Realtor.com® July Housing Report: Inventory Hits Post-Pandemic High
Seattle (37.3%), San Jose (30.8%) and Columbus (17.4%) See Highest Gains in New Listings this July
According to the Realtor.com® July housing data, the market is becoming more buyer friendly through a combination of rising inventory levels and price cut reductions. Homes actively for sale grew 36.6% in July 2024 relative to the same time last year, hitting a post-pandemic high, while the share of listings with price cuts reached 18.9%, the highest rate since October.
“The inventory scars of the pandemic-era housing market are continuing to fade,” said Danielle Hale, Chief Economist of Realtor.com® “Although active listings are still short of the pre-pandemic mark, we saw the gap continue to narrow meaningfully as active listings hit a post-pandemic high. As sellers continue to list homes and buyers become choosier, the time a home spends on the market is extending, thereby helping the housing market move in a more buyer-friendly direction. In response, sellers are curbing expectations and reducing listing prices more often which could set the stage for more sales this fall, especially if mortgage rates continue to decline.”
July 2024 Housing Metrics – National
| Metric | Change over Jul 2023 | Change over Jul 2019 |
| Median List Price Per Sq.Ft. | +3.1 % | +52.3 |
| Median listing price | +0.0% (to $439,950) | +37.7 % |
| Active listings | +36.6 % | -28.6 % |
| New listings | +3.6 % | -24.5 % |
| Median days on market | +5 days (to 50 days) | -8 days |
| Share of active listings with price reductions | +3.4 percentage points(to 18.9%) | +1.3 percentage points |
Inventory Hits Post-Pandemic High
July brings a growth in inventory across the country as all four regions saw active inventory grow year-over-year. Nationwide the total number of homes for sale increased by 22.6%, growing for the ninth straight month and surpassing last month’s rate of 22.4%. While inventory still sits below pre-pandemic levels, the gap between the 2017-2019 and present day levels is getting smaller. In particular, the South and the West experienced the most gains, with a growth in listings of 47.6% and 35.4%, respectively. The two regions are also closing the pre-pandemic and present day gap in inventory the most, with the South’s inventory hovering 14% below pre-pandemic levels, while the West’s inventory sits at 19.4% below. There is still a sizable difference in the gaps that need to be closed in the Midwest and the Northeast, where inventory still sits below pre-pandemic levels by 46.8% and 55.5%, respectively.
“In addition to seeing inventory levels rise to heights not seen since before the pandemic, buyers are also seeing sellers cut prices on a much larger share of homes than last year,” said Realtor.com® Senior Economist Ralph McLaughlin. “These are signs that the housing market is healing from an unhealthy state and becoming more balanced.”
Sellers Warm Up to Listing Homes and Cutting Prices
With the recent decrease in mortgage rates, more sellers are getting into the market and have seemingly open minds as the share of listings with price cuts increased to 18.9%; the highest since October of last year. While all 50 of the top metros saw share of listings with price cuts increase year-over-year, the metros that saw the most include Denver (32.4%), Austin (31.4%), and Tampa (30.6%). Additionally, newly listed homes on the market grew by 3.6% this month compared with the same time last year, but measurably lower than June 2024’s 6.6% figure. This marks the ninth consecutive month of an increased number of newly listed homes, leading to more options and availability of homes for those who are eager to buy.
Homes Linger on Market Longer
While options for homes are on the rise, the time homes are spending on the market is also growing. This month, the typical home spent 50 days on the market, which is the fourth month in a row where time spent on market is more than it was during the previous year, meaning buyers have more of an opportunity to scoop up a home they’ve been eyeing than in previous months. That being said, while it’s five more days than the time the typical home spent on the market in July 2023, it’s still more than a week (8 days) less than the time spent in July from 2017-2019.
Additional details and full analysis of the market inventory levels and additional trends in listing prices and more can be found in the Realtor.com® July Monthly Housing Report.
SOURCE Realtor.com
