Weekly Market Activity Report
Daylight hours may be increasing but contrary to seasonal norms, the number of homes for sale continues to remain about the same. There are now 22,449 active listings in the Twin Cities, 14.4 percent fewer than last year. Nine consecutive weeks of year-over-year inventory decline bring a number of implications—mostly good, some not so good.
On the good side, sellers have fewer properties to compete with. This should quicken market times and increase seller leverage at the closing table. Improving demand with unchanging supply has the tendency to lift prices. On the not-so-good side, buyers have fewer options than in recent years. In light of skyrocketing affordability, historically low interest rates, foreclosure bargains, favorable negotiations and low prices, buyers are still proving to be either very patient, highly cost-conscious or both. Even so, purchase demand has more or less kept pace with non-incentivized 2009 levels.
New Listings decreased for the 14th consecutive week, dropping 19.2 percent to 1,738 properties. Pending Sales hit their highest weekly total this year but still trail last year's pace, down 25.1 percent year-over-year to 840 purchase agreements signed.