It is heartening to see new, pending, and coming soon listings all rising this week. Even more exciting is seeing 4,173 new and coming soon listings when you add them together!
New and coming soon listings added together total 4,173 this week… the highest ever for either new listings alone or the two combined since I started recording weekly stats in April 2011.
Showings were about what they were in 2019, following the typical spring curve. Interesting that the year started on track with last year’s strong start before the pandemic… now closer to 2019… will be interesting to see where they go as the year progresses.
from our blog at Keeping Matters Current
At the beginning of the year, industry forecasts called for home price appreciation to slow to about half of the double-digit increase we saw last year. The thinking was that inventory would increase from record-low levels and put an end to the bidding wars that have driven home prices up over the past twelve months. However, that increase in inventory has yet to materialize. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reports that there are currently 410,000 fewer single-family homes available for sale than there were at this time last year.
This has forced those who made appreciation forecasts this past January to amend those projections. The Mortgage Bankers Association, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the National Association of Realtors, and Zelman & Associates have all adjusted their numbers upward after reviewing first quarter housing data. Here are their original forecasts and their newly updated projections:
Even with the increases, the updated projections still don’t reach the above 10% appreciation levels of 2020. However, a jump in the average projection from 5.3% to 7.7% after just one quarter is substantial. Demand will remain strong, so future appreciation will be determined by how quickly listing inventory makes its way to the market.
Bottom Line
Entering 2021, there was some speculation that we might see price appreciation slow dramatically this year. Today, experts believe that won’t be the case. Home values will remain strong throughout the year.
