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Weekly Market Report

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For Week Ending October 3, 2020

As the weather continues to cool, real estate activity slowly cools along with it. While buyer activity is following its normal seasonal trend lower, it remains substantially higher than the same time last year, continuing a months-long trend. Strong buyer demand continues to draw down the available inventory of homes for sale at a rapid pace, leaving buyers with fewer homes to choose from and many sellers with multiple offers.

In the Twin Cities region, for the week ending October 3:

  • New Listings increased 10.4% to 1,702
  • Pending Sales increased 19.1% to 1,493
  • Inventory decreased 29.7% to 9,234

For the month of August:

  • Median Sales Price increased 9.8% to $315,000
  • Days on Market decreased 4.9% to 39
  • Percent of Original List Price Received increased 1.3% to 100.3%
  • Months Supply of Homes For Sale decreased 30.8% to 1.8

All comparisons are to 2019

Click here for the full Weekly Market Activity Report. From MAAR Market Data News.

Weekly Market Report

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For Week Ending September 26, 2020

The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that the share of mortgages currently in forbearance dropped to 6.93% as of September 13, 2020, the 15th weekly decline in a row and its lowest level in five months. The share of mortgages in forbearance peaked in June at 8.55%. The continued decline is a positive sign, but current levels suggest many homeowners are still struggling from unemployment or underemployment due to the pandemic.

In the Twin Cities region, for the week ending September 26:

  • New Listings increased 11.2% to 1,747
  • Pending Sales increased 27.7% to 1,449
  • Inventory decreased 31.1% to 9,154

For the month of August:

  • Median Sales Price increased 9.8% to $315,000
  • Days on Market decreased 4.9% to 39
  • Percent of Original List Price Received increased 1.3% to 100.3%
  • Months Supply of Homes For Sale decreased 30.8% to 1.8

All comparisons are to 2019

Click here for the full Weekly Market Activity Report. From MAAR Market Data News.

Weekly Market Report

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For Week Ending September 19, 2020

In the latest National Association of Home Builders / Wells Fargo Housing Market Index report released this week, home builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes rose five points from 78 in August to 83 in September, tying an all-time high in the 35-year history of the index. While lumber prices are up 170% from mid-April, adding more than $16,000 to the price of a typical new single-family home, strong demand by homebuyers has buoyed builders’ outlook.

In the Twin Cities region, for the week ending September 19:

  • New Listings increased 8.6% to 1,854
  • Pending Sales increased 25.8% to 1,527
  • Inventory decreased 31.2% to 9,076

For the month of August:

  • Median Sales Price increased 9.8% to $315,000
  • Days on Market decreased 4.9% to 39
  • Percent of Original List Price Received increased 1.3% to 100.3%
  • Months Supply of Homes For Sale decreased 30.8% to 1.8

All comparisons are to 2019

Click here for the full Weekly Market Activity Report. From MAAR Market Data News.

Another record-setting month despite shortage of listings

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New listings and sales up, price growth strong, but some activity from Q2 was postponed into July/August

(September 18, 2020) – According to new data from the Minneapolis Area REALTORS® and the Saint Paul Area Association of REALTORS®, buyer and seller activity in the 16-county Twin Cities metro both increased from 2019.

After a 12.0 percent gain in July, the number of signed purchase agreements rose 19.7 percent in August, compared to last year. At 7,181 pending sales, August 2020 had the highest recorded pending sales count for the month, and also the highest for any month of any year going back to June 2004. Although some of the pent-up demand from June and July was shifted into August, recent gains have turned year-to-date pending sales positive—now up 4.3 percent compared to 2019.

“Buyers were truly out in force last month,” according to Linda Rogers, President of Minneapolis Area REALTORS®. “The gains were widespread, with both urban and suburban locations appealing to home buyers.”

Relentless demand and diminished supply have accelerated home price growth. The median sales price in the metro rose 9.8 percent to $315,000. Excluding July of this year, that’s the strongest rate of price growth since March 2018. The median price of a newly built home was around $405,000. Historically low mortgage rates below 3.0 percent can partly offset affordability challenges caused by rising prices.

Despite a modest gain in new listings from last August, buyer demand continued to overwhelm sellers. Multiple offer situations are commonplace, and many sellers are accepting offers above list price. In fact, sellers received, on average, 100.3 percent of their original asking price—matching the 18-year record high from June 2018. A balanced market typically has 5-6 months of supply. At just 1.7 months, sellers are still in the driver’s seat.

As sales hit a new high, market times reached a new low. Half of the sales occurred in less than 15 days. “People are searching high and low for properties that meet their needs,” said Patrick Ruble, president of the Saint Paul Area Association of REALTORS®. “Attractive rates and a lack of supply means homes won’t last long on the market.”

While an expectation of prolonged tele-commuting has encouraged some to seek more space farther out, it’s notable that Minneapolis and St. Paul saw sales increase 28.1 and 29.2 percent respectively. New listings were also up notably in both cities. Condo sales rose 1.4 percent across the metro but were up 5.6 percent in Minneapolis and down 17.3 percent in St. Paul. The luxury segment has performed quite well recently. Metro-wide sales over $1M surged 51.1 percent from last August.

AUGUST 2020 BY THE NUMBERS COMPARED TO A YEAR AGO

  • Sellers listed 7,823 properties on the market, a 1.3 percent increase from last August
  • Buyers signed 7,181 purchase agreements, up 19.7 percent (6,765 closed sales, up 0.6 percent)
  • Inventory levels fell 32.4 percent to 8,756 units
  • Months Supply of Inventory was down 34.6 percent to7 months (5-6 months is balanced)
  • The Median Sales Price rose 9.8 percent to $315,000
  • Cumulative Days on Market decreased 4.9 percent to 39 days, on average (median of 15, down 28.6 percent)
  • Changes in Sales activity varied by market segment
    • Single-family sales were up 23.2 percent; condo sales rose 1.4 percent; townhome sales increased 14.8 percent
    • Traditional sales rose 20.4 percent; foreclosure sales were up 23.7 percent; short sales fell 28.6 percent
    • Previously owned sales were up 18.8 percent; new construction sales climbed 46.4 percent

From The Skinny Blog.

Weekly Market Report

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For Week Ending September 12, 2020

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI) in August fell by 4.7 percent to 120.9. A decline in the MCAI indicates that lending standards are tightening, and this latest drop finds the index at its lowest point since March 2014. Tightening lending standards often includes a reduction in loan programs with low credit scores, high loan-to-value ratios, and reduced borrower documentation requirements. So while mortgage rates continue to remain near all-time lows, qualifying for a mortgage is becoming a little more difficult for some borrowers.

In the Twin Cities region, for the week ending September 12:

  • New Listings decreased 3.8% to 1,783
  • Pending Sales increased 13.5% to 1,384
  • Inventory decreased 31.5% to 8,928

For the month of August:

  • Median Sales Price increased 9.8% to $315,000
  • Days on Market decreased 4.9% to 39
  • Percent of Original List Price Received increased 1.3% to 100.3%
  • Months Supply of Homes For Sale decreased 30.8% to 1.8

All comparisons are to 2019

Click here for the full Weekly Market Activity Report. From MAAR Market Data News.

Weekly Market Report

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For Week Ending September 5, 2020

Strong buyer activity continues into the back-to-school season that normally signals the seasonal slowing of the housing market. With more buyers in the market and the continued constrained supply of homes for sale, speedy sales and multiple offers are likely to remain a common occurrence and will keep agents and prospective homebuyers and sellers quite busy this fall.

In the Twin Cities region, for the week ending September 5:

  • New Listings decreased 3.4% to 1,669
  • Pending Sales increased 40.3% to 1,601
  • Inventory decreased 30.2% to 8,942

For the month of July:

  • Median Sales Price increased 10.6% to $313,000
  • Days on Market increased 7.9% to 41
  • Percent of Original List Price Received increased 0.5% to 100.1%
  • Months Supply of Homes For Sale decreased 23.1% to 2.0

All comparisons are to 2019

Click here for the full Weekly Market Activity Report. From MAAR Market Data News.

Weekly Market Report

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For Week Ending August 29, 2020

Mortgage rates continue to remain near all-time lows. This week, mortgage giant Freddie Mac reported that average rates on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage were 2.91% with an average of .8 points, just slightly above the record-low rate of 2.88% recorded earlier in the month. The Federal Reserve has announced that they will be adopting a more flexible monetary policy in an effort to achieve inflation that averages 2% over time, which is likely to keep mortgage rates low and provide further support to economic activity for an extended period of time.

In the Twin Cities region, for the week ending August 29:

  • New Listings increased 24.2% to 1,730
  • Pending Sales increased 18.0% to 1,540
  • Inventory decreased 30.7% to 9,094

For the month of July:

  • Median Sales Price increased 10.6% to $313,000
  • Days on Market increased 7.9% to 41
  • Percent of Original List Price Received increased 0.5% to 100.1%
  • Months Supply of Homes For Sale decreased 29.6% to 1.9

All comparisons are to 2019

Click here for the full Weekly Market Activity Report. From MAAR Market Data News.

Weekly Market Report

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For Week Ending August 22, 2020

New construction activity continues to show strength, reaching pre-COVID-19 levels. The latest report from the Commerce Department and U.S. Housing and Urban Development shows total housing production is up 22.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of nearly 1.5 million units, the highest rate since February. Lumber prices have surged more than 110% since mid-April, adding approximately $14,000 to the typical new single-family home according to National Association of Home Builder estimates. Many are finding new construction home prices have increased in recent months from the pressures of increased costs to builders and strong consumer demand.

In the Twin Cities region, for the week ending August 22:

  • New Listings increased 4.0% to 1,771
  • Pending Sales increased 21.7% to 1,582
  • Inventory decreased 30.3% to 9,262

For the month of July:

  • Median Sales Price increased 10.6% to $313,000
  • Days on Market increased 7.9% to 41
  • Percent of Original List Price Received increased 0.5% to 100.1%
  • Months Supply of Homes For Sale decreased 29.6% to 1.9

All comparisons are to 2019

Click here for the full Weekly Market Activity Report. From MAAR Market Data News.