Sales Increase Nearly 2%, Despite Record Prices, Sinking Inventory

RE/MAX National Housing Report on July 2018 MLS Data from 54 Metro Areas

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Aug 16, 2018, 07:30 ET

DENVER, Aug. 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- July home sales rose 1.8% year-over-year, making it the second month of 2018 to post a sales increase year-over-year, according to the RE/MAX National Housing Report. To access the housing report infographic, visit: https://rem.ax/2phKHWT.

In the July 2018 report, 37 of the report's 54 metro areas posted sales increases over July 2017—April was the first month of 2018 where more homes were sold than the same month in 2017. The report also marks the 28th consecutive month of year-over-year price increases.

The Median Sales Price of $250,575 was up 4.4% from July 2017, and represents the third-highest price in report history—topped only by May and June of this year. Months Supply of Inventory was at 2.9 – the smallest total ever recorded for July.

Forty-two of the 54 metro areas reported a year-over-year drop in inventory. The Days on Market dropped to 41 – four days less than July 2017 and one day under the previous nine-year low set in June 2018.

"Because we've faced challenging inventories and increasing home prices for some time now, a seasonal slowdown that rebalances the market a bit might actually be a positive in the months ahead," said RE/MAX CEO Adam Contos. "It could level affordability to some extent and create more opportunity for buyers who've been priced out of hot markets."

Closed Transactions
Of the 54 metro areas surveyed in July 2018, the overall average number of home sales was down 8.7% compared to June 2018, yet increased 1.8% compared to July 2017. Thirty-seven of the 54 metro areas experienced an increase in sales year-over-year, including Billings, MT, +27.4%, Tulsa, OK, +13.2%, Richmond, VA, +12.9% and Pittsburgh, PA, +11%.

Median Sales Price – Median of 54 metro median prices
In July 2018, the median of all 54 metro Median Sales Prices was $250,575, down 3.1% from June 2018 and up 4.4% from July 2017. Only four metro areas saw a year-over-year decrease in Median Sales Price, including Wilmington/Dover, DE, -2.2% and Trenton, NJ, -0.7%. Four metro areas increased year-over-year by double-digit percentages, with the largest increases seen in Boise, ID, +18.8%, Omaha, NE, +12.7%, San Francisco, CA, +12.6% and Salt Lake City, UT, +12.4%.

Days on Market – Average of 54 metro areas
The average Days on Market for homes sold in July 2018 was 41, down one day from the average in June 2018, and down 4 days from the July 2017 average. The metro areas with the lowest Days on Market were Seattle, WA, at 19, Omaha, NE, at 20, and Denver, CO and San Francisco, CA tied at 22. The highest Days on Market averages were in Augusta, ME, at 89, Miami, FL, at 83, Hartford, CT at 76 and New York, NY, at 65. Days on Market is the number of days between when a home is first listed in an MLS and a sales contract is signed.

Months Supply of Inventory – Average of 54 metro areas
The number of homes for sale in July 2018 was down 0.3% from June 2018, and down 7.8% from July 2017. Based on the rate of home sales in July, the Months Supply of Inventory increased to 2.9 from 2.7 in June 2018, and decreased from 3.1 in July 2017. A 6.0-months supply indicates a market balanced equally between buyers and sellers. In July 2018, all but one of 54 metro areas surveyed reported a months supply at or less than 6.0, which is typically considered a seller's market. The markets with the lowest Months Supply of Inventory are San Francisco, CA, and Boise, ID, tied at 1.4, Denver, CO, at 1.5 and Salt Lake City, UT, at 1.6.

For specific data in this report or to request an interview, please contact [email protected].

About the RE/MAX Network
As one of the leading global real estate franchisors, RE/MAX, LLC is a subsidiary of RE/MAX Holdings (NYSE: RMAX) with over 120,000 agents in more than 100 countries and territories. Nobody in the world sells more real estate than RE/MAX, as measured by residential transaction sides. Dedicated to innovation and change in the real estate industry, RE/MAX launched Motto Mortgage, a ground-breaking mortgage franchisor, in 2016 and acquired booj, a real estate technology company, in 2018. RE/MAX agents have lived, worked and served in their local communities for decades, raising millions of dollars every year for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals® and other charities. To learn more about RE/MAX, to search home listings or find an agent in your community, please visit www.remax.com. For the latest news about RE/MAX, please visit www.remax.com/newsroom.

Description
The RE/MAX National Housing Report is distributed each month on or about the 15^th. The first Report was distributed in August 2008. The Report is based on MLS data in approximately 54 metropolitan areas, includes all residential property types, and is not annualized. For maximum representation, many of the largest metro areas in the country are represented, and an attempt is made to include at least one metro from each state. Metro area definitions include the specific counties established by the U.S. Government's Office of Management and Budget, with some exceptions.

Definitions
Transactions are the total number of closed residential transactions during the given month. Months Supply of Inventory is the total number of residential properties listed for sale at the end of the month (current inventory) divided by the number of sales contracts signed (pended) during the month. Where "pended" data is unavailable, this calculation is made using closed transactions. Days on Market is the number of days that pass from the time a property is listed until the property goes under contract for all residential properties sold during the month. Median Sales Price is the median of the median sales prices in each of the metro areas included in the survey.

MLS data is provided by contracted data aggregators, RE/MAX brokerages and regional offices. While MLS data is believed to be accurate, it cannot be guaranteed. MLS data is constantly being updated, making any analysis a snapshot at a particular time. Every month the RE/MAX National Housing Report re-calculates the previous period's data to ensure accuracy over time. All raw data remains the intellectual property of each local MLS organization.

SOURCE RE/MAX, LLC