November Was the Best Month to Buy a Home in 2020

Rhea-AI Summary

In November 2020, homebuyers experienced the most affordable month to buy a home, with a median monthly mortgage payment of $1,094, down from $1,163 in February. Despite a record high median list price of $336,000, historically low mortgage rates at 2.77% mitigated costs. Redfin reported that 54.3% of offers faced competition, indicating a challenging market despite affordability. Notably, the median mortgage payment increased slightly year-over-year in November, while 30 out of 50 metros saw a decrease compared to the previous year. The report highlighted regional disparities in affordability.

Positive

• Median monthly mortgage payment dropped to $1,094 in November 2020, the lowest of the year.
• Average mortgage rate fell to 2.77%, another record low, boosting affordability.
• 35 out of 50 largest U.S. metros saw November as the best month to buy a home.

Negative

• Median mortgage payment was up $21 from the previous year.
• 54.3% of Redfin offers faced competition, indicating a tough market for buyers.
• Rising home prices led to fierce competition, with some buyers facing 5 to 15 competing offers.

SEATTLE, Dec. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- (NASDAQ: RDFN) — November was the most affordable month to buy a home in 2020, according to a new report from Redfin (www.redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage. The median monthly mortgage payment nationwide reached a low of $1,094 in November, down from a peak of $1,163 in February, the month before the coronavirus was declared a pandemic. 

Redfin analyzed median monthly mortgage payments based on each month's median list price and average mortgage rate by month, both nationally and for the 50 most populous metros in the U.S., excluding December. The median list price nationwide was $336,000 in November, the highest median price on record, but that was offset by an average mortgage rate of 2.77%, the lowest on record. Both sides of the equation were fueled by the pandemic: Prices were driven up by remote work and Americans' desire to move to more spacious homes, while low mortgage rates are in part a consequence of the Federal Reserve's response to a struggling economy.  

"It's easy to forget that the price is just one part of the equation of how much house a buyer can afford," said Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather. "The relationship between historically low mortgage rates and surging home prices has been fascinating to watch this year. We've seen mortgage rates drive unforeseen levels of homebuyer demand, which has pushed prices up by upwards of 15% in recent weeks. The good news for those buyers who are persevering through a dearth of homes for sale and fierce bidding wars is that once you do land a home, today's sub-3% mortgage rates are largely cancelling out the high prices."

April was the second-best month of the year for homebuyers, with a median monthly mortgage payment of $1,112, just $18 more than November. The relatively low median payment in April was due largely to a slump in the housing market caused by buyers' uncertainty about purchasing a home at the onset of a pandemic. Prices rose 4.9% year over year to $304,000 in April, a slowdown from 7% growth the month before. The average mortgage rate was 3.31%, a dip from 3.62% at the beginning of the year. 

Low inventory and intense competition were barriers for buyers 
Although November was the most affordable month to purchase a home, the low number of homes for sale and high bidding-war rate made it difficult for many potential buyers to find and win a home. Nationwide, 54.3% of Redfin offers faced competition in November, the sixth straight month during which more than half of offers encountered competition. 

Seattle Redfin agent Shoshana Godwin said many of her homebuying clients are frustrated with rising prices and competition, even though mortgage rates are low. 

"A lot of my buyers would be surprised to hear that November was considered a good month to buy," Godwin said. "Although monthly mortgage payments are lower than they were at the beginning of the year, buyers are still facing five to 15 competing offers on desirable homes. People have to find a home and get their offer accepted before they can take advantage of low rates."

The median mortgage payment nationwide in November was up slightly—$21—from the year before. But the median mortgage payment was down from last November in 30 of the 50 metros included in this analysis. 

November was the most affordable month to buy in the majority of U.S. metros
November was the best month to buy a home in 35 of the 50 largest metro areas in the U.S. That includes San Francisco, where the median mortgage payment for a home purchased in November was $4,420, the highest payment of any metro included in this analysis, and Seattle, where the payment was $2,047. 

April was the best month in five metros, including Los Angeles, where the median payment that month was $2,382. January and October were each the best months for four metros. 

Most Affordable Month to Buy a Home in 2020, National and By Metro, Based on Monthly Mortgage Payment Highlighted in Green and Bolded = Best Month
Metro area	Jan.	Feb.	March	April	May	June	July	Aug.	Sept.	Oct.	Nov.
National	$1,135	$1,163	$1,150	$1,112	$1,156	$1,149	$1,132	$1,121	$1,137	$1,124	$1,094
Atlanta, GA	$955	$984	$996	$947	$990	$995	$974	$966	$964	$940	$918
Austin, TX	$1,221	$1,235	$1,250	$1,213	$1,250	$1,236	$1,214	$1,205	$1,227	$1,237	$1,162
Baltimore, MD	$1,021	$1,073	$1,125	$1,087	$1,128	$1,102	$1,099	$1,054	$1,081	$990	$966
Birmingham, AL	$802	$841	$856	$807	$836	$821	$811	$803	$782	$775	$743
Boston, MA	$1,951	$2,058	$1,999	$1,926	$2,032	$2,027	$1,911	$1,841	$1,928	$1,864	$1,798
Buffalo, NY	$529	$573	$617	$614	$625	$654	$592	$585	$569	$558	$556
Charlotte, NC	$1,010	$1,034	$1,024	$982	$1,042	$1,032	$1,014	$1,001	$994	$973	$993
Chicago, IL	$1,021	$1,074	$1,032	$947	$1,007	$1,032	$998	$970	$964	$924	$884
Cincinnati, OH	$713	$748	$749	$772	$790	$757	$757	$736	$712	$709	$655
Cleveland, OH	$562	$608	$607	$596	$622	$619	$591	$569	$549	$561	$540
Columbus, OH	$802	$823	$856	$876	$868	$860	$828	$820	$798	$808	$753
Dallas, TX	$1,130	$1,163	$1,151	$1,111	$1,146	$1,136	$1,108	$1,086	$1,081	$1,072	$1,031
Denver, CO	$1,604	$1,611	$1,606	$1,575	$1,592	$1,549	$1,522	$1,506	$1,496	$1,485	$1,440
Detroit, MI	$438	$483	$522	$543	$573	$568	$558	$535	$532	$511	$491
Hartford, CT	$838	$894	$892	$842	$920	$895	$862	$837	$880	$858	$818
Houston, TX	$948	$966	$978	$938	$955	$981	$941	$910	$915	$907	$900
Indianapolis, IN	$702	$752	$793	$771	$799	$792	$774	$703	$715	$726	$678
Jacksonville, FL	$912	$895	$896	$870	$920	$919	$911	$887	$895	$855	$868
Kansas City, MO	$839	$855	$856	$826	$868	$857	$812	$820	$805	$792	$769
Las Vegas, NV	$1,112	$1,092	$1,089	$1,069	$1,128	$1,119	$1,082	$1,088	$1,094	$1,072	$1,064
Los Angeles, CA	$2,534	$2,505	$2,495	$2,382	$2,566	$2,578	$2,529	$2,510	$2,494	$2,472	$2,453
Louisville, KY	$729	$748	$803	$789	$818	$776	$811	$735	$732	$742	$704
Memphis, TN	$675	$715	$775	$789	$764	$723	$794	$714	$748	$734	$687
Miami, FL	$1,316	$1,288	$1,246	$1,245	$1,285	$1,291	$1,285	$1,272	$1,264	$1,284	$1,293
Milwaukee, WI	$820	$841	$893	$877	$868	$878	$845	$787	$762	$759	$711
Minneapolis, MN	$1,094	$1,145	$1,106	$1,052	$1,077	$1,057	$1,014	$1,034	$998	$990	$982
Nashville, TN	$1,149	$1,163	$1,178	$1,157	$1,170	$1,170	$1,133	$1,138	$1,127	$1,114	$1,105
New Orleans, LA	$912	$859	$928	$930	$920	$929	$876	$870	$865	$891	$884
New York, NY	$2,184	$2,215	$2,135	$1,929	$2,118	$2,151	$2,130	$2,094	$2,158	$2,078	$2,027
Oklahoma City, OK	$729	$716	$768	$719	$729	$740	$710	$703	$706	$676	$687
Orlando, FL	$1,003	$999	$1,003	$982	$1,004	$1,009	$1,001	$970	$978	$973	$949
Philadelphia, PA	$820	$852	$857	$856	$920	$895	$879	$837	$881	$858	$811
Phoenix, AZ	$1,149	$1,142	$1,114	$1,088	$1,122	$1,119	$1,116	$1,138	$1,131	$1,129	$1,113
Pittsburgh, PA	$656	$730	$750	$756	$729	$732	$676	$669	$665	$627	$622
Portland, OR	$1,528	$1,503	$1,499	$1,508	$1,521	$1,524	$1,488	$1,473	$1,488	$1,485	$1,441
Providence, RI	$1,093	$1,127	$1,142	$1,119	$1,146	$1,136	$1,133	$1,104	$1,097	$1,089	$1,077
Raleigh, NC	$1,119	$1,129	$1,124	$1,052	$1,094	$1,071	$1,065	$1,068	$1,061	$1,063	$1,031
Richmond, VA	$976	$1,020	$1,067	$1,000	$990	$998	$960	$987	$964	$957	$914
Riverside, CA	$1,458	$1,432	$1,482	$1,403	$1,458	$1,463	$1,471	$1,473	$1,463	$1,485	$1,470
Sacramento, CA	$1,564	$1,575	$1,607	$1,561	$1,629	$1,580	$1,572	$1,590	$1,613	$1,548	$1,716
Salt Lake City, UT	$1,312	$1,288	$1,339	$1,280	$1,302	$1,291	$1,282	$1,289	$1,263	$1,284	$1,306
San Antonio, TX	$888	$895	$910	$889	$912	$912	$876	$867	$861	$855	$843
San Diego, CA	$2,242	$2,290	$2,231	$2,175	$2,257	$2,237	$2,224	$2,176	$2,195	$2,178	$2,128
San Francisco, CA	$4,988	$5,188	$4,991	$5,087	$5,192	$5,020	$4,698	$4,647	$4,490	$4,603	$4,420
San Jose, CA	$4,011	$4,223	$4,173	$4,157	$4,164	$4,217	$3,955	$3,958	$3,987	$3,943	$3,828
Seattle, WA	$2,154	$2,140	$2,213	$2,101	$2,153	$2,151	$2,113	$2,092	$2,095	$2,062	$2,047
St. Louis, MO	$653	$751	$749	$754	$747	$754	$727	$698	$695	$660	$655
Tampa, FL	$915	$912	$910	$912	$938	$947	$930	$920	$924	$924	$900
Virginia Beach, VA	$893	$906	$928	$930	$938	$926	$913	$887	$881	$858	$851
Washington, D.C.	$1,542	$1,610	$1,642	$1,578	$1,563	$1,601	$1,555	$1,506	$1,529	$1,485	$1,457

To read the full report, please visit:  https://www.redfin.com/news/november-most-affordable-month-buy-home-2020 

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 are the #1 nationwide brokerage website, 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 was the median mortgage payment in November 2020 for RDFN?

The median monthly mortgage payment in November 2020 was $1,094.

How did November 2020 compare to other months for homebuyers?

November 2020 was the most affordable month to buy a home, compared to April 2020 which had a median payment of $1,112.

What was the average mortgage rate in November 2020 for RDFN?

The average mortgage rate in November 2020 was 2.77%, the lowest on record.

In how many metro areas was November 2020 considered the best month to buy a home?

November 2020 was the best month to buy in 35 of the 50 largest metro areas.

What challenges did homebuyers face in November 2020 according to RDFN?

Homebuyers faced significant competition, with over 54% of offers encountering bidding wars.