Over Half of Homes Are Selling Above List Price, Up From 1 in 4 a Year Ago

Rhea-AI Summary

According to a recent report from Redfin, 51% of homes sold above their list price in the U.S., a significant rise from 26% a year earlier. Key metrics for the four-week period ending May 23 include a record median home sale price of $354,250, up 24% year-over-year. Homes sold at an average of 101.9% of their asking price and a record low of 17 days on the market was recorded. However, new listings fell by 8% compared to 2019. Mortgage rates slightly decreased to 2.95% as of May 27. Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather noted a potential future slowdown as mortgage rates rise.

Positive

• 51% of homes sold above list price, up from 26% year-over-year.
• Record median home sale price of $354,250, a 24% increase year-over-year.
• Average sale-to-list price ratio reached 101.9%, indicating stronger pricing power.
• Median asking prices also hit a record of $361,875.
• Homes on average spent only 17 days on the market, down from 36 days last year.

Negative

• New listings of homes for sale decreased by 8% compared to 2019.
• Active listings fell by 49% from the same period in 2019.
• Pending home sales are down 3% from four weeks earlier.

SEATTLE, May 28, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- (NASDAQ: RDFN) — A record high of 51% of homes sold for more than their list price—up from 26% the same period a year earlier—according to a new report from Redfin (redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage.

Below are other key housing market takeaways for more than 400 U.S. metro areas during the 4-week period ending May 23, unless otherwise noted.

Note that at this time last year, pandemic stay-at-home orders halted homebuying and selling, which makes year-over-year comparisons unreliable for select housing metrics. As such, Redfin has broken this report into two sections: metrics that are OK to compare to the same period in 2020, and metrics for which it makes more sense to compare to the same period in 2019.

Metrics to compare to 2020:

• A record-high median home sale price of $354,250, and sales were up 24% year over year, also a record.
• Asking prices reached a median $361,875, also a record high.
• A record-high 101.9% average sale-to-list price ratio, which measures how close homes are selling to their asking prices, up 3.4 percentage points year over year. This means that the average home sold for 1.9% more than its asking price.
• A record low of 17 days on market for homes that sold during the period, down from 36 days from the same period in 2020.

The share of homes sold in one or two weeks are both just shy of their record high level, which was set during the four-week period ending May 9.

• 57% of homes that went under contract had an accepted offer within the first two weeks on the market.
• 44% of homes that went under contract had an accepted offer within one week of hitting the market.

Metrics to compare to 2019:

• Pending home sales were up 19% from the same period in 2019, but are down 3% from the four-week period ending May 9.
• New listings of homes for sale were down 8% from the same period in 2019, and are down slightly from the 2021 high, which was set during the four-week period ending May 2.
• Active listings (the number of homes listed for sale at any point during the period) fell 49% from the same period in 2019.

For the week ending May 21, Mortgage purchase applications increased 2% week over week (seasonally adjusted). For the week ending May 27, 30-year mortgage rates fell slightly to 2.95%.

"We are seeing a typical late-spring slowdown in new listings and pending sales," said Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather. "However, prices don't typically peak until late August, and their growth remains completely unhinged. The fact that homes keep selling for more and more above asking prices goes to show that many more people want a home than there are homes for sale. I don't see that changing until mortgage rates increase, which will likely happen later this year. But until then, the housing market will remain red-hot."

To view the full report, including charts and methodology, please visit: https://www.redfin.com/news/housing-market-update-home-prices-surge-24-pct/

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 percentage of homes sold above list price according to Redfin?

51% of homes sold above their list price, up from 26% a year ago.

What is the median home sale price reported by Redfin?

The median home sale price reached a record high of $354,250.

How long did homes stay on the market on average?

Homes sold during this period averaged 17 days on the market.

What was the average sale-to-list price ratio reported?

The average sale-to-list price ratio was 101.9%, indicating homes sold for an average of 1.9% more than their asking price.

What are the mortgage rates as of May 27?

Mortgage rates slightly fell to 2.95% as of May 27.