Bidding Wars Hold Steady in July, With Over Half of Redfin Offers Encountering Competition

Rhea-AI Summary

In July 2020, 54% of Redfin offers faced bidding wars, a slight decrease from June's 56%. This trend persists despite economic challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, with record-low mortgage rates driving competition among homebuyers. Notably, the average 30-year mortgage rate fell below 3% for the first time. Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and San Diego lead in competition rates, while Las Vegas recorded the lowest at 32%. The housing market dynamics suggest potential shifts depending on future interest rates and remote work policies.

Positive

• Steady bidding wars in July with a competitive rate of 54%.
• Record-low mortgage rates contributed to sustained buyer interest.
• Bidding wars observed across various metro areas, indicating a healthy demand.

Negative

• Slight decline in bidding war rates from June to July.

SEATTLE, Aug. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- (NASDAQ: RDFN) — 54% of Redfin offers nationwide encountered bidding wars last month, down slightly from June's revised rate of 56%, according to a new report from Redfin (www.redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage. This marks the third month in a row where more than half of Redfin home offers faced competition.

An offer is considered part of a bidding war if a Redfin agent reported that it received at least one competing bid.

Even as the coronavirus pandemic continues to send shockwaves through the U.S. economy, the bidding-war rate remains steady as homebuyers contend with competition driven by a dearth of homes for sale and record-low mortgage rates. Last month, the average rate on 30-year fixed mortgages dropped below 3% for the first time in recorded history.

"Bidding wars may slow down if interest rates tick up again, which could happen if we get good news about a coronavirus vaccine or more clarity around the outcome of the upcoming U.S. presidential election," said Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather. "At the same time, we may still be in the early innings of the pandemic migration wave. If coronavirus cases continue to climb, more employers will likely make flexible remote work policies standard procedure, which will drive further migration out of large, expensive cities. As a result, we may see bidding wars gain more traction in suburban areas and small towns."

Single-family homes were most likely to encounter bidding wars in July, with 56% of Redfin offers facing competition, followed by townhouses, at 54%. Meanwhile, just 42% of offers for condos experienced bidding wars.

When broken down by price, homes priced between $400,000 and $500,000 were most likely to be met with competition, with 56% of offers facing bidding wars. By comparison, just 46% of offers for homes that were listed at above $1.5 million received multiple bids in July.

"If you price your home right and you haven't Crayola crayoned all over the wall, you're going to get at least a handful of offers," said Tampa Redfin agent Brian Walsh.

Salt Lake City, San Francisco and San Diego are the most competitive markets
Salt Lake City had the highest rate of competition, with three-quarters of Redfin offers facing bidding wars last month. In second place was San Francisco/San Jose, at 67%, followed by San Diego, at 65%. At least half of all offers faced bidding wars in 13 of the 21 metros included in this analysis.

"I'm seeing at least five offers on most properties, and that's no longer just limited to the more affordable homes," said Salt Lake City Redfin agent Chad Snow. "In the past, houses listed for more than $700,000 rarely got into bidding wars in Salt Lake City, but now everything seems to get multiple offers given super low inventory."

"You'd never know that we're in the middle of a pandemic. It's as hot a seller's market as I've ever seen," said Greg Mathers, a Redfin agent in the San Francisco area. "One of my clients recently bid $100,000 over a home's asking price and only had the eighth-highest of 15 offers. It's coming down to how much money you can throw at a house and how many contingencies you can waive."

Las Vegas had the lowest bidding-war rate, with only 32% of offers facing competition last month. It's followed by Miami and Chicago, at 36% and 40%, respectively.

To be included in this analysis, metros must have had at least 50 offers written by Redfin agents from July 1, 2020 to July 31, 2020.

Bidding-war rates by metro area, July 2020 and June 2020

Metro Area	Share of Redfin offers that faced bidding wars in July 2020	Share of Redfin offers that faced bidding wars in June 2020
Salt Lake City, UT	75%	67%
San Francisco / San Jose, CA	67%	61%
San Diego, CA	65%	70%
Washington, D.C.	62%	61%
Boston, MA	61%	74%
Philadelphia, PA	59%	47%
Portland, OR	58%	58%
Los Angeles, CA	58%	67%
Minneapolis, MN	54%	60%
Seattle, WA	54%	58%
New York, NY	53%	53%
Austin, TX	50%	56%
Houston, TX	50%	44%
Atlanta, GA	49%	44%
Sacramento, CA	47%	55%
Phoenix, AZ	47%	58%
Dallas, TX	46%	44%
Denver, CO	42%	54%
Chicago, IL	40%	39%
Miami, FL	36%	34%
Las Vegas, NV	32%	44%

To read the full report, please visit: https://www.redfin.com/blog/bidding-wars-remain-high-in-july.

About Redfin
Redfin (www.redfin.com) is a technology-powered residential real estate company, redefining real estate in the consumer's favor in a commission-driven industry. We do this by integrating every step of the home buying and selling process and pairing our own agents with our own technology, creating a service that is faster, better and costs less. We offer brokerage, iBuying, mortgage, and title services, and we also run the country's #1 real estate brokerage search site, offering a host of online tools to consumers, including the Redfin Estimate. We represent people buying and selling homes in over 90 markets in the United States and Canada. Since our launch in 2006, we have saved our customers over $800 million and we've helped them buy or sell more than 235,000 homes worth more than $115 billion.

For more information or to contact a local Redfin real estate agent, visit www.redfin.com. To learn about housing market trends and download data, visit the Redfin Data Center. To be added to Redfin's press release distribution list, email press@redfin.com. To view Redfin's press center, click here.

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SOURCE Redfin

FAQ

What percentage of Redfin offers faced bidding wars in July 2020?

In July 2020, 54% of Redfin offers encountered bidding wars.

Which metro areas had the highest bidding war rates in July 2020?

Salt Lake City (75%), San Francisco/San Jose (67%), and San Diego (65%) had the highest bidding war rates.

What was the average mortgage rate in July 2020?

The average rate on 30-year fixed mortgages fell below 3% for the first time in history.

How did bidding war rates change from June to July 2020?

Bidding war rates decreased slightly from 56% in June to 54% in July 2020.

What factors are influencing bidding wars according to Redfin's report?

Bidding wars are driven by low inventory of homes and record-low mortgage rates.