Sales: According to the Multiple Listing Service of the Wiregrass Board of Realtors, Wiregrass-area home sales totaled 82 units during February, up 9.3 percent from 75 sales in the same month a year earlier. February sales increased 82.2 percent compared to 45 sales in January. Results were 37.1 percent below the five-year February average of 60 sales. Other resources to review are the Quarterly Report and Annual Report.

For all Wiregrass-area housing data, click here.

Inventory: Homes listed for sale in the Wiregrass area during February averaged 573 units, a decrease of 21.9 percent from February 2018’s 734 units, and a decrease of 6.2 percent from January 2019’s 611 units. February months of supply totaled 7 months, a decrease of 28.6 percent from 9.8 months in February 2018. February’s months of supply decreased 48.5 percent from January’s months of supply.

Pricing: The Wiregrass-area median sales price in February was $142,500, an increase of 29 percent from one year ago and an increase of 20.8 percent from the prior month. The differing sample size (number of residential sales of comparative months) can contribute to statistical volatility, including pricing. ACRE highly recommends consulting with a local real estate professional to discuss pricing trends, as they will vary from neighborhood to neighborhood. The homes selling in February spent an average of 125 days on the market (DOM), a decrease of 28.6 percent from 175 days in February 2018 and an increase of 0.8 percent from 124 days in January.

Forecast: February sales were six units, or 7.9 percent, above the Alabama Center for Real Estate’s (ACRE) monthly forecast. ACRE projected 76 sales for the month, while actual sales were 82 units. ACRE forecast a total of 142 residential sales in the Wiregrass area year-to-date, while there were 127 actual sales through February.

ACRE’s statewide perspective: Statewide residential sales in February increased 10.9 percent year-over-year from 3,807 to 4,222 closed transactions. Year-to-date sales increased 6.4 percent from 2018. Home price appreciation in the state continued to climb, but at a slower pace, as the median sales price in February increased 3 percent year-over-year from $152,771 to $157,319. The statewide median sales price is also up 4.2 percent year-to-date. Although nationwide inventory levels are trending upward, Alabama’s residential listings decreased 8.9 percent from one year ago. Low inventory levels were a significant factor contributing to rising sales prices throughout 2018 and in the early months of 2019. With low inventory levels, it is not surprising to see homes selling more quickly than in previous years. Homes selling in Alabama during February spent an average of 99 days on the market, an improvement of 27 days from February 2018.

NAR’s national perspective: During February, total existing-home sales nationwide declined 2.2 percent from approximately 319,000 closed transactions one year ago to 312,000 currently. The nationwide median existing-home price increased 3.6 percent in February, marking 84 consecutive months of year-over-year gains. Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, said, “It is very welcoming to see more inventory showing up in the market. For sustained growth, significant construction of moderately priced homes is still needed. More construction will help boost local economies and more home sales will help lessen wealth inequality as more households can enjoy in housing wealth gains.”

Click here to view the entire monthly report.

The Wiregrass Residential Monthly Report is developed in conjunction with the Wiregrass Board of Realtors to better serve its area consumers.