Housing Inventory Posts Record Increase as Declining Sales Extend to Sixth Month

A sixth consecutive month of declining home sales in January contributed to the largest year-over-year inventory increase in at least 10 years, according to the RE/MAX National Housing Report.

While year-over-year home sales dropped 11% – extending a streak that began in August – inventory grew year-over-year by an average of 6.4% across the report’s 54 U.S. metro areas. January marked the fourth consecutive month of year-over-year inventory growth – further reversing a decade-long trend of shrinking inventory. December 2018’s year-over-year inventory growth of 4.7% was the previous record in the report’s 10-year history.

The median sales price of $234,000 was a report record for January, increasing 4.6% over January 2018. But the rate of sales price increase was considerably less than the 6.7% posted from January 2017 to January 2018. December 2018 was the only month since January 2012 to show a year-over-year decline in median sales price.

Read the full article…

Watch the 40 second summary video…

2018 Home Sales Cool Off, While Inventory Recovers and Price Increases Moderate

December’s declining home sales and growing inventory solidified 2018 as the year the red-hot seller’s market moved toward a balanced market. Price growth also moderated, though December was the 33rd consecutive month of year-over-year increases in home prices, according to the RE/MAX National Housing Report, which includes 53 metro areas.

December’s year-over-year decline in home sales of 12.1% set a December record in the 10-year history of the report and also marked the fifth consecutive month that home sales were lower than 2017.  December was 2018’s 10th month of year-over-year declines in home sales with only April and July topping 2017 sales.

Most telling was December’s 4.6% growth in inventory, which was also a report record. December’s year-over-year inventory increase marked the third consecutive month of growth – a trend reversing a decade-long streak of year-over-year inventory declines.

Read the full article…

Watch the 40 second summary video…

Inventory Bounces Back, While Home Prices Increase

Extremely low inventory improves as sales drop for the fourth month, according to the November 2018 RE/MAX National Housing Report.

“The road to market normalization can be bumpy,” said RE/MAX CEO Adam Contos. “It’s good to see the small uptick in inventory, and the drop in November sales isn’t too surprising – given the recent trends, the mid-term elections, and the earlier-than-usual Thanksgiving holiday.”

1. Inventory Continues to Climb
   Years of shrinking inventory gave way in November 2018 to a second consecutive month of year-over-year growth in the number of homes for sale. Across the 53 metro areas surveyed, inventory rose 3.0 percent – the highest monthly year-over-year gain in the 10-year history of the report.
2. Declining Home Sales
   November home sales, meanwhile, declined 6.9 percent, which was the second-largest year-over-year decline of 2018 and the biggest year-over-year sales decline for November in five years. This year only April and July sales exceeded 2017 totals for the corresponding months.
3. Median Sales Price Increased 
   November’s median sales price of $235,000 was 4.0 percent higher than November 2017 and was the highest November price in the report’s history. It marked the 32nd consecutive month of year-over-year price increases. Comparing the first 11 months of 2018 to 2017, home prices are up 6.0 percent.

“As we near year-end, three main themes appear clear – buyers are grappling with affordability issues and tight inventory; sellers are unsure how to react to the cooling market; and homes priced properly are still selling rather quickly,” added Contos. “All three underscore the fact that the guidance of a professional agent is even more critical in times like these.”

Watch the 40 second summary video on YouTube…

Inventory Ends Long Decline as Home Sales Drop for Third Month

The third consecutive month of lower year-over-year home sales in October contributed to the first year-over-year inventory increase in a decade according to the RE/MAX National Housing Report for October 2018. Meanwhile, the Median Sales Price recorded one of its lowest increases of 2018.

The RE/MAX National Housing Report for October saw sales decline 4.6% from a year ago – compared to sales drops of 11.6% in September and 1.1% in August – and was the eighth month of 2018 to record lower sales than 2017.

As a result, inventory is slowly being replenished, with the number of homes for sale in October increasing 1.0% over October 2017. October 2018 was the first month to show a year-over-year increase in inventory since October 2008 when two and a half times as many homes were for sale. The Months Supply of Inventory is now 3.5, compared to 3.3 a year ago.

“The market continues to move toward equilibrium. The modest inventory increase is a much welcome sign for buyers,” said RE/MAX CEO Adam Contos. “Although home sales were down year-over-year, it’s encouraging to see the magnitude of the decline decrease from the sharp drop we witnessed in September. The trend of easing price increases remains and that’s also a positive.”

Read the full article…

Watch the 40 second summary video on YouTube…

The September 2018 RE/MAX National Housing Report shows home sales took a 12% tumble while prices remain at record levels.

“The big drop in September closings catches your attention. The market is clearly rebalancing as buyers and sellers continue to process the increasing interest rate environment and what that means to them,” said RE/MAX CEO Adam Contos. “The slower drop in inventory – a visible trend for nearly half a year – further illustrates the ongoing shift toward market equilibrium, and that’s healthy in the long-term.”

1. Home Sales
   The report showed trends of fewer closings and stabilizing inventory that continued through September, punctuated by a surprisingly big 11.6% year-over-year drop in home sales.
2. Record Prices
   September 2018 posted a Median Sales Price of $241,000 that marked the 30th consecutive month of year-over-year price increases – the price is also the highest September price in the 10-year history of the report. Home prices rose by 5.6% over September 2017, more than twice the year-over-year price increase of 2.3% from September 2016 to September 2017. That reversed a trend seen in the previous three months, when year-over-year price increases trailed 2017’s rate of growth.
3. Low Inventory
   The number of homes for sale in September 2018 was down 1.0% from August 2018 and down 4.7% from September 2017. Based on the rate of home sales in September, the Months Supply of Inventory increased to 3.7 from 3.0 in August 2018, and increased compared to September 2017 at 3.6.

“It’s a little surprising to see prices staying so strong, but it’s hardly shocking in such a tight market,” added Contos. “The headwinds of rising prices and interest rates amid already tight inventory levels have been crimping affordability and slowing sales for most of the year, but it varies by geography. In circumstances like these, where the market is tricky to navigate, both buyers and sellers can benefit by aligning themselves with a professional agent – a local expert who can cut through the noise and advocate on their behalf.”

Watch the 40 second summary video on YouTube…

Home Sales Decline 1% as Inventory, Prices Level Out

The RE/MAX National Housing Report for August 2018 shows increasing home prices, low inventory and a reduction in days on market. These combined factors made August 2018 the sixth time this year that home sales lagged behind last year’s pace—but only slightly at -1.1%.

Home prices rose by 3.7% over August 2017, much lower than the year-over-year price increase of 5.4% from August 2016 to August 2017. In fact, the past three months of 2018 have trailed 2017’s rate of price growth year-over-year—compare that to four of the first five months of 2018 when year-over-year price increases easily topped those posted in 2017.

The Median Sales Price of $248,500 marked the 29th consecutive month of year-over-year price increases.

Even though active inventory dropped for the 118th consecutive month, the decline of 5.4% from August 2017 marked the smallest year-over-year decrease since August 2014. In addition, the August 2018 inventory drop marked the fourth consecutive month in 2018 to post single-digit percent declines, rather than the double-digit monthly drops consistently seen in early 2018 and over the previous three years.

Read the full article in RE/MAX’s newsroom…

Watch the 40 second summary video on YouTube…

Sales Increase Nearly 2%, Despite Record Prices, Sinking Inventory

July home sales rose 1.8% year-over-year, making it the second month of 2018 to post a sales increase year-over-year, according to the RE/MAX National Housing Report.

In the July 2018 report, 37 of the report’s 54 metro areas posted sales increases over July 2017—April was the first month of 2018 where more homes were sold than the same month in 2017. The report also marks the 28th consecutive month of year-over-year price increases.

The Median Sales Price of $250,575 was up 4.4% from July 2017, and represents the third-highest price in report history—topped only by May and June of this year. Months Supply of Inventory was at 2.9 – the smallest total ever recorded for July.

Forty-two of the 54 metro areas reported a year-over-year drop in inventory. The Days on Market dropped to 41 – four days less than July 2017 and one day under the previous nine-year low set in June 2018.

“Because we’ve faced challenging inventories and increasing home prices for some time now, a seasonal slowdown that rebalances the market a bit might actually be a positive in the months ahead,” said RE/MAX CEO Adam Contos. “It could level affordability to some extent and create more opportunity for buyers who’ve been priced out of hot markets.”

Read the full article in RE/MAX’s newsroom…

Watch the 40 second summary video on YouTube…

Median Sales Price Reaches Nine-Year High, While Sales Decline

Halfway through 2018, prices are at record highs, inventory is at record lows and home sales are trailing 2017’s pace, according to the RE/MAX National Housing Report.

June sales were 5.5% lower than June 2017 in the 54 metro areas surveyed, marking the seventh consecutive month of year-over-year declines.

Headed in the opposite direction, the June Median Sales Price of $258,500 was an all-time high in the nine-year history of the report. It was 5.1% higher than the $245,000 recorded last June, bringing the consecutive months of year-over-year price increases to 27. In each of the previous five years – going back to June 2013’s $193,750 – June has posted the highest Median Sales Price of the year.

Read the full article in RE/MAX’s newsroom…

Watch the 40 second summary video on YouTube…

Prices Rise 7.8 Percent, But Homes Selling Faster and Faster

In May, homes sold faster than at virtually any other time in the past decade, according to the latest RE/MAX National Housing Report. Low inventory and high demand in May cut Days on Market to 46, the second-lowest monthly number in the nearly 10-year history of the report.

May home sales topped April sales by 14.5%, and were down by 2.8% from May 2017. The median sales price of $251,673 was up 7.8%.

By comparison, homes averaged five more days on the market (51) in May 2017, 12 more days (58) in May 2016 and 18 more days (64) in 2015.

With 11 metro areas increasing the median sales price year-over-year by double digits, May was still a seller’s market, and homebuyers should expect to compete with other buyers when they are ready to make an offer on a home.

Read the full article in RE/MAX’s newsroom…

Watch the 40 second summary video on YouTube…

Home Sales Increase 2.3% Despite Peaking Prices, Ever-Shrinking Inventory

Home sales increased 2.3% year-over-year in April 2018 in the face of record low inventory and the second-highest median sales price in the nine-year history of the RE/MAX National Housing Report.

In April, San Francisco, CA reached a new benchmark surpassing $1 million for the metro area’s median sales price. Eight other metro areas including Las Vegas, NV, Seattle, WA and Boise, ID saw large double-digit price increases from just a year ago.

The $243,000 Median Sales Price was a record for April and was second only in report history to $245,000 in June 2017. In each of the last five years, June has produced the year’s highest Median Sales Price, with July or August posting the second-highest monthly price each year.

Notable metrics from this month’s RE/MAX National Housing Report:

• Thirty-eight of the 53 markets in the report posted more sales than in April 2017, while the 2.5 months supply of inventory tied March as the lowest ever, in the history of the report
• The average Days on Market in April was 52 — that’s five days less than April 2017 and a RE/MAX National Housing Report record for the month.

Please note the name change to this month’s housing report. Beginning in May 2018, the title of the RE/MAX National Housing Report will reflect the month of MLS data being reported on in the report. For example, this April 2018 report reflects the April MLS data.

Read the full article in RE/MAX’s newsroom…

Watch the 40 second summary video on YouTube…