For Week Ending February 28, 2015

Across the country, some Fortune 500 companies have been raising their
minimum wage. How does this correlate to the housing industry? Mo’ money =
mo’ house-buying powerz. Coupled with the dismantled idea that aging
millennials want to remain at home forever (because, come on, really?), the
housing market is making inroads into two factors that have plagued the buyer
market in recent years. Warmer weather sure can’t hurt either.

In the Twin Cities region, for the week ending February 28:

• New Listings increased 23.0% to 1,532
• Pending Sales increased 21.0% to 1,076
• Inventory decreased 2.2% to 12,690

For the month of February:

• Median Sales Price increased 10.4% to $202,000
• Days on Market increased 7.1% to 106
• Percent of Original List Price Received increased 0.6% to 94.1%
• Months Supply of Inventory remained flat at 3.0

All comparisons are to 2014

Click here for the full Weekly Market Activity Report. From The Skinny Blog.

For Week Ending February 21, 2015

Rumors that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could one day be a thing of the past have people wondering about the future of the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage. But let’s not sound the alarm just yet. A drastic change to lending’s gold standard is certainly not on the immediate horizon. Meanwhile, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen seems to have no immediate interest in raising interest rates for the first time since 2006. The economy remains stable for the time being, which should keep housing rolling through the short-named months.

In the Twin Cities region, for the week ending February 21:

• New Listings increased 29.8% to 1,365
• Pending Sales increased 36.4% to 981
• Inventory decreased 3.0% to 12,570

For the month of January:

• Median Sales Price increased 8.5% to $195,000
• Days on Market increased 7.5% to 100
• Percent of Original List Price Received increased 0.2% to 93.7%
• Months Supply of Inventory increased 3.4% to 3.0

All comparisons are to 2014

Click here for the full Weekly Market Activity Report. From The Skinny Blog.

For Week Ending February 14, 2015

As we hit February, mortgage rates continue to remain low, bringing about a high dosage of optimism to the market. While some reports attempt to dissect drops in builder confidence with a negative-bent attitude, low rates seem prepped to steer potential buyers toward getting their own set of house keys, curbing the pessimism of market naysayers.

In the Twin Cities region, for the week ending February 14:

• New Listings increased 12.1% to 1,298
• Pending Sales increased 15.6% to 920
• Inventory decreased 3.7% to 12,410

For the month of January:

• Median Sales Price increased 8.5% to $195,000
• Days on Market increased 7.5% to 100
• Percent of Original List Price Received increased 0.2% to 93.7%
• Months Supply of Inventory remained flat at 2.9

All comparisons are to 2014

Click here for the full Weekly Market Activity Report. From The Skinny Blog.

For Week Ending February 7, 2015

Nationally, housing starts are off to a good start in 2015, with new projects ahead of last year at this time. Before the confetti cannons come out, this doesn’t necessarily mean that sellers can start asking more and that buyers will immediately have more to choose from. But this does bode well for increased confidence throughout the residential real estate marketplace. Balance means a lighter ebb and flow of various market metrics rather than astronomical gains and losses. This is positive.

In the Twin Cities region, for the week ending February 7:

• New Listings increased 25.4% to 1,496
• Pending Sales increased 14.3% to 881
• Inventory decreased 5.1% to 12,104

For the month of January:

• Median Sales Price increased 8.5% to $195,000
• Days on Market increased 8.6% to 101
• Percent of Original List Price Received increased 0.2% to 93.7%
• Months Supply of Inventory remained flat at 2.9

All comparisons are to 2014

Click here for the full Weekly Market Activity Report. From The Skinny Blog.