Sellers are returning to the housing market as the number of homes newly listed for sale surpassed 2019 levels for the first time since the start of the year, according to a new report from Redfin (redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage.
Despite a long-awaited increase in the supply of homes for sale, homebuying demand continued to slip, leaving the market feeling a few degrees cooler.
Key housing market takeaways for 400+ U.S. metro areas:
Unless otherwise noted, this data covers the four-week period ending July 4. Redfin’s housing market data goes back through 2012.
Data based on homes listed and/or sold during the period:
Other leading indicators of homebuying activity:
Pending sales posted their smallest year-over-year increase in almost a year, and fell twice as fast month over month as they did during this same time in 2009. The Redfin Homebuyer Demand Index—a measure of requests for home tours and other services from Redfin agents—also fell 1.2% week-over-week, and there was a similar decline in mortgage purchase applications.
Despite the softening, the housing market is still very much tilted in sellers’ favor. Home prices are at record highs and more than 20% above the level they were a year earlier, and homes continued to sell faster than ever, with the typical home lasting just 15 days on the market. However, days on market have been flat for the past four weeks after falling for 18 straight weeks between February and June, and the share of homes sold above list price has flatlined after sharply rising over the same period.
“Many buyers have backed away from the housing market and are waiting until more and better homes are listed,” said Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather. “Buyers don’t have the same sense of urgency that they did at the beginning of the year. They aren’t racing to buy before prices increase, because asking prices have already increased and stabilized. And they aren’t racing to buy before mortgage rates go up, because rates have dropped back below 3% and are likely to stay low. With more new listings starting to come on the market, buyers who threw in the towel may want to look again because the market is tilting more in their favor.”
About Redfin
Redfin (www.redfin.com) is a technology-powered real estate broker, instant home-buyer (iBuyer), lender, title insurer, and renovations company. We sell homes for more money and charge half the fee. We also run the country’s #1 real-estate brokerage site. Our home-buying customers see homes first with on-demand tours, and our lending and title services help them close quickly. Customers selling a home can take an instant cash offer from Redfin or have our renovations crew fix up their home to sell for top dollar. Since launching in 2006, we’ve saved customers more than $1 billion in commissions. We serve more than 95 markets across the U.S. and Canada and employ over 4,100 people.
For more information or to contact a local Redfin real estate agent, visit www.redfin.com. To learn about housing market trends and download data, visit the Redfin Data Center. To be added to Redfin’s press release distribution list, email press@redfin.com.