November single-family contract data showed the seasonal decline in the real estate market that almost always happens this time of year.
With that said, this November outperformed last November. The number of contracts were a little over 4% higher than they were in the same month of last year. On a year-to-date basis, 2014 single-family contracts are only about 2% behind 2013 in Hartford County.
The number of listings actively for sale ticked downwards as the calendar turned over to December. Last month we observed 4,167 listings, compared to 3,722 this month. It is common for homeowners to take their property off the market over the holiday season. Some feel it is important to have their home off the market to reset their MLS statistics, while others just don’t want to deal with the hassle of showings during the holidays.
Buyers are still out looking for homes. There are fewer of them during this time of the year, but they are often more serious. This is also a popular time for companies to hire, which results in new employees looking to move.
Have a safe and happy holiday season. Please feel free to reach out to us with questions – we continue to work all the way through December. We’re happy to help with all your real estate needs, whether you have an immediate question or just want to begin getting prepared for 2015.
