theMReport.com Your trusted source for mortgage banking news
April was a quick selling month for the housing market, according to Redfin. Homes sold faster during the month than any other month Redfin has recorded since 2010, with homes staying on the market for just 36 days on average. This is six days faster than April of 2017. Homes were more expensive as well, with the national home sale price crossing the $300,000-mark for the first time in Redfin’s history. The median national home price was $302,000.
“Despite rising prices and low inventory, sales in 2018 so far are slightly higher than last year, which was the best year on record since the 2006 housing boom,” said Redfin Chief Economist Nela Richardson. “As we enter peak homebuying season, new listings will be key in maintaining sales growth and moderating the rapid price increases we’ve seen this year.”
In April the market gained a 5.7 percent month-over-month increase in newly listed homes for sale, a welcome relief in a month that saw a 9.2 percent year-over-year decrease in available homes. Of all the homes for sale in April, 26.2 percent sold for above their list price, a year-over-year increase from April 2017’s 24.9 percent.
Redfin also notes that only 2.8 months of supply remained at the end of April, while six months of supply is the signal of a healthy market. Tough competition due to the limited supply has raised prices in every large metro; no metro area with a population of 750,000 or more saw any decline in prices in April.
According to Redfin, Michigan metros were the most competitive and fastest growing in the nation. Detroit experienced a 21.2 percent year-over-year price increase, the second highest in the nation behind San Jose, followed by Grand Rapids, where homes spent on average just nine days on the market.
“Detroit and Grand Rapids are no different than other cities dealing with low inventory. In addition, buyers are pouring in from the east coast, west coast, and Chicago, which is adding to the demand,” said Kent Selders, a Redfin Market Manager in Michigan.
See how inventory shortages and price increases are impacting other metros here.
