Queen Anne and Magnolia - State of the Market Update

When comparing February of 2012 to past years, more home buyers entered the market with 54 pending listings. This is up from 38 in January.

Month to month closed sales remained flat with 25 home closed. While the number of active listings moved up slightly from January but remains low when compared to prior years. The average days-on-market for a home to sell was 116 days. Up significantly from January. The absorption rate was at 4.92% making a 5 month supply of homes. Normal is 6 months.

When comparing the number of active listings to the number of pending a ratio can be created. This is a good indicator of what home buyers are doing and how active the market is. The ratio of active and pending listings in February moved up to 46%. The ratio for the 2nd week of March was 67%. This is a sign that the market is shifting from a Buyer’s Market to a Seller’s Market. The supply of homes on the market is low and the demand is on the rise.

Keep in mind, these statistics are averages. Some price ranges are more active than others. The hottest price range is $450,000 to $500,000. While the market is slow above $1.25 million.
In the last 6 years the median home price has moved down 15% to $475,000.

As I mentioned last month, home values and mortgage interest rates are low. The monthly mortgage payment for a home has become much more affordable.