article thumbnail

Eight states now have more unsold inventory than in 2019. Here’s why.

Housing Wire

Unsold inventory of homes on the market has been climbing in the U.S. In general, inventory rises with rates because more expensive money slows demand. When demand slows, inventory grows. But still, there are about 300,000 fewer homes on the market now than in August of 2019. That is, eight states are back to “normal.”

Inventory 479
article thumbnail

Rising inventory is the most positive housing market story in 2024

Housing Wire

The most positive development in the housing market over 2024 has been the increase in active housing inventory , which is approaching the levels seen in 2019. Although those 2019 levels represent a five-decade low before COVID-19, the market was still functioning better than it did from 2020 to 2023.

Inventory 506
Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Housing inventory has never been lower

Housing Wire

It’s official – housing inventory in America is at a crisis level. During the four week period ending November 28, the number of active listings was a 23% decrease compared to the same time period in 2020 and a 42% drop compared to 2019. This marks a 14% year-over-year increase and a 31% increase from 2019.

Inventory 516
article thumbnail

Housing inventory is down everywhere except in pandemic hotspots. Here’s why.

Housing Wire

Altos Research data of inventory by state reflects this trend. High mortgage rates have prompted homeowners with rates in the 3% to 4% range to stay put, stifling inventory and home sales across the nation. Comparing current levels of housing inventory to those of 2019 reveals that listings are down in almost every state.

Inventory 462
article thumbnail

Housing inventory is up, but so are unsold listings. Are renters to blame?

Housing Wire

Rising housing inventory levels in 2024 may not be the positive sign of market health that they appear to be. High inventory levels contribute to another problem as active listings are remaining unsold for longer periods. Redfin refers to these listings as “stale inventory.” ” According to the report, 54.5%

Inventory 425
article thumbnail

Housing inventory up nearly 55% in December

Housing Wire

The housing inventory shortage dominated much of the conversation surrounding the housing market in 2022, but thanks to softening homebuyer demand, the number of active listings finished the year up 54.7% Despite this sizable yearly increase, active housing inventory was down 33.4% compared to December 2019 and 38.2%

Inventory 521
article thumbnail

Is housing inventory growth really slowing down?

Housing Wire

One of the most important housing market stories in recent weeks has been the decline in new listings , which has slowed the growth rate of total inventory. One thing that I have stressed is that higher mortgage rates can create a slowdown in demand and thus allow more inventory to accumulate through a weakness in demand. million to 1.93

Inventory 526