May Contracts: Rebound

Hartford County Single Family Contracts in May 2017

May contracts rebounded sharply from the seemingly out-of-line data point reported for April. Hartford County finished the month with 1,123 single-family contracts. It was a higher total than any of the spring months in 2016, or any other month since we began tracking contracts using this methodology in 2009. The May total brought the year to date deal count to within 2 of May 2016 count.

Inventory data showed that there was a modest increase in the number of available homes. The County’s months of inventory increased from 3.3 to 3.5. Additionally, the number of municipalities with 3.0 months of inventory or less declined from 12 to 8. There was more balance between supply and demand in May than in April.

Buyers intent on purchasing this spring faced two headwinds that may have caused the April data point to be an outlier.

First, competition from other buyers may have prevented home shoppers from “winning” properties that they tried to buy. This headwind was caused by the low inventory levels that were observed.

The second headwind was psychological, the natural tendency to want to wait to see if better options appear. The Greater Hartford real estate market is dominated by homes that were built decades ago. There is relatively little new construction, and virtually no large-scale subdivisions that offer new, cookie-cutter single-family homes.

Because of the nature of the housing stock, every home is different. Buyers who don’t love their options will often wait to see if something better comes onto the market. They want to find the right fit. However, there is a limit to their patience. At some point they have to pick from the available options so that they have a place to live.

May continued the strong spring real estate market. Hartford County is back on pace with 2016, and shows signs of continued strength into the late spring and early summer months.

Hartford County Single Family Contracts in May 2017 by Town