FEBRUARY 20, 2025, EDITION

Realtor.com reports the real estate market appears to be heading in the right direction for spring. Inventory keeps growing—giving buyers more options than last year—and prices have been lower, year-over-year, 16 weeks in a row.

The Mortgage Bankers Association reports mortgage credit availability “increased to start 2025… rising to its highest level since June 2022.” They called this “a positive development for the spring homebuying season.”

Ending last year on a positive note, spending on home building in December posted an increase over the month before, as builders spent at an annual rate 6% higher than December a year ago. 

A national online real estate database found that at the start of this month, there was a five-month supply of for-sale inventory, nearly a six-year high. Economists see a four-to six-month supply as a balanced market for buyers and sellers.

Builders put up more than a million new homes last year, and the inventory keeps growing. Plus, the median listing price fell year-over-year and stayed competitive with pre-owned homes on a per-square-foot basis.

Zillow reports almost one quarter of all listings in January had a price cut, the largest percentage for the month since 2018. Zillow noted, “buyers in the market today have a good chance of seeing a price cut on their saved listing.”

DID YOU KNOW?… Real estate consultants T3 Sixty say consumers should know there are roughly 180 tasks in an average real estate transaction, as well as understand the legal and financial risks they face without an agent’s expert guidance.

The national average 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell again, to its lowest level in 2025, in Freddie Mac’s weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey. Remember, mortgage rates can be extremely volatile, so check with your mortgage professional for up-to-the-minute information. 

There are more homes coming on the market than there have been in years. But there are still many buyers to compete with, so you have to be ready to act. Start by getting pre-approved for a mortgage. We’d be happy to refer you to a loan officer who can make that happen.

Spring is the time of year when more buyers are in the market, so homes can sell faster for more money. If you want to take advantage of this increased buyer demand, start getting your house ready now—spring is only a little over a month away!