If you were worried buyer demand disappeared when mortgage rates went up, the data shows there are plenty of interested buyers still out there. The housing market isn't as frenzied as it was during the unicorn years when buyer demand was through the roof, mortgage rates were historically low, and home values rose like weve never seen before. But that doesnt mean the market is at a standstill.
Nationally, demand is still high compared to the last normal years in the housing market and plenty of buyers are making moves right now. Heres the data to prove it.
Showing Traffic Is Up
The ShowingTime Showing Index is a measure of how frequently buyers are touring homes. The graph below uses that index to show buyer activity over the past eight Octobers:
In the graph, the unicorn years are shown in pink. You can see demand has dipped some since then. Thats in response to higher mortgage rates. But, when you compare 2023 to the blue bars on the left that represent the last normal years in the market (2018-2019), you can tell buyers are still more active than the norm.
But showing traffic isnt the only way to see buyer demand is still high. The number of offers other sellers are getting and the average days homes are on the market tell the same story.
Sellers Are Still Seeing Multiple Offers
According to the latest data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), sellers are receiving an average of 2.5 offers on their houses. Lets look at how that compares to recent years (see graph below):
Its true thats fewer than the number of offers sellers were receiving during the unicorn years (shown in pink). But compared to last year, the number is up slightly. And its higher than it was in the more normal, pre-unicorn years in the housing market too.
Homes Priced Right Are Selling Fast
And its not just that sellers are still typically getting multiple offers more than the norm, theyre also seeing their homes sell fast. Thats a direct result of strong buyer demand. According to Zillow:
. . . low inventory levels are spurring surprisingly strong competition . . . demand has remained resilient, and attractive, appropriately priced listings are moving quickly.
To help showcase that homes for sale are still going quickly, lets look at data from NAR on the median days on market for this same time of year from 2018 through now (see graph below):
As the graph shows, this year homes are sitting on the market only slightly longer than they were during the frenzy of the unicorn years. And compared to the last normal years in the market, homes are still selling much faster than they did back then. Thats good news for sellers because it means there are eager buyers out there right now.
Bottom Line
You haven't missed your chance to sell at a time when sellers are receiving multiple offers, and homes are selling fast. When youre ready to sell your house, connect with a local real estate agent to get the ball rolling.
