Tag Archives: Redfin

While summer temperatures are now consistently rising into the triple digits in many parts of the country, bidding wars for homes continue to cool, Redfin said in its Real-Time Bidding Wars report for June. Nationally, the percentage of offers written by Redfin agents that faced multiple bids fell for the third straight month to 68.6 percent, down from 69.5 percent in May and 75.7 percent in March. Redfin analyst Ellen Haberle attributed the continued decline to rising mortgage interest rates and an easing in the inventory crunch.

Homebuyer interest diminished somewhat in June, according to Redfin's Real-Time Demand Pulse. According to the brokerage, the number of customers taking tours fell 1.9 percent month-over-month in June, sinking even further than the 1.5 percent drop recorded last year. For the last week of the month, Redfin reported a 2.7 percent decline in tour requests from the prior week (compared to a 2.3 percent decline the same week in 2012). With closed sales typically peaking each year in June, Redfin expects continued monthly declines.

In concurrence with many industry analysts, real estate agents expect price gains to mellow in the near future, according to survey results released by Redfin. Eighty-six percent of agents believe prices will rise over the next few months. However, while a majority of agents expect price gains, a minority expect prices to "rise a lot." The percent of agents who anticipate prices rising "a lot" in coming months fell from 44 percent in the first quarter to just 16 percent in the second quarter, according to Redfin's survey.

In Seattle, Redfin announced the hiring of Chris Nielsen as CFO. Nielsen was most recently CFO and COO of Zappos.com, a destination in online apparel and footwear sales, where he oversaw the company's financial and fulfillment operations. His career has also seen him leading successful retail business segments at Amazon.

Prices shot up in May even as for-sale inventory showed signs of recovery, according to Redfin's Real-Time Price Tracker. According to the brokerage's findings, home prices came in 4.3 percent higher month-over-month and 17.4 percent higher year-over-year in May (to a median $208 per square foot). Eighteen of the 19 markets measured by Redfin saw monthly improvement in prices (Austin being the exception), and all 19 reported yearly increases. Once again, the West proved strongest.

According to Redfin, listings increased 4.2 percent in May, adding to April's 6.4 percent growth. While total inventory was still down 22 percent year-over-year in May, that was still an improvement compared to January's 32 percent annual drop. Some markets are already ahead of the curve: Phoenix turned in a 14.1 percent year-over-year increase in May, while Chicago came in 0.4 percent ahead of last year. On the other hand, markets like Los Angeles and Boston still have a ways to go.

Redfin agents reported 69.5 percent of offers written in May faced competition, a decrease from 73.3 percent in April.

Markets across the nation can expect to see sales soften in June and July, based on early reports from Redfin agents around the country.

As sellers hold their grip on the market, buyers are starting to understand what it's going to take to stay in the game, according to responses in Redfin's second-quarter Real-Time Home-Buyer Report. It was determined that although buyer frustration concerning the low amount of inventory continues to rise, there is an equal elevation in their individuals awareness and recognition of the seller's market, as well as an overall willingness to actually pay more out of pocket for purchasing real estate.

According to the Redfin's Fastest Real Estate Markets Report, the number of homes under contract within two weeks of debut increased 3 percent month-over-month and 39 percent year-over-year in April.