Missouri.
The slowdown is not confined to a single price band. Properties from $150,000 to $800,000 are sitting longer, and the typical sale is closing at around $10,000 below list price. In a market where the average home sells between $230,000 and $260,000, that discount represents a meaningful concession, and a signal that sellers who spent the past five years watching prices climb are now negotiating from a weaker position.
“Our residential sector has really come to almost a screeching halt within the last 30 to 45 days,” Countryman says. “It’s been something that a lot of professionals haven’t seen in a very long time.”
The change goes beyond pace; it extends to what buyers will accept. During the past three to five years, purchasers were willing to take on cosmetic work or deferred maintenance. That tolerance has evaporated. Countryman says buyers now expect homes in close to perfect condition, and when sellers resist making repairs, transactions collapse during inspection periods.
“Previously they were okay with taking a house with a little bit of repairs or cosmetic carpeting needed, but now we’ve seen an increase in buyers who are not looking to do that,” she says.
The fallout rate during inspections has climbed as a result, creating friction between sellers anchored to peak-market pricing and buyers unwilling to absorb repair costs on top of a purchase. Sellers who bought within the past five years and haven’t built enough equity to absorb price reductions comfortably are finding the adjustment especially difficult. Countryman says she and other agents set expectations early in the listing process, but the recalibration is slow.
The residential slowdown has changed the math for investors in the region. Fix-and-flip strategies that depended on quick resale into a hungry buyer pool have lost their edge. Investors are instead holding renovated single-family homes as rentals rather than returning them to the sales market.
“Our return on fixing a house up and putting it back on the market for sale has almost halted,” Countryman says. “So what we’ve seen is all of those investors are going more towards renting those single-family homes out as they get them fixed up.”
The pivot aligns with broader demand. Multifamily properties – four or more units in a single compound – are among the fastest-moving assets in the state. Mobile home parks and RV parks are also in high demand. Countryman attributes this to a growing pool of residents choosing to rent rather than buy a single-family home, a dynamic she ties directly to housing affordability pressures and rising living costs.
Multifamily properties near military installations have been particularly active. Countryman says she has partnered with a teammate to sell several multifamily assets around Air Force and military bases across Missouri, and those properties are moving quickly relative to the broader market.
Not every submarket in Southern Missouri is experiencing the slowdown equally. The Branson area – a tourism-driven market – has seen an influx of buyers and significant infrastructure investment over the past year. Larger metro areas like Springfield, Kansas City, and St. Louis remain popular, though buying activity is increasingly concentrated on the outskirts rather than in the urban core.
Proximity to basic services matters more than most relocating buyers expect. Countryman notes that in rural Missouri, a destination 10 miles away can mean a 25- to 30-minute drive. Buyers unfamiliar with that reality tend to cluster in areas where grocery stores, gas stations, and family activities are within a 30-minute radius.
For investors evaluating Southern Missouri, Countryman emphasizes that rental rates in the state have been stable, not climbing, which means cash flow depends largely on the purchase price rather than future rent increases. Creative strategies are also in play: one of her clients, a trucking company owner, has generated additional revenue through truck parking and a restaurant lease on a commercial property.
Rising living costs remain the dominant headwind. Gas and food prices have weighed on household budgets, making buyers and sellers more cautious about major financial commitments. Countryman says she noted another 9-cent-per-gallon increase in gas prices on the morning of the interview.
Looking ahead, she says projections shared at a recent eXp meeting in Dallas point to a potential leveling off and recovery in housing sales by February, March, or April of 2027. “We’re hoping to see by spring of ’27 things level off and kind of pick back up for those housing sales,” Countryman says.
For sellers, the immediate reality is a market that rewards preparation. Homes that go to market with deferred maintenance or cosmetic issues risk losing buyers during inspection – and relisting after a failed contract means starting over with a weaker negotiating position. For investors, the window to acquire rental inventory at discounted prices may narrow if the projected spring 2027 recovery materializes. The deals being made now, Countryman suggests, are the ones where the math works at purchase, not the ones banking on appreciation to close the gap.
About the Expert: Rachel Countryman is a real estate professional with eXp Realty, working across residential, commercial, and land development in Southern Missouri.
This article is based on information provided by the expert source cited above. It is intended for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or real estate advice. Readers should conduct their own research and consult qualified professionals before making any real estate or financial decisions.
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