Housing-Market Competition Has Eased Slightly, But 7 in 10 Buyers Still Face Bidding Wars

Rhea-AI Summary

In May 2021, 70.4% of home offers by Redfin agents faced competition, down from 73.6% in April, but significantly higher than 52.7% in May 2020. Experts suggest seasonality and early signs of a housing market cooldown may be factors. Notably, Spokane, WA, had the highest bidding-war rate at 86.7%. Daryl Fairweather, Redfin's Chief Economist, indicated that increased buyer education and changing spending habits due to lifted pandemic restrictions are influencing competition levels. The report highlights a potential shift as buyers adapt to current market conditions.

Positive

• 70.4% of offers faced competition in May, showing strong market activity compared to 52.7% in May 2020.
• High bidding-war rates in top markets like Spokane (86.7%) and Raleigh (84.5%) indicate continued demand.

Negative

• Competition declined from 73.6% in April to 70.4% in May, indicating a possible market cooling.
• Pending sales fell by 10% from their peak, suggesting weakening demand.

SEATTLE, June 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- (NASDAQ: RDFN) — In May, 70.4% of home offers written by Redfin agents faced competition, down from a revised rate of 73.6% in April, according to a new report from Redfin (www.redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage. That's still up significantly from 52.7% in May 2020, which was impacted by pandemic stay-at-home orders. An offer is considered part of a bidding war if a Redfin agent reported that it faced at least one competing bid.

Competition typically tapers in the early summer following spring homebuying season, so seasonality may be contributing to the dip in the May bidding-war rate. Early signals of a cooldown in the housing market may also be a factor.

American house hunters have grappled with record-breaking levels of competition during the coronavirus pandemic as homebuyer demand has skyrocketed due to low mortgage rates and flexible work policies. This has intensified an existing housing shortage, which has also fueled fierce bidding wars. But there are signs that the red-hot market may be cooling ever so slightly; home-purchase applications have been on the decline since late March and pending sales recently fell 10% from their peak about a month ago. As Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather put it earlier this month, "The housing market was going 100 miles per hour and now it's down to 80."

Competition is likely starting to level off as well, and may have already hit its peak, according to Fairweather.

"After months of surging prices and low inventory, some house hunters are moving to the sidelines—either because they're priced out or burned out," Fairweather said. "Americans are spending more of their money on things like travel and dining out now that pandemic restrictions are being lifted."

Spokane and Raleigh Have the Highest Bidding-War Rates

Spokane, WA had the highest bidding-war rate of the 50 U.S. metropolitan areas in this analysis, with 86.7% of offers written by Redfin agents facing competition in May. Next came Raleigh, NC, at 84.5%, and Tucson, AZ, at 81.8%. Salt Lake City and Charleston, SC rounded out the top five, with bidding-war rates of 81.5% and 79.3%, respectively.

In San Diego, the bidding-war rate was 74.6% in May. While that's still relatively high, it's down from 86.2% in April, representing one of the largest month-over-month declines among the metros in this analysis.

"Competition is still high, but the good news is buyers are having to make fewer offers to win bidding wars," said John Copeland, a Redfin real estate agent in San Diego. "A few months ago, buyers were bidding on three to five homes before winning. Now it's more like one to two. Part of that is buyers grasping the reality of the market; they've become more educated about what they need to do to win, so they no longer need to make as many offers."

Bidding-War Rates by Metro Area

To be included in the table below, metros must have had at least 20 offers recorded by Redfin agents in both May 2021 and April 2021. The table is sorted by highest to lowest bidding-war rates in May 2021. Blank spaces in the May 2020 column represent metros for which there were fewer than 20 offers submitted by Redfin agents that month.

U.S. Metro Area	Share of Redfin offers that faced bidding wars in May 2021	Share of Redfin offers that faced bidding wars in April 2021	Share of Redfin offers that faced bidding wars in May 2020
Spokane, WA	86.7%	83.3%	—
Raleigh, NC	84.5%	80.4%	43.9%
Tucson, AZ	81.8%	69.2%	43.5%
Salt Lake City, UT	81.5%	84.3%	61.7%
Charleston, SC	79.3%	77.8%	—
Nashville, TN	78.4%	75.4%	32.4%
Boston, MA	78.3%	80.3%	67.2%
Richmond, VA	78.1%	78.6%	55.6%
Virginia Beach, VA	76.6%	78.3%	50.0%
Denver, CO	76.3%	79.6%	56.0%
Charlotte, NC	75.6%	79.1%	34.9%
Bakersfield, CA	75.0%	56.7%	—
Cape Coral, FL	75.0%	59.1%	—
Kansas City, MO	75.0%	85.0%	—
San Francisco / San Jose, CA	74.9%	74.7%	55.8%
San Diego, CA	74.6%	86.2%	53.7%
Seattle, WA	74.1%	79.2%	56.8%
Greenville, SC	73.9%	61.9%	—
Phoenix, AZ	73.9%	74.3%	43.5%
Portland, OR	73.7%	75.4%	56.4%
Indianapolis, IN	73.4%	78.9%	53.6%
Boise, ID	72.7%	81.8%	—
Washington, D.C.	72.1%	79.0%	58.8%
Philadelphia, PA	71.9%	69.3%	49.0%
Reno, NV	71.9%	75.0%	—
Detroit, MI	71.7%	70.4%	51.3%
Cincinnati, OH	71.0%	62.5%	—
Pittsburgh, PA	70.9%	69.1%	41.7%
Columbus, OH	70.3%	71.2%	60.5%
Dallas, TX	70.3%	79.1%	60.6%
Tampa, FL	69.1%	69.9%	30.0%
Austin, TX	68.6%	73.4%	55.2%
Oklahoma City, OK	68.4%	56.8%	25.0%
Los Angeles, CA	67.9%	69.4%	62.2%
San Antonio, TX	65.6%	74.5%	58.3%
Las Vegas, NV	65.3%	73.3%	37.1%
Chicago, IL	64.8%	66.8%	37.7%
Orlando, FL	64.4%	67.7%	35.4%
Bend, OR	63.6%	60.0%	—
Colorado Springs, CO	63.2%	67.1%	—
Sacramento, CA	62.6%	71.9%	50.4%
Atlanta, GA	61.3%	68.6%	44.9%
Houston, TX	61.2%	63.5%	41.1%
Minneapolis, MN	61.1%	69.7%	51.4%
Honolulu, HI	60.8%	75.6%	54.1%
Fort Collins, CO	60.0%	78.3%	—
Miami, FL	57.2%	55.4%	32.2%
New York, NY	53.1%	63.6%	50.0%
Cleveland, OH	51.6%	71.4%	55.0%
Jacksonville, FL	34.4%	46.2%	—

To read the full report, including charts, please visit: https://www.redfin.com/news/real-estate-bidding-wars-may-2021

About Redfin

Redfin (www.redfin.com) is a technology-powered real estate broker, instant home-buyer (iBuyer), lender, title insurer, and renovations company. We sell homes for more money and charge half the fee. We also run the country's #1 real-estate brokerage site. Our home-buying customers see homes first with on-demand tours, and our lending and title services help them close quickly. Customers selling a home can take an instant cash offer from Redfin or have our renovations crew fix up their home to sell for top dollar. Since launching in 2006, we've saved customers more than $1 billion in commissions. We serve more than 95 markets across the U.S. and Canada and employ over 4,100 people.

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 was the bidding-war rate for Redfin offers in May 2021?

In May 2021, 70.4% of home offers written by Redfin agents faced competition.

How does the May 2021 bidding-war rate compare to previous months?

The May 2021 rate of 70.4% was down from 73.6% in April but up from 52.7% in May 2020.

What does the decline in bidding-war rates indicate about the housing market?

The decline may suggest early signs of a cooldown in the housing market, influenced by seasonality and buyer behavior.

Which U.S. metropolitan area had the highest bidding-war rate in May 2021?

Spokane, WA had the highest bidding-war rate at 86.7%.

How are spending habits affecting the housing market according to the PR?

With pandemic restrictions lifted, buyers are spending more on travel and dining, potentially affecting their home buying activity.