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Walla Walla Real Estate Update – July 2017
Monthly home sales slowed in the Walla Walla Valley, yet July became the 3rd busiest closing month of the year. Through the first 7 months of the year, Walla Walla’s home sales were 10% behind last years pace. Strong buyer demand has been hampered this year by a low supply of listings. The month ended with 16% fewer active listings than were available 12 months ago.
Due to low listing inventories, Walla Walla has experienced a sellers market and prices have moved upward. Through July, Walla Walla’s median price has risen 5% over the previous year. Yet, price increases have not dampened buyers enthusiasm largely due to interest rates which have remained low.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist says “Market conditions in many areas continue to be fast paced, with few properties to choose from, which is forcing buyers to act almost immediately on an available home that fits their criteria.” We have found this to be true in Walla Walla, especially for homes priced below $400,000.
July’s Listings: 319*
Although the trend of year-over-year listing declines continue, July experienced a 12% increase in listings over the previous month. This is the highest monthly listing total of the year.
July’s Closings: 68*
Closings declined 16% from the previous month and ended 17% below July’s closings of a year ago.
July’s Median Price: $235,500*
July’s median price dropped 5% from the previous month and was 3% lower than the median price for July of last year. On the year, prices are trending up. Walla Walla’s median sales price has increased 5% over last year.
Click here for July’s charts.
*WWMLS WA Data
Walla Walla Real Estate Update – June 2017
June’s home sales surpassed May’s total to become the biggest closing month of the year. Home sales have been very healthy this year but have slowed a bit. At the halfway point of 2017, Walla Walla’s homes sales are 9% below last year’s record setting pace. The slowdown has been caused primarily by low listing inventories in most price ranges. June ended with 23% fewer homes listed for sale than were available 12 months ago.
Low inventory levels continued to put upward pressure on prices. June’s median price was 8% higher then June of last year. The increase can also be attributed to more homes closing in the upper price ranges. Seventeen homes sales occurred above $350,000 in June.
Buyer demand which has been strong this year softened a bit as many focused on graduations and family vacations. June’s pending sales, a forward looking indicator based on contract signings, declined by 10%. Interest rates remained favorable. While some may be waiting for more listings, we expect buyers to remain active throughout the summer.
June’s Listings: 286*
June’s listing total declined 8% from the previous month and ended down 23% from a year ago. There were 87 fewer single family homes listed than were available 12 months ago.
June’s Closings: 79*
Closed homes sales increased 8% from the previous month. Although June was the most active closing month yet this year, closings were still 12% below June of last year.
June’s Median Price: $249,000*
Median Prices increased 11% over the previous month and was 8% higher than the median sales price for June of last year.
Click here for June’s charts.
*WWMLS WA Data
Walla Walla Real Estate Update – April 2017
Walla Walla’s listing inventory remained low through April. The month ended with 30% fewer listings than were available at the same time a year ago. Typically, listing inventory begins to build during the month of April, but the number of homes for sale has remained flat since the year began. New listings have occurred, however homes have sold as fast as they came to market.
Although buyer demand remained extremely strong, the number of year-to-date homes sales fell behind last years pace by 16%. The lack of inventory has had an impact. In price ranges below $400,000, there have been more buyer than sellers thus far.
The cold, wet spring has caused many sellers to delay bringing their home to market. We expect listing inventory to grow during the month of May. Those looking to sell a home in Walla Walla will benefit from one of the strongest seller’s markets we have had in quite a while.
April’s Listings: 250*
April ended with essentially the same number of listings as the previous month. However, at the same time of last year there were 109 more homes listed for sale.
April’s Home Sales: 48*
The month’s closed sale dropped significantly from the previous month and ended with 24% fewer closings than April of last year.
April’s Median Price: $202,950*
Although low inventory levels have put upward pressure on Walla Walla prices, April’s median price dropped 9% from the previous month. However, the median price increased 11% when compared to the median price for April of last year.
Click here for April’s charts.
*WWMLS WA Data
Walla Walla Real Estate Update – February 2017
February’s home sales dropped in Walla Walla amid harsh winter weather and a declining housing inventory. Year-to-date closings were 12% below last year’s pace during the same period a year ago. Buyers also faced higher home prices and mortgage rates, yet, they stayed surprisingly active. New contract activity for homes not yet closed increased by approximately 30% during the month.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, says interest in buying a home is the highest it has been since the great depression. “Households are feeling more confident about their financial situation, job growth is strong in most parts of the country and the stock market has seen record gains in recent months.”
Through the first two months of the year, buyer traffic has outpaced seller traffic in Walla Walla. As we enter what is typically our busiest listing season of the year, many sellers will benefit from buyer demand that is already waiting for them.
February’s Listings: 250*
February’s listings held steady with the previous month. However, there were 22% fewer homes listed for sale than were available exactly a year ago.
February’s Closing: 32*
February’s closings dropped sharply from the previous month and ended 31% below the number of homes that closed in February of the 2016.
February’s Median Price: $217,500*
February’s median price increased 4% over the previous month. A seller’s market continued in Walla Walla as low listing inventory placed upward pressure on price.
Click here for February’s charts.
*WWMLS WA Data
Walla Walla Real Estate Update – September 2016
September was the biggest home sale month of the year in the Walla Walla Valley. 94 homes closed making it the most active home sale month in Walla Walla MLS’s history. With one quarter left, annual home sales were 9% ahead of last years pace.
In the midst of all those closings, there were signs of the market slowing a bit as we entered the autumn season. Pending sales – homes under contract but not yet closed – declined by 28% from the previous month and the number of listings available for sale also dropped.
With approximately 3 months of inventory, Walla Walla’s real estate market continued to tip in the sellers favor. Lower inventory levels continued to put upward pressure on price. Through the first three quarters of the year, Walla Walla’s median price was $214,555, a 13% increase over the previous year.
September’s Listings: 343*
September’s listings declined 10% from the previous month and 5% from the number of listings a year ago.
September’s Closings: 94*
Closings increased 15% over the previous month and 25% over the number of homes that closed in September 2015.
September’s Median Price: $235,000*
The median price increased 9% over the previous month and 28% over the median price for homes sold in September 2015.
Click here for September’s charts.
*WWMLS WA Data
Walla Walla Real Estate Update – July 2016
Home sales kept up their robust pace in July and pending sales – homes under contract but not yet closed – grew by 6%. Annual home sales are now 7% ahead of last years pace.
Walla Walla’s listing inventory grew slightly over the previous month but the trend of year-over-year inventory declines continued. In the cities of Walla Walla and College Place, listing inventory dropped slightly below the 3 month range as the market moved more strongly to a sellers market.
July’s median sales price increased to $242,032, the highest of the year. The increase was caused by lower inventory levels and by more homes selling in the upper price ranges. On the year, Walla Walla’s median price is $212,164 – a 12% increase over last year’s median price.
While rising prices create affordability concerns, low interest rates have kept buyers active. As we've reported, what happens through the rest of the year will depend largely on interest rates and listing inventory.
July’s Listings: 380*
July’s listings increased by 2% over the previous month. While the monthly trend of year over year listing declines continued, the gap was just 1% lower.
July’s Closed Sales: 80*
While June was the busiest closing month of the year, July became the 2nd busiest. July’s closings were 10% ahead of the same month a year ago.
July’s Median Price: $242,032*
July’s median price rose 5% over the previous month as more homes in the upper price ranges sold.
Click here for July Charts.
*WWMLS WA Properties
