Inevitably, most housing markets tend to wind down at the end of each year. There are gifts to purchase, holiday travels to plan and kids to care for during winter break. This isn’t the case for all buyers and sellers, of course, but there are enough who follow this traditional path to create a trend view that shows creatures not stirring. Be prepared for at least two weeks of lessened activity before things pick up again in January.

In the Twin Cities region, for the week ending December 28:

• New Listings decreased 14.5% to 307
• Pending Sales decreased 7.8% to 400
• Inventory decreased 9.1% to 12,707

For the month of November:

• Median Sales Price increased 13.4% to $195,000
• Days on Market decreased 26.5% to 75
• Percent of Original List Price Received increased 1.3% to 95.4%
• Months Supply of Inventory decreased 10.8% to 3.3

All comparisons are to 2013

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

Gains in construction activity and job growth have made the Fed confident that moderate bond tapering won’t rock the resilient real estate market. Holiday happenings have bolstered an already healthy economy. And though winter vacation jubilee may accentuate seasonally lazy home sales, most local markets should show cozy year-over-year comparisons.

In the Twin Cities region, for the week ending December 21:

• New Listings decreased 15.3% to 558
• Pending Sales decreased 11.0% to 689
• Inventory decreased 7.3% to 13,283

For the month of November:

• Median Sales Price increased 13.4% to $195,000
• Days on Market decreased 26.5% to 75
• Percent of Original List Price Received increased 1.3% to 95.4%
Months Supply of Inventory decreased 11.1% to 3.2

All comparisons are to 2012

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

A plethora of economic data was recently released, and it shows that exports rose
to their highest level ever while job growth numbers have surpassed even the most hopeful Wall Street expectations. But good news isn’t always good news, since this means that the Fed is going to begin tapering its historic bond-buying activity as the economy heals. Stocks may take a dip. But, with some luck, the demand-side effect of the impending rate increase could be offset by stronger economic fundamentals that should keep the housing market humming along.

In the Twin Cities region, for the week ending December 14:

• New Listings decreased 1.9% to 759
• Pending Sales decreased 11.1% to 656
• Inventory decreased 6.5% to 13,728

For the month of November:

• Median Sales Price increased 13.4% to $195,000
• Days on Market decreased 26.5% to 75
• Percent of Original List Price Received increased 1.3% to 95.4%
• Months Supply of Inventory decreased 11.1% to 3.2

All comparisons are to 2012

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

The first week in December this year was filled with Black Friday and Cyber
Monday deals – this means more people were clamoring in line at 2:00 a.m.
waiting for a Suzie-Talks-A-Lot than were attending open houses. Seasonal trends
should be evident in a slight market slowdown, but year-over-year comparisons
will still brighten any burgeoning bah-humbuggers.

In the Twin Cities region, for the week ending December 7:

• New Listings decreased 5.7% to 887
• Pending Sales increased 0.9% to 751
• Inventory decreased 5.6% to 14,043

For the month of November:

• Median Sales Price increased 13.4% to $195,000
• Days on Market decreased 26.5% to 75
• Percent of Original List Price Received increased 1.3% to 95.4%
• Months Supply of Inventory decreased 11.1% to 3.2

All comparisons are to 2012

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