April 2023 Market Update for Northwestern Vermont

U.S. existing-home sales declined 2.4 percent month-over-month as of last measure, according to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR),
reversing February’s sales gain of 14.5%. Fluctuations in mortgage interest rates have caused buyers to pull back, with pending sales dropping 5.2% month-over-month. Meanwhile, the median existing-home sales price declined for the second month in a row, falling 0.9% nationally from the same time last year, the largest year-over-year decline since January 2012, according to NAR.

New Listings decreased 25.3 percent for single-family homes and 36.0 percent for townhouse-condo properties. Pending Sales decreased 22.5 percent for single-family homes and 26.3 percent for townhouse-condo properties. Inventory decreased 3.3 percent for single-family homes and 2.3 percent for townhouse-condo properties.

The Median Sales Price was up 1.5 percent to $441,050 for single-family homes and 10.0 percent to $385,000 for townhouse-condo properties. Days on Market increased 55.6 percent for single-family homes and 26.1 percent for townhouse-condo properties. Months Supply of Inventory increased 20.0 percent for single family homes and 14.3 percent for townhouse-condo properties.

Housing inventory remains tight nationwide, with only 980,000 units available for sale heading into April, a 5.4% increase from one year earlier, although the number of homes for sale is down compared to the same period in 2019, prior to the pandemic. The lack of existing inventory continues to impact home sales, and with only 2.6 months’ supply of homes at last measure, competition for available properties remains strong, especially in certain price categories, with multiple offers occurring on about a third of properties, according to NAR.