Home Sales Rise, With Sellers
Getting Almost Full Listing Price

With the annual spring homebuying season coming quickly, home sales ramped up in February and spiked 17.0% from January, with a 2.3% increase from February 2023. Of those sales, buyers paid more. The median home price of $412,000 rose 2.1% from January – and 7.0% year over year. The $27,000 increase from February 2023 reflected that buyers on average were willing to pay 99% of the listing price. 

In a third of the markets of the 50 metros areas surveyed, buyers on average paid 98% or less, while in a quarter of the markets the average buyer paid 100% or more. At the current median sales price, 1% is equivalent to approximately $4,000.

Meanwhile, inventory held relatively steady and dropped just 0.6% from January. Months supply of inventory (1.9) declined slightly from January’s 2.1, but was up from last February’s 1.6, and the number of homes for sale was 10.8% higher than a year ago.

In another indicator of increased demand, homes took an average of 44 days to sell in February – two days faster than January and one day faster than February 2023.

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New Listings Soar Higher as
Spring Ramp-Up Approaches

In what could be a good sign for buyers, the number of newly listed homes in January was a whopping 66.3% higher than in December and 21.5% higher than January 2023 across the 50 metro areas surveyed.

The 21.5% year-over-year increase in new listings reversed a multi-year January trend, as new listings dropped 5.1% from January 2022 to January 2023 and 8.1% from January 2021 to January 2022. The dramatic 66.3% month-to-month increase in new listings was also significantly higher than the past two December-to-January jumps – 39.8% to start 2023 and 24.7% to begin 2022.

The surge in new listings was combined with year-over-year increases in closed sales and inventory, illustrating that January’s housing stats could bode well for the typical spring uptick in home sales this year.

January home sales were 2.5% higher than January 2023, although they were down 19.1% from December, a slightly smaller post-holiday drop than the past two years. January inventory increased 1.7% over January 2023, ending a seven-month streak of year-over-year declines. The median sales price of $405,000 was 5.2% (or $20,000) higher than January 2023 and unchanged from December.

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December 2023 exhibited a traditional end-of-year slowing in housing market activity, punctuated by many similarities to December 2022.

Three metrics showed no change year over year:

• Homes sold were on the market an average of 47 days in both Decembers – seven days longer than in November 2023

• December 2023 sales averaged 98% of the listing price, the same as the prior year and slightly down from 99% in November 2023

• Months’ supply of inventory in both Decembers was 2.5, slightly down from 2.6 in November 2023

Other results included:

• December home sales dropped 7.3% year over year – and 2.3% from November. As in 2022, the number of home sales declined year over year in every month of 2023.

• Inventory slipped just 0.7% from December 2022 while dropping 10.4% from November. Inventory declined year over year each of the last seven months of 2023.

Two metrics made year-over-year gains in December across the 52 metro areas surveyed:

• December’s new listings were up 2.7% year over year while down 24.3% from November.

• The median sold price of $400,000 was 3.9% (or $15,000) higher than December 2022 and 1.2% lower than November.

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Home Prices Ease Amid Declining New Listings, Sales, Inventory

Posting the lowest Median Sales Price in eight months, November home sales dropped from October levels and the number of homes for sale fell slightly.

Indicative of the usual year-end slowdown, home sales in November dropped by 9.8% compared to October and declined 6.5% versus the same period last year. This decline can also be attributed to rising interest rates most of this year and last. Interest rates have decreased over the last two months, which could result in more activity in the market.

The number of homes for sale changed slightly – dropping 1.6% from October and declining 2.6% compared to November 2022.

Across the 52 metro areas surveyed, homes sold for a median price of $405,000, which was $5,000 less than in October but $13,000 higher than in November 2022. New listings, though up 1.5% year over year, were down 19.1% from October.

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Inventory Grows While Declines in Sales, New Listings Soften

Seasonal declines in home sales and new listings softened in October while inventory grew for a seventh consecutive month across the 53 metro areas surveyed. 

Home sales dropped 4.6% from September to October, far less than the 13.5% month-over-month drop in October 2022. New listings also declined 5.0%, which was also less than half of the 11.1% drop from September to October last year.

While there were 6.9% fewer homes on the market year over year, October’s inventory grew 4.6% month over month to continue a streak of monthly increases that began in April.

The median sales price of $410,000 did not budge from September and remained 2.8% above October 2022.

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Inventory Grows for Sixth Straight
Month While Sales Decline

The number of homes on the market grew month over month for a sixth consecutive month in September as sales declined 13.8% from August and 17.0% from a year ago. The 9.3% increase in inventory was the largest month-over-month increase in 14 months. Even so, inventory is 8.6% below September 2022 levels.

Despite the growth in inventory over August 2023, new listings were down 1.8% from August and 7.8% year over year.

With three months left in 2023, the Median Sales Price of $415,000 posted a seasonal decline of 2.4% month over month – last September’s sequential drop was 1.2% – but remained 2.5% higher than last September’s $405,000.

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Home Sales and New Listings
Both Increase as Summer Winds Down

New listings rose 1.8% sequentially in August, bucking the typical July-to-August seasonal trend of decline. Last year, new listings declined 12.8% in August, the second month in a streak of six month-to-month declines that ended in January.

Home sales rose 7.4% over July and the Median Sales Price of $425,000 was unchanged across the 50 metro areas surveyed.

Meanwhile, year-over-year new listings were down 13.2% while home sales dropped 13.1%. The Median Sales Price, on the other hand, was up 3.7%.

The number of homes for sale increased 2.7% in August, the fifth straight month of inventory buildup. Compared to August 2022, however, inventory was 13.2% lower.

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July Sales Down but Inventory is Up,
Sellers Get Their Asking Price

July marked the first month-over-month decline in home sales since April, signaling that perhaps the peak of summer buying is beginning to taper. Growth in the inventory of homes for sale inched up alongside modest increases in interest rates despite strong consumer demand.

July home sales declined 14.7% from June and 16.1% compared to a year ago. The decline was tied to a 9.0% drop in new listings month over month and represented 26.7% fewer new listings year over year across the 50 metro areas surveyed. July inventory was up 3.1% from June, even though it still lagged 20.8% from July 2022. Tight inventory amid consistent demand continued to prop up the median sales price of $425,000. This is a marginal decline of less than 1% compared to June, while registering a 1.2% upswing in comparison to July 2022.

With the average close-to-list price ratio in July at 100%, sellers were able to get their asking price from buyers. That was the average close-to-list ratio in June as well but was a decline from the 101% ratio recorded a year ago.

Other notable metrics:

• Months’ supply of inventory in July was 1.5, up from June’s 1.3 but below the 1.6 months recorded a year ago.

• Homes sold in July were on the market for an average of 30 days, which was 1 day longer than in June and 6 days longer than July of last year.

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June Home Sales Tick Up Over May

June posted month-over-month increases in home sales (up 5.4% from May) and inventory (up 7.2%) while year-over-year activity continued to trail the strong results of early 2022. June 2023 home sales were 18.7% below last June’s, contributing to a first-half 24% decline in closings compared to the first half of 2022 across the 52 metro areas surveyed in the RE/MAX National Housing Report.

June’s year-over-year decline in active inventory of 10.7% was the first such decrease in the past 13 months. New listings, although down 25% compared to a year ago, were up 0.5% over May.

Typically the biggest month for home sales, June produced a median sales price of $425,000 which was the highest since June 2022’s peak price of $426,000.

Other notable metrics:

• Months’ Supply of Inventory in June was 1.4, up from May’s 1.3 but below the 1.6 months recorded a year ago.

• The average close-to-list price ratio for June was 100%, indicating that homes sold for the asking price on average. This matched May’s ratio and was a decline from the 102% ratio recorded a year ago.

• Homes sold in June were on the market for an average of 31 days, which was the same in May but 9 days longer than June of last year.

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May Delivers 20% Increase in Homes Sales Ahead of Peak Months

The latest national housing report for May reveals a seasonal, 20% increase in home sales over April, as well as an 8.7% uptick in new listings. While sales are still down 18.7% from last May, solid demand amid tight inventory helped push the median sales price up by 3.2%, month over month, to $423,000.

Ahead of the peak home sales months of June and July, the report shows a slight increase of 0.4% in inventory month over month, with housing supply up by 9.7% compared to May 2022.

Other notable metrics:

• May’s median sales price was the highest since June 2022, coming in at $3,000 less than that month’s figure of $426,000.
• New listings saw a nearly 10% gain over April but were still down 20.4% compared to May 2022 levels.
• Months’ Supply of Inventory in May was 1.2, down from 1.3 in April but above the 1.1 recorded a year ago.
• The average close-to-list price ratio for May was 100%, indicating that homes sold for the asking price on average. This is an increase from April’s 99% ratio and a decrease from the 103% ratio recorded a year ago.
• Homes sold in May were on the market for an average of 31 days, which is three days less than April but 10 days longer than the same period last year.

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