Sales: According to the Marshall County Board of Realtors, December residential sales increased 44.4% year-over-year from 72 to 104 closed transactions. Sales increased 4% from November, and are up 25.9% year to date. Two more resources to review: Quarterly Report and Annual Report.
For all of Marshall County’s housing data, click here.
Inventory: Total homes listed for sale in December declined 37.6% year-over-year from 279 to 174 listings. Months of supply dropped from 3.9 to 1.7, reflecting a market where sellers generally have elevated bargaining power.
Pricing: The area’s median sales price in December was $177,500, an increase of 18.3% from one year ago and an increase of 0.6% from November. The differing sample size (number of residential sales of comparative months) can contribute to statistical volatility, including pricing. ACRE recommends consulting with a local real estate professional to discuss pricing, as it will vary from neighborhood to neighborhood.
Homes sold in December averaged 57 days on the market (DOM), 4 days faster than December 2019.
Forecast: December sales were 36 units, or 52.9%, above the Alabama Center for Real Estate’s (ACRE) monthly forecast. ACRE projected 68 sales for the month, while actual sales were 104 units. ACRE forecast a total of 933 residential sales in the area year-to-date, while there were 1,168 actual sales through December, a difference of 25.2%.
NAR commentary: According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), existing home sales nationwide increased 0.7% from November (seasonally adjusted annual rate), reaching the highest annual level since 2006. Sales increased significantly from one year ago, rising 22.2%. Sales prices continued to grow at higher rates than before the pandemic, rising almost 13% year-over-year.
Lawrence Yun, chief economist for NAR said, “Home sales rose in December, and for 2020 as a whole, we saw sales perform at their highest levels since 2006, despite the pandemic. What’s even better is that this momentum is likely to carry into the new year, with more buyers expected to enter the market. Although mortgage rates are projected to increase, they will continue to hover near record lows at around 3%. Moreover, expect economic conditions to improve with additional stimulus forthcoming and vaccine distribution already underway.”
ACRE commentary: Home sales in Alabama increased for the seventh consecutive month in December, rising 24.2% year-over-year. The strong rebound in sales activity during the summer months has extended into early winter, with all metro areas in the state recording year-over-year gains in home sales during 2020. Buyers are incentivized by low mortgage rates, increasing their buying power during a time of rising sales prices, which increased 15% Y/Y in December. Sales prices continue to grow at a faster rate than before the pandemic, which could motivate more potential sellers to list their homes going forward. Tight inventory has played a large role in driving sales prices upwards, with total listings down 35.3% in December.
Click here to view the entire monthly report.
The Marshall County Residential Monthly Report is developed in conjunction with the Marshall County Board of Realtors to better serve area consumers.
Editor’s Note: All information in this article reflects data provided to the Alabama Center for Real Estate for the time period December 1 – 31, 2020. Thus, the performance represented is historical and should not be used as an indicator of future results, particularly considering the impact of COVID-19 on the housing market.
