Monday, March 11th, 2019

For Week Ending March 2, 2019

Sales totals have been mixed across the nation and dependent on what has been a considerably persistent wintry mix in the Great Plains, Midwest and Northeast. While this time of year brings unpleasant weather to all parts of the country, it has less impact on southern and western states. While there is no true national real estate market, overarching trends continue to be higher prices and more inventory, especially west of the Rocky Mountains. Let’s look more closely at what is happening locally.

In the Twin Cities region, for the week ending March 2:

  • New Listings decreased 20.0% to 1,257
  • Pending Sales decreased 13.3% to 923
  • Inventory decreased 5.5% to 8,009

For the month of January:

  • Median Sales Price increased 6.1% to $259,000
  • Days on Market decreased 5.8% to 65
  • Percent of Original List Price Received increased 0.1% to 97.0%
  • Months Supply of Homes For Sale increased 13.3% to 1.7

All comparisons are to 2018

Click here for the full Weekly Market Activity Report. From The Skinny Blog.

Posted in Weekly Report |
Monday, March 4th, 2019

For Week Ending February 23, 2019

Two years ago, Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) passed older generational groups to account for the most new mortgages. Today, Millennials also account for the most total dollar amount of those mortgages. Given the state of ongoing median sales price increases in the majority of the country, this should not come as a surprise. And given the positive state of the U.S. economy, finding the correct balance between positive sales figures and sales prices will be a dominant theme of 2019.

In the Twin Cities region, for the week ending February 23:

  • New Listings decreased 25.0% to 949
  • Pending Sales decreased 12.6% to 866
  • Inventory decreased 3.0% to 8,093

For the month of January:

  • Median Sales Price increased 6.1% to $259,000
  • Days on Market decreased 5.8% to 65
  • Percent of Original List Price Received increased 0.1% to 97.0%
  • Months Supply of Homes For Sale increased 13.3% to 1.7

All comparisons are to 2018

Click here for the full Weekly Market Activity Report. From The Skinny Blog.

Posted in Weekly Report |
Monday, February 25th, 2019

For Week Ending February 16, 2019

The National Association of REALTORS® has reported in the last month that national existing-home sales and pending sales are both down in year-over-year comparisons, but that has not necessarily been a constant from market to market. While weather-related events have hampered some of the necessary machinations of making home sales, buyers have shown determination toward achieving their homeownership goals. This week has shown some sales strain in many markets, but spring is just around the corner.

In the Twin Cities region, for the week ending February 16:

  • New Listings decreased 20.5% to 1,018
  • Pending Sales decreased 10.5% to 810
  • Inventory decreased 2.5% to 8,043

For the month of January:

  • Median Sales Price increased 6.1% to $259,000
  • Days on Market decreased 5.8% to 65
  • Percent of Original List Price Received increased 0.1% to 97.0%
  • Months Supply of Homes For Sale increased 13.3% to 1.7

All comparisons are to 2018

Click here for the full Weekly Market Activity Report. From The Skinny Blog.

Posted in Weekly Report |
Thursday, February 21st, 2019
By David Arbit on Tuesday, February 19th, 2019

The latest numbers show that 2019 was off to a good start for TwinCities residential real estate. Sellers produced another increase in listing activity, while buyers entered into more contracts than last January even while closed sales fell. Market times continued to shrink as the median sold home price rose compared to last year. After two months of declines, the ratio of sold to list price rose slightly in January. There are some early indications the market is improving for buyers, even though sellers still have strong negotiating leverage and quick market times.

The number of active listings for sale has increased compared to the prior year. Buyers have seen inventory gains for four consecutive months. Months supply also ticked up to 1.6 months, suggesting the market is still tight but rebalancing and normalizing. After increasing to 5.0 percent in November, mortgage rates have settled back down around 4.5 percent. The lack of supply is especially noticeable at the entry-level prices, where multiple offers and homes selling for over list price are commonplace. The move-up and upper-bracket segments are less competitive and better supplied. Inventory could rise substantially, and we’d still have a balanced market.

January 2019 by the Numbers
(compared to a year ago)

– Sellers listed 4,359 properties on the market, a 7.8 percent increase from last January
– Buyers closed on 2,681 homes, a 4.6 percent decrease
– Inventory levels for January rose 1.1 percent compared to 2018 to 7,828 units
– Months Supply of Inventory increased 6.7 percent to 1.6 months
– The Median Sales Price rose 6.1 percent to $258,900, a record high for January
– Cumulative Days on Market declined 5.8 percent to 65 days, on average (median of 44)
– Changes in Sales activity varied by market segment:
– Single family sales fell 5.2 percent; condo sales rose 5.3 percent; townhome sales declined 2.9 percent
– Traditional sales decreased 1.4 percent; foreclosure sales sank 50.3 percent; short sales were flat
– Previously-owned sales were down 5.5 percent; new construction sales ramped up by 12.8 percent

Quotables

“We’re still very much undersupplied locally and nationally,” said Todd Urbanski, President of Minneapolis Area REALTORS®. “We’re expecting 2019 to be a good year for both buyers and sellers.”

“Our data shows slightly more inventory, and rates are down from where they were at the end of last year,” said Linda Rogers, President-Elect of Minneapolis Area REALTORS®. “Buyers should know that they’re going to find more options out there this spring and summer.”

All information is according to the Minneapolis Area REALTORS® based on data from NorthstarMLS. Minneapolis Area REALTORS® is the leading regional advocate and provider of information services and research on the real estate industry for brokers, real estate professionals and the public. We serve the Twin Cities 16-county metro area and western Wisconsin.
From The Skinny Blog.

Posted in The Skinny |
Thursday, February 21st, 2019

“Despite a strong U.S. economy, historically low unemployment and steady wage growth, home sales began to slow across the nation in late last year.”

Posted in Monthly Skinny Video |