Twin Cities — (January 2017) January brings out a rejuvenated crop of buyers with a renewed enthusiasm in a new calendar year. Sales totals may still inevitably start slow in the first half of the year due to ongoing inventory concerns. Continued declines in the number of homes available for sale may push out potential buyers who simply cannot compete for homes selling at higher price points in a low number of days, especially if mortgage rates continue to increase.

New Listings in the Twin Cities region increased 3.1 percent to 4,304. Pending Sales were up 4.3 percent to 3,130. Inventory levels fell 25.4 percent to 8,212 units.

Prices continued to gain traction. The Median Sales Price increased 4.7 percent to $225,000. Days on Market was down 7.1 percent to 79 days. Sellers were encouraged as Months Supply of Homes for Sale was down 30.4 percent to 1.6 months.

In case you missed it, we have a new U.S. president. In his first hour in office, the .25 percentage point rate cut on mortgage insurance premiums for loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) was removed, setting the table for what should be an interesting presidential term for real estate policy. FHA loans tend to be a favorable option for those with limited financial resources.

On a brighter note, wages are on the uptick for many Americans, while unemployment rates have remained stable and relatively unchanged for several months. The system is ripe for more home purchasing if there are more homes available to sell.

Source: Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors®, Monthly Indicators Report. All data comes from NorthstarMLS. http://maar.stats.10kresearch.com/reports

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