Tuesday, August 24, 2021 / by Ken Couture
Promising buyers welcome increased inventory
More and more houses are entering the market and buyers are eager to buy them.
The National Association of REALTORS® reported on Monday that existing home sales (including single-family homes, townhouses, apartments, and cooperatives) in July increased by 2% compared to June. The seasonally adjusted annual rate is 5.99 million sets. Sales increased by 1.5% compared to last year.
NAR President Charlie Oppler said that as more and more homes enter the market, opportunities for potential buyers across the country continue to increase. Compared to June, the inventory of homes in July increased by 7.3%, reaching 1.32 million homes for sale.
“We see inventory beginning to tick up, which will lessen the intensity of multiple offers,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. “Much of the home sales growth is still occurring in the upper-end markets, while the mid-to lower-tier areas aren’t seeing as much growth because there are still too few starter homes available.”
But house prices continue to rise. The median price of existing homes for all home types in July was $ 359,900, an increase of nearly 18% year-on-year.
“Although we shouldn’t expect to see home prices drop in the coming months, there is a chance that they will level off as inventory continues to gradually improve,” Yun said. “In the meantime, some prospective buyers who are priced out are raising the demand for rental homes and thereby pushing up the rental rates.”
Here’s a closer look at additional housing indicators from NAR's July housing report:
Days on the market: Properties typically remained on the market for 17 days in July, down from 22 days a year ago. Eighty-nine percent of homes sold in July were on the market for less than a month.
First-time buyers: First-time buyers comprised 30% of sales in July, down from 34% in July 2020.
All-cash buyers: All-cash sales accounted for 23% of transactions in July, up from 16% in July 2020. Individual investors or second-home buyers comprise the majority of cash sales. They purchased 15% of homes in July, unchanged from the 15% seen in July 2020.
Regional Breakdown
Here’s how existing-home sales fared across the country in July:
Northeast: Existing-home sales remained steady in July compared to June, but posted a 12.1% increase from July 2020.Median home price: $411,200, up 23.6% from a year ago.
Midwest: Sales increased 3.8% in July month over month, a 1.4% decline from a year ago. Median home price: $275,300, a 13.1% increase from a year ago.
South: Sales increased 1.2% in July compared to June, reaching a record high annual rate of 2.63 million. That marks a 1.2% increase from a year ago. Median home price: $305,200, a 14.4% from a year ago.
West: Sales increased 3.3% in July compared to June and equal to a year earlier. Median home price: $508,300, up 12.5% from July 2020.
Regional Breakdown
Here’s how existing-home sales fared across the country in July:
Northeast: Existing-home sales remained steady in July compared to June, but posted a 12.1% increase from July 2020.Median home price: $411,200, up 23.6% from a year ago.
Midwest: Sales increased 3.8% in July month over month, a 1.4% decline from a year ago. Median home price: $275,300, a 13.1% increase from a year ago.
South: Sales increased 1.2% in July compared to June, reaching a record high annual rate of 2.63 million. That marks a 1.2% increase from a year ago. Median home price: $305,200, a 14.4% from a year ago.
West: Sales increased 3.3% in July compared to June and equal to a year earlier. Median home price: $508,300, up 12.5% from July 2020.
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