First Time Buyer Homes In Short Supply In Twin Cities

I have two buyers in the $125,000 – $150,ooo price range that are struggling to find houses when just a few months ago there was a lot more inventory to choose from.  This weekend my clients wanted to see a total of 11 houses – I found out that 4 were already sold subject to inspection and of the remaining 7, only 2 had no offers on them.  One of my buyers has offered on 6 different homes and been outbid by others every time.  These experiences are quite common in my office right now!

While our local statistics show many houses on the market in that price range, this data is based off of MLS listing status and it takes anywhere from a few days to a week or more before a property with an accepted offer is marked as “Pending” on the MLS and is removed from the count of properties for sale.  With this in mind, I think we’ll see houses listed in the $150,000 and under price point Pend at a high rate over the next two weeks.

To all the banks out there that might have delayed the foreclosure process in an effort to manage your REO inventory: you’ve missed the boat.  We Realtors have lots of buyers who are clamoring for your inventory  and you have almost none to sell to us.

Houses for Sale in Twin Cities Down Below 2006 Levels

twin cities housing inventory for sale november 2009(Image courtesy MAAR, click for larger version)

Houses for sale in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area have been dropping since May of this year; a sharp contrast to prior years where inventory stayed high until September.  New listings are down versus the same time last year and sales are so far ahead that inventory is dropping quickly.  This has lead to scarcity of inventory at certain price points, types and areas.

This time of year brings both colder weather and a cooler housing market.  Buyer activity is lower between Thanksgiving and mid-January and many sellers take their homes off the market during this time too.  If you are a buyer and are still looking, this means less for you to look at but also less competition from other buyers.  If you are a seller, you should consider staying on through the holidays as you will have far less competition than there has been in 3+ years!  You can always make your home “www.orarily not available for showings (TNAS)” for the days surrounding the big holidays.

Given the changed dynamic in the housing market this year, I believe that 2010 may see inventory as high as it was in 2009 but I don’t see it going any higher than that.  In fact, I believe we may see inventory further contract in 2010 – a good sign for a stabilizing housing market.

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TwinCitiesRealEstateBlog.com is not a Multiple Listing Service MLS, nor does it offer MLS access.
This website is a service of Aaron Dickinson of Edina Realty, a broker Participant of the Regional Multiple Listing Service of Minnesota, Inc.