Redfin: Home Prices and Buyer Competition Hit New Highs in June as Inventory Drought Dragged into 21st Consecutive Month

New records set: 26.6 percent of homes sold in June went for more than their asking price and the typical home found a buyer in 36 days

In Denver, Seattle and Portland, the typical home sold in June was off the market in a week

SEATTLE--()--U.S. home prices rose 7.3 percent to a median sale price of $298,000 in June, according to Redfin (www.redfin.com), the next-generation real estate brokerage. This is the highest national median sale price Redfin has recorded since the company began keeping track in 2010.

Home sales increased 1.9 percent compared to last year, constrained by a long-standing inventory shortage. The number of homes for sale fell 10.7 percent, leaving just 2.5 months of supply—the lowest supply on record since 2010—and well below the six months that represents a market balanced between buyers and sellers.

Every record in market speed and competition that was set in May was broken again in June. The typical home that sold in June went under contract in 36 days, one day faster than in May, setting a new record-fast pace for home sales. Denver, Portland and Seattle were the fastest-moving markets, with the typical home in each market finding a buyer in just seven days. More than a quarter (26.6%) of homes sold above their list price, the highest percentage Redfin has recorded. The average sale-to-list price ratio hit a record high of 95.5 percent in June.

“This market is unlike any we’ve ever seen before,” said Redfin chief economist Nela Richardson. “Month after month, new records are set for the pace at which homes are going under contract. Demand continues to swell while supply troughs. For buyers competing in this market, it’s survival of the fittest. The strongest offers that are most likely to close quickly and smoothly rise to the top of the pile.”

Regional June Highlights

Competition

  • Denver, CO, Portland, OR and Seattle, WA tied for fastest market at 7 median days on market, followed by Grand Rapids, MI (8) and Boston, MA (9).
  • The most competitive market in June was San Jose, CA where 73.7% of homes sold above list price, followed by 70.6% in San Francisco, CA, 69.8% in Oakland, CA, 62.3% in Seattle, WA, and 52.6% in Tacoma, WA.

Prices

  • Fort Lauderdale, FL had the nation’s highest price growth, rising 15.6% since last year to $260,000, followed by Nashville, TN (14%), Seattle, WA (13.5%), Tacoma, WA (12.2%), and Deltona, FL (12.1%).
  • Two metros saw price declines in June: Greensboro, NC (-1.2%), and Tulsa, OK (-0.3%).

Sales

  • Ten out of 89 metros saw sales surge by double digits from last year. Poughkeepsie, NY led the nation in year-over-year sales growth, up 42.6%, followed by Camden, NJ, up 23.1%. Lakeland, FL rounded out the top three with sales up 16.3% from a year ago.
  • Buffalo, NY saw the largest decline in sales since last year, falling 26.9%. Home sales in Rochester, NY and Fort Lauderdale, FL declined by 21.2% and 15.5%, respectively.

Inventory

  • San Jose, CA had the largest decrease in overall inventory, falling 42.2% since last June. Rochester, NY (-29.7%), San Francisco, CA (-26.6%), and Tampa, FL (-26.5%) also saw far fewer homes available on the market than a year ago.
  • Three metros in Utah saw the highest increases in the number of homes for sale. Ogden, UT had the highest increase in inventory, up 40.5% year over year, followed by Provo, UT (36.7%) and Salt Lake City, UT (30.1%).

To read the full report, complete with data and charts, please visit the following link: https://www.redfin.com/blog/2017/07/market-tracker-june-2017.html

About Redfin

Redfin (www.redfin.com) is the next-generation real estate brokerage, combining its own full-service agents with modern technology to redefine real estate in the consumer's favor. Founded by software engineers, Redfin has the country's #1 brokerage website and offers a host of online tools to consumers, including the Redfin Estimate, the automated home-value estimate with the industry's lowest published error rate for listed homes. Homebuyers and sellers enjoy a full-service, technology-powered experience from Redfin real estate agents, while saving thousands in commissions. Redfin serves more than 80 major metro areas across the U.S. The company has closed more than $40 billion in home sales.

For more information or to contact a local Redfin real estate agent, visit www.redfin.com. To learn about housing market trends and download data, visit the Redfin Data Center. To be added to Redfin's press release distribution list, subscribe here. To view Redfin's press center, click here.

Contacts

Redfin Journalist Services:
Alina Ptaszynski, 206-588-6863
press@redfin.com

Social Media Profiles

Contacts

Redfin Journalist Services:
Alina Ptaszynski, 206-588-6863
press@redfin.com