The median US home price hit a new high in June

The median price of existing homes rose 23.4% in June from a year earlier, setting a record, NAR said, extending regular price increases in limited stock.

Economists polled by the Wall Street Journal expected a 2.2% monthly increase in used home sales, which make up the bulk of the housing market.

The boom in the real estate market is moderating slightly as higher prices encourage more homeowners to list their homes. Homes sold in June received an average of four offers, up from five the month before, said Lawrence Yun, chief economist of NAR.

But the number of homes for sale remains well below normal, and strong demand due to ultra-low mortgage interest rates should continue to push home prices up.

“Home sales continue to grow at a rate higher than the rate seen before the pandemic,” Mr. Yun said.

Many homes sell for above the listing price and receive multiple offers. The typical home that sold in June was on the market for 17 days, maintaining an all time high, NAR said.

Dana Laboy and John Niehaus of Columbus, Ohio, started shopping in February for a home costing $ 400,000 or less, but they increased their budget after losing several deals, Ms. Laboy said.

“When we were losing homes left and right every weekend for eight weekends in a row, it was very demoralizing,” Ms. Laboy said. “I didn’t think we would offer up to $ 40,000 more and still not get it, as we have in some cases.”

The couple’s rental lease ended in March and they moved in with Mr Niehaus’s parents while continuing to search for accommodation. They bought a three bedroom house in June for $ 447,200.

There were 1.25 million homes for sale at the end of June, up 3.3% from May and down 18.8% from June 2020. At the current rate of sales, there was supply 2.6 months of housing on the market at the end of June.

Market watchers expect the real estate frenzy to continue to subside over the next few months as the number of homes for sale increases and high prices force some buyers to exit the market.

“I don’t believe you will see the kind of [price] increases you’ve seen over the past 12 months, ”said Sheryl Palmer, general manager of home builder Taylor Morrison Home Corp. “It’s not sustainable.

First-time buyers or those who can only afford small down payments find it most difficult to compete. More than half of existing home buyers in June who used mortgages to buy a property put in at least 20% less, according to a NAR survey. Buyers also make their offers stand out in this competitive market by agreeing to buy homes without contractual terms that typically protect buyers, such as inspection requirements.

Alex Wolf and Maggie Jasper bought a two-story home in suburban Denver in June after a few months of hunting. Mr. Wolf and Ms. Jasper did not waive the home inspection requirement in their offerings, which made it harder to compete.

“I am not prepared to take that many risks,” Mr. Wolf said. “We had a lot of things against us so we were very lucky. “

Existing home sales grew the most month over month in the Midwest, up 3.1%, and in the Northeast, up 2.8%.

Sales were particularly strong at the high end of the market. Sales of homes priced above $ 1 million more than doubled in June from a year earlier, according to NAR.

Construction activity has increased due to strong demand, but home builders are constrained by the availability of labor, the supply of land and the costs of materials. A measure of homebuilder confidence in the United States fell in July, the National Association of Home Builders said this week.

Housing starts, a measure of US home construction, rose 6.3% in June from May, the Commerce Department said earlier this week. Residential permits, which can be an indicator for future home construction, fell 5.1%.

News Corp, owner of The Wall Street Journal, also operates Realtor.com under license from the National Association of Realtors.

Write to Nicole Friedman at [email protected]