5 Terms to Understand in Housing Market Value
Each year, millions of homes are bought and sold in the United States, and investors review data released for the housing market value. If you are curious about the housing market or considering investment, here are phrases that you should understand about housing market value.
Median Sale Price
When you look at the median sale price for homes in the country, the data will show a dollar amount and a percentage of increase or decrease. The median price can be viewed as the average. In June 2021, the median sale price was just under $390,000, demonstrating an almost 24% increase compared to last year. Use the median sale price of homes to determine if the housing market is affordable for buyers and profitable for sellers.
Average 30-Year Fixed Mortgage Rates
Fixed mortgage rates reflect the cost of buying a home, typically shown as an interest rate. Higher fixed mortgage rates coincide with a downturn in purchases because people cannot afford the higher monthly payments. When the mortgage rates decline, you will see more people buying homes. In June of this year, the average rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage was 3%, compared to almost 5% in 2018 and 2019.
Median Days on Market
Median days on the market show you how fast properties sell once they are listed. This means that buyers have to act quickly to get the home they want and can afford, and sellers can expect to get out of their properties sooner or later. The average time that it took to sell a home in June 2021 was 14 days, indicating that it is a highly competitive market.
Months of Supply
Months of supply is based on the number of homes that are listed for sale compared to how many people are looking to purchase a home. As of June, there is a little more than one month of supply of homes on the market. This is significantly lower than past years. In 2019, there was a supply of homes for sale that would satisfy buyers for four to five months.
Sale-to-List Price
Sale-to-list price indicates how much the actual sales price was above or below the original listing price. In highly competitive markets, buyers may offer a price that is more than the list price to ensure that they get the home they want. The sale-to-list price is lower when there is little competition or the home’s actual value is below the asking price. In June of 2021, the average sales price was slightly more than the asking price.
