Realtor.com® Monthly Housing Report: September is No Longer the Best Time to Buy a Home

Rhea-AI Summary

The September Monthly Housing Trends Report from realtor.com® reveals that the usual seasonal drop in home buying is absent in 2020 due to pandemic-driven demand. Buyers now face 25% more competition and are paying $20,000 more for homes. Listings have decreased by 21% compared to the year's start, while home prices rose by 17%. Homes sold 12 days faster than expected, driven by high demand and low inventory. Notably, significant price increases were observed in major metros like Cincinnati (+16.9%) and Boston (+16.4%).

Positive

• High demand for homes as evidenced by increased buyer interest during the fall.
• Competitive market conditions leading to faster home sales, with homes selling 12 days quicker than expected.

Negative

• 21% decrease in listings compared to the start of the year.
• Home prices have surged by 17%, putting financial strain on buyers.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Oct. 1, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- September is typically the best time of year to buy a home because there are usually more homes for sale, less competition from other buyers, and lower home prices -- but that is not the case this year, according to realtor.com^®'s September Monthly Housing Trends Report. Instead, a pandemic-fueled buying spree has led to an unusually competitive fall homebuying season where typical buyers are paying roughly $20,000 more for a home and face 25% more competition than at the start of the year.

"Many buyers tend to put their home search on hold after the start of the school year, but remote learning and the desire for more space continued to fuel buyer interest in September," said Danielle Hale, chief economist, realtor.com^®. "Unseasonably high buyer interest coupled with historically low inventory and favorable mortgage rates are creating a perfect storm in the housing market. While this is good news for anyone looking to sell their home, it has created tremendous competition among buyers."

September is not the best time to buy in 2020

Last year the best time to buy a home was the week of Sept. 22-28 and if 2020 was following the same pattern, it would have been Sept. 20-26. During this week, the housing market has typically cooled down, but this year:

• Listings are down 21% compared to the start of the year. Typically, there are 17% more homes available in September than at the start of the year.
• Homes cost about $20,000 more than expected. Home prices are usually up about 10% in September, but this year they are up 17% compared to the start of the year.
• Homes are selling 12 days faster than expected. Homes usually sell 25% faster than the start of the year, but in 2020 they sold 39% faster.
• There are 25% more buyers in the market compared to the start of the year. Usually, there are only 9% more buyers in the market compared to the start of the year.

Homes sold faster in September than August for the first time since 2016

• The typical home sold in 54 days in September, 12 days faster than the same time last year, and three days faster than last month.
• In the 50 largest U.S. metros, the typical home sold in 44 days in September, 10 days faster than last year.
• Properties in the Northeast now typically spend 13 fewer days on the market than last year, followed by those in the South (11 days faster), the Midwest (9 days faster), and the West (7 days faster).

Buyers face high home prices everywhere

• All 50 of the nation's largest metros saw increasing home prices compared to last year.
• Among those, prices are increasing the most in the Northeast which is seeing an average price acceleration of 12.8% over last year, compared to 10.9% in Midwestern metros, 8.6% in Western metros and 7.2% in Southern metros.
• The metros seeing the highest year-over-year price growth are:
• Cincinnati, Ohio-Ky.-Ind. (+16.9%);
• Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Mass.-N.H (+16.4%); and
• Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pa-N.J.-Del.-Md. (+15.6%).

Buyers have limited number of homes to choose from

• The number of newly listed homes on the market in September decreased by 13.8% compared to last year, even more significant than the 11.8% loss in August.
• None of the largest 50 metros saw an increase in the number of homes on the market compared to last year and most (35 out of 50) saw greater inventory declines than in August.

Metros With the Largest Increases in Home Prices

Metro	Median Listing Price YoY	Median Listing Price	Median Days on Market Y-Y	Median Days on Market	New Listing Count YoY	Active Listing Count YoY
Cincinnati, Ohio-Ky.-Ind.	16.9%	$318,000	-11	39	-23.1%	-46.6%
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Mass.-N.H.	16.4%	$677,000	-18	34	-3.3%	-33.4%
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pa.-N.J.-Del.-Md.	15.6%	$344,000	-20	43	-0.5%	-42.6%
Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, Ind.	15.2%	$286,000	-10	46	-16.8%	-58.5%
Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, N.Y.	15.0%	$230,000	0	43	-12.5%	-43.3%
Austin-Round Rock, Texas	14.8%	$408,000	-15	45	-13.8%	-47.9%
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif.	14.0%	$468,000	-15	41	-10.1%	-55.6%
New York-Newark-Jersey City, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa.	13.5%	$625,000	-13	58	-1.1%	-10.3%
Kansas City, Mo.-Kan.	13.2%	$340,000	-5	49	-25.2%	-50.3%
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, Mich	12.8%	$273,000	-8	38	-27.0%	-45.9%
New Orleans-Metairie, La.	12.3%	$325,000	-10	64	-27.8%	-38.5%
Memphis, Tenn.-Miss.-Ark.	11.3%	$262,000	-12	47	-19.5%	-52.0%
Richmond, Va.	10.9%	$355,000	-8	48	-18.2%	-46.0%
St. Louis, Mo.-Ill.	10.9%	$250,000	-8	58	-15.5%	-39.1%
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, Calif.	10.8%	$1,037,000	3	35	-0.2%	-12.1%
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Ga.	10.3%	$355,000	-11	45	-25.7%	-45.5%
Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, Calif.	10.1%	$544,000	-10	35	-3.4%	-51.2%
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Va.-N.C.	10.0%	$330,000	-22	39	-4.8%	-45.5%
Providence-Warwick, R.I.-Mass.	9.3%	$412,000	-14	41	-16.5%	-53.2%
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-Va.-Md.-W. Va.	9.1%	$519,000	-16	28	-3.7%	-40.4%
Cleveland-Elyria, Ohio	9.1%	$216,000	-10	49	-14.0%	-50.6%
Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, Wis.	8.8%	$326,000	-4	41	-11.5%	-42.5%
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Ill.-Ind.-Wis.	8.3%	$349,000	-7	42	-14.3%	-34.4%
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, N.C.-S.C.	8.3%	$368,000	-14	42	-17.1%	-47.9%
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nev.	7.8%	$345,000	-10	39	11.1%	-7.8%
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, Conn.	7.5%	$300,000	-22	43	1.1%	-31.8%
Oklahoma City, Okla.	7.4%	$269,000	-2	50	-12.3%	-39.2%
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Ore.-Wash.	7.4%	$505,000	-6	44	-21.1%	-44.8%
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla.	7.2%	$300,000	-10	50	-15.5%	-43.5%
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, Tenn.	7.2%	$400,000	-5	32	-29.8%	-40.5%
San Diego-Carlsbad, Calif.	7.1%	$776,000	-7	35	-5.7%	-42.9%
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas	7.0%	$332,000	-7	52	-6.5%	-32.6%
Birmingham-Hoover, Ala.	6.9%	$271,000	-12	52	-7.8%	-38.1%
Rochester, N.Y.	6.7%	$223,000	-14	29	-8.3%	-40.9%
San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas	6.6%	$309,000	-15	52	-13.2%	-44.5%
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz.	6.4%	$414,000	-8	37	-3.7%	-40.9%
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif.	5.5%	$1,199,000	-7	35	18.8%	-24.9%
Raleigh, N.C.	5.5%	$391,000	-9	48	-22.8%	-44.4%
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colo.	5.0%	$522,000	-7	36	-16.3%	-40.0%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash.	4.8%	$628,000	-8	35	15.9%	-25.9%
Columbus, Ohio	4.7%	$300,000	-13	31	-12.7%	-47.2%
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas	4.5%	$360,000	-10	46	-18.9%	-43.9%
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minn.-Wis.	4.3%	$355,000	-7	36	-6.1%	-31.9%
Jacksonville, Fla.	4.1%	$323,000	-12	59	-23.3%	-43.0%
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, Md.	3.2%	$340,000	-20	35	-6.4%	-51.5%
Louisville/Jefferson County, Ky.-Ind.	2.9%	$268,000	-11	35	-26.7%	-48.9%
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Fla.	2.5%	$410,000	-6	93	-5.3%	-14.0%
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Fla.	1.5%	$325,000	-8	58	-6.0%	-19.1%
Pittsburgh, Pa.	N/A*	$250,000	-10	54	-13.8%	-35.0%
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, Calif.	N/A*	$995,000	N/A*	49	-11.4%	-28.6%

*Some data points for Los Angeles and Pittsburgh have been excluded due to data quality.

About realtor.com^®

Realtor.com^® makes buying, selling and living in homes easier and more rewarding for everyone. Realtor.com^® pioneered the world of digital real estate 20 years ago, and today through its website and mobile apps is a trusted source for the information, tools and professional expertise that help people move confidently through every step of their home journey. Using proprietary data science and machine learning technology, realtor.com^® pairs buyers and sellers with local agents in their market, helping take the guesswork out of buying and selling a home. For professionals, realtor.com^® is a trusted provider of consumer connections and branding solutions that help them succeed in today's on-demand world. Realtor.com^® is operated by News Corp [Nasdaq: NWS, NWSA] [ASX: NWS, NWSLV] subsidiary Move, Inc. under a perpetual license from the National Association of REALTORS^®. For more information, visit realtor.com^®.

Media Contact
Nicole Murphy, nicole.murphy@move.com

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SOURCE realtor.com

FAQ

What does the September Housing Trends Report from realtor.com® indicate about home buying in 2020?

The report indicates that 2020 has seen increased competition and prices for homes compared to previous years. Buyers are facing 25% more competition and homes cost about $20,000 more.

How much faster are homes selling this September compared to previous years?

Homes are selling 12 days faster than expected, with typical homes selling in 54 days in September.

Which metropolitan areas saw the highest home price increases according to the report?

Cincinnati, Ohio (+16.9%), Boston, Mass. (+16.4%), and Philadelphia (+15.6%) reported the highest year-over-year price growth.

What factors are contributing to the current home buying competition?

Unseasonably high buyer interest due to remote learning, low inventory, and favorable mortgage rates are contributing to increased competition.

How do current listings compare to the typical housing market trends?

September typically sees 17% more homes available, but in 2020, listings are down 21% compared to the start of the year.