Rising home prices, demands from home buyers and less competition is making 2015 a great year to sell.
There are three factors behind why this year is shaping up more favorably for sellers.
1. Stronger demand coming from buyers : Sellers in many markets are seeing strong demand from a larger pool of buyers, including first-time buyers, boomerang buyers, and traditional owner-occupant buyers. As of recently, the number of buyers using Federal House Administration (low down payment loans often used by first-time home buyers) is on the rise, accounting for 23 percent of all single-family home and condo sales with financing in the second half of 2015. That marks the highest share since the first quarter of 2013.
2. Home prices are skyrocketing : Single-family home and condo sellers in the first half of this year sold for an average of 13 percent above their original purchase price. In June, for example, sellers sold for above estimated market value on average for the first time in nearly two years. Median sales prices of existing homes pushed above the previous 2006 peak to a record high in June. The median existing-home price for all housing types was $236,400 in June – surpassing the peak median sales price set in July 2006 at $230,400.
3. Sellers have less competition : Inventories of for-sale homes remains tight, which has forced buyers to have to compete for limited supply. Distressed sales – properties in the foreclosure process or bank owned – accounted for 8 percent of all single-family and condo sales in June, the lowest monthly share since January 2011. In 2011, the share of distressed sales had reached a monthly peak of nearly 46 percent of all single-family and condo sales.
