Central Ohio home sales shift to the suburbs
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The Central Ohio housing market is shifting away from the city, with sales moving to the suburbs as prices continue to increase.
Why it matters: After a harsh winter, the spring housing market is heating up.
- The market's adjusting to pent-up demand and the reality of high interest rates and low inventory.
Driving the news: Columbus Realtors recently released its February housing report, which finds flat demand and slowly increasing inventory in the region.
- Sales dropped in Franklin County but increased in most surrounding counties.
By the numbers: Across Central Ohio, the number of homes sold in January and February was nearly identical to 2025, but the average and median sales prices increased around 5%.
- Average time spent on the market is up 14% year-over-year to 49 days.
- Inventory is up 7.6%, but new listings are down 1.8%.
The intrigue: Compared to last February, Franklin County closings are down 4.6%, and houses are spending nearly 19% longer on the market.
- That's while sales are up in surrounding counties: Delaware (13%), Fairfield (20.2%), Licking (3.4%) and Madison (21.2%).
Between the lines: The region is growing, and there's not enough Franklin County housing stock to accommodate it.
What they're saying: Columbus Realtors president Gloria Alonso Cannon isn't surprised by those widening figures.
- "We have so many people moving into Central Ohio from other areas, and they're not concerned with drive times," she tells Axios. "What would have been considered our outskirts are now prime locations for people to look. Hot markets are everywhere."
The big picture: Cannon says Central Ohio remains slightly a seller's market — one where buyers can afford to be slightly choosier than in previous years and where sellers need to "make sure it looks nice" before they sell a house.
- "That's healthier for everybody," she says.
What we're hearing: While data may not be picking it up just yet, Cannon says she's seeing an increase in homes receiving multiple offers, another sign of a healthy market.
- It's not the "20 or 30" offers that houses were getting during the pandemic-era peak, but "things are starting to go over list [price] and go quickly again."
What we're watching: Will those anecdotes start to translate into a typical spring sales uptick? The answer will say a lot about the future of the market.
- "I'm going to be very curious," Cannon says.