Is the RE Market finally favoring Buyers again?

justice-scalesPER the latest Cromford Report…

Supply between $200K-$250K has Risen 8.1% since May
Seller Price Reductions Up 7% in Popular Price Range

For Buyers:
If your budget lies somewhere between $200,000 and $400,000 for a home, there’s good news for you.  Supply between $200,000 and $250,000 has been rising gradually over the past 12 weeks.  After dropping 15% from 2,300 listings in January to 1,944 in May, it has since risen 8.1% to 2,101 listings in August, placing it only 6.7% below last year’s count instead of 18% below like it was 3-4 months ago. Listings between $250,000 and $400,000 have also risen sharply 5.3% from 4,791 to 5,044 over the past 4 weeks, placing them only 0.2% below last year’s count of 5,053 listings. The increase in competition has resulted in a notable 7.3% increase in weekly seller price reductions from an average of 778 per week in June to 835 in July.  56% of year-to-date sales in Greater Phoenix have been between $200K-$400K so this increase in supply should come as a little bit of relief for the majority of buyers.

For Sellers:
If you have a home listed between $200,000 and $400,000, then you make up 48% of everything that’s listed in the MLS.  Listings under contract in this price range have averaged 7.4% higher in volume than 2017 all year, until now.  Over the last two weeks, including the end of July through the first week in August, listings in escrow have dropped to 2.2% below last year’s level.  Buyer activity is expected to slow seasonally from the peak in April through the end of the year; however open contracts have dropped 26% since the 2018 April peak compared to a lower 20% drop in 2017 over the same time frame; all while corresponding supply has been rising.  Sellers haven’t seemed to notice this sharper decline as their average asking price per square foot has soared from just 3% higher than last year in March to as high as 7% higher in July.  The average sales price per square foot was up 5.9% in July, compared to 4.6% in June.  However, price is a lagging responder to shifts in supply and demand. We will have to wait and see if buyers accommodate sellers’ price expectations given that they have more to choose from in the marketplace right now.

cmi-2018-08-09

What we’ve seen in our office lately is definitely Buyers with more options.  It’s too early to tell if this trend will continue for the Buyers but it’s been a long time in our memory since we’ve seen Buyers with options which is a good thing.  We will keep you posted as we track the market if we continue to see Cities in the “red” like in the above chart showing a decline from recent record peaks.

AS ALWAYS; We are happy to do a personalized analysis of your home or a home you’re considering, as every neighborhood varies and each home does as well.  Just reach out either via email @ Team@integrityallstars.com , call our office 480-243-4242 or message us on one of our many social media sites.  We are ALWAYS happy to help with your real estate needs!