THU AM News: March home sales up 7%, driving Q1 sales above last year; Marquette Law School Poll finds dimmer view on economy

April 23, 2026

— March home sales in Wisconsin increased 7% over the year after a weak start to 2026, bringing first-quarter sales totals above the same period of last year.

That’s according to the latest monthly report from the Wisconsin Realtors Association, which shows 4,750 homes were sold last month, compared to 4,441 in March 2025.

Amy Curler, board chair for WRA, notes this rebound follows a “slow start” for Wisconsin home sales in both January and February.

“As we enter the peak period for sales, it’s good to see this bounce in closings, and hopefully it continues into the summer,” she said in a statement.

As a result of March’s year-over-year increase, the total sales figure for the first quarter of 2026 ended up 2.1% higher than during the same period of last year, rising from 11,864 to 12,109.

Most regions of the state saw sales increases over the quarter, as the central, south central, southeastern and western regions each rose between 2.1% and 3.6%. The northeastern region had a 0.7% increase and the northern region had a 3.8% decline over the quarter, the report shows.

Meanwhile, median home prices continue their upward climb in Wisconsin, rising 6.5% over the year to $330,000 in March. On a quarterly basis, the median price rose by 6.7% to $320,000.

WRA President and CEO Tom Larson notes home affordability “stalled” in March after four months of improvement. That’s based on the group’s housing affordability index, which assesses the percentage of a median-priced home that a potential buyer with median income qualifies for, assuming 20% down and a 30-year fixed mortgage at current rates.

Larson points to rising prices for homes as a key factor, along with only “modest improvements” in family income and mortgage rates keeping pace with price increases.

“Supply remains tight, so we really need to see consistent reductions in mortgage rates for affordability to improve,” he wrote in the report.

WRA reports available home inventories dropped by 2.9% over the year to just 3.3 months, just above half of the 6-month benchmark the group considers a balanced market. Total listings increased by just 0.3% over the year, per the report.

Also in the report, economist and WRA consultant Dave Clark noted disruption of global oil supplies due to the war in Iran has spiked annual inflation rates, with headline inflation going from 2.4% in January and February to 3.3% in March.

The “core inflation” rate, which factors out food and energy sectors, increased more modestly from 2.5% in the first two months of 2026 to 2.6% in March, Clark noted.

“While the Fed focuses on core inflation when gauging inflationary pressures, we shouldn’t expect to see any interest rate cuts by the Fed until both measures of inflation settle back down to pre-war levels,” he wrote.

See the full report.

— The latest Marquette University Law School Poll found respondents around the U.S. have a dimmer view on the economy than earlier this year as inflation fears have risen.

The April survey found 25% of respondents say the economy is excellent or good, a decline from 35% in January. Thirty percent say it’s poor, up from 25% in the last poll. And 46% say the economy is “not soo good,” up from 40%.

At the same time, more respondents expect inflation to increase over the next year, rising from 61% in January to 70% in April. In the latest survey, 18% expect inflation will stay about the same and 13% think it will fall.

Meanwhile, 69% of respondents said the cost of data centers outweigh their benefits, while 30% say the benefits are greater, indicating a negative shift in public opinion. In January, 62% said costs outweighed the benefits while 37% said benefits are greater.

Authors note the opposition seen among respondents spans the political spectrum, as 62% of Republicans, 76% of Democrats and 73% of independents agree the costs of data centers are greater than the benefits. Those percentages have risen from 53%, 70% and 65% in the last survey, respectively.

The poll found data center views were “strongly related” to opinions on AI.

While 70% of adults said the development of AI is bad for society and 30% said it’s good, 62% of those who are pro-AI say the benefits of data centers outweigh the costs. And of those who are anti-AI, 83% say the costs of data centers outweigh the benefits.

At the same time, those who report using an AI app within the last month have less negative views about the technology than those who haven’t. Still, 60% of AI users and 85% of non-AI users say it’s bad for society, the survey found.

The national survey, conducted April 8-16, included interviews with 982 U.S. adults. That sample had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points. The sample included 870 registered voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points on those questions.

See more results.

— A professor at Marquette University will study the muscles of stroke survivors through a project funded by the National Institutes of Health.

The university announced Allison Hyngstrom, chair of the university’s College of Health Sciences, has been chosen for the federal research grant alongside Dr. Matthew Durand, associate professor of anesthesiology at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

They will explore why skeletal muscles in the legs of stroke survivors experience reduced activation, weakening the limbs.

Hyngstrom explains people who have had a stroke are “unable to adequately increase and sustain cardiovascular drive” during exercise. That matters because high-intensity exercise training can greatly improve motor performance for these patients in recovery, she noted in the release.

”However, a central challenge is getting stroke survivors to achieve and sustain sufficiently high heart rates to exercise at high intensity, and sessions can be limited to short bouts of exercise versus a continuous effort,” she said.

This weakening effect could be caused by issues with “reflexive blood flow control” during exercise, a process called the metaboreflex, researchers theorize. Hyngstrom and Durand will establish the link between this physical response to exertion and exercise capacity, setting the stage for a clinical trial to test potential solutions.

Marquette University is expecting to receive $1.69 million from the award, which comes from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development within NIH.

See the release.

For more of the most relevant health care news, reports on groundbreaking research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics and WisBusiness.com.

Sign up here.

— WMC is now taking nominations for its Business Friend of the Environment Awards, which recognizes companies for energy efficiency and other sustainable practices.

Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce yesterday announced applications have opened on Earth Day, marking the 36th annual awards program.

Nominations are due June 12, and WMC is urging private companies across any industry to nominate themselves, as long as they’re based in the state or have “significant operations” in Wisconsin.

To qualify for the awards, applicants need to show they’ve made a major improvement across the fields of sustainability, environmental stewardship or environmental innovation in 2025.

“Wisconsin businesses understand the inherent value of responsible environmental practices,” Adam Jordahl, WMC’s director of environmental & energy policy, said in a statement.

See the release and see more on the awards program.

Brady Corp’s $1.4 billion Honeywell deal explained

What do the region’s bankers want from the next Fed chair?

TOPICS

AGRIBUSINESS

– Farm groups call for stronger USDA support and policy

BANKING

– Associated Bank launches financial services focused on franchise owners

CONSTRUCTION

– Summerset Marine Construction plans to build new facility in Whitewater

ECONOMY

– Median home assessments rose in Milwaukee in 2025