West Coast inventory continues to pile up as home sales lag The housing market in recent years has been stuck in the same position. A limited supply of homes for sale has led to competitive bidding that pushed prices higher and higher. Prospective buyers trying to keep up with skyrocketing prices have at least had low interest rates on their side, not to mention an economy long since rebounded from the 2008 financial crisis.
But the market is changing. Because prices have risen faster than wages, the unaffordability of homes is taking a toll on sales. The threat of higher interest rates have also kept some prospective buyers out of the market. As a result, more homes are now on the market; they?re staying on the market for longer and price cuts are on the rise. The first signs of change came in the summer of 2018, which one realtor Curbed spoke with dubbed ?the most competitive housing market in recorded history.? But that prediction didn?t materialize. Instead, homes started lingering on the market and home sales dropped, setting the stage for potential price drops. This trend has been strongest in West Coast markets that have become some of the most expensive in the country, including San Jose, California, San Francisco, and Seattle.
March housing data from a variety of industry sources suggests the current trend is continuing, inching closer to prices possibly coming down. Some data show prices having already dropped.
The Census Bureau?s monthly data on new home s...