The number of homes for sale fell nearly 10% year-over-year in November in a market where low interest rates are spurring increased demand, according to the November 2019 Housing Trends report released today by realtor.com.
"As millennials -- the largest cohort of buyers in U.S. history -- embrace homeownership and take advantage of this year's unexpectedly low mortgage rates, demand is outstripping supply, causing inventory to vanish," according to George Ratiu, realtor.com senior economist. "The housing shortage is felt acutely at the entry-level of the market, where most millennials are looking to break into the market for their first home."
Ratiu added, "The issue is further compounded by the fact that sellers tend to be more reluctant to list during the colder time of year when the market typically makes a seasonal slowdown."
Based on realtor.com's listing data, the shortage of available homes for sale is accelerating. Overall, inventory declined 9.5% in November, compared to October's drop of 6.9%.
November's inventory declines amounted to a loss of 131,000 listings nationwide, compared to this time last year. In the nation's 50 largest metros, inventory declined by 8.8% year-over-year. Additionally, the volume of new listings hitting the market has decreased by 7.7% since last year, adding to the nation's inventory woes.
Finding an affordable home still remains one of the largest obstacles to home buyers, and is predicted to continue to be a problem for many buyers heading into 2020. The inventory of homes priced below $200,000 decreased by a substantial 16.5% year-over-year in November, up from the 15.2% decrease seen in October. Inventory decreases were the norm across all price points in November. Mid-tier inventory priced between $200,000 and $750,000 also decreased by 7.4% year-over-year compared to October's year-over-year drop of 4.3%, while high-end inventory priced above $1 million decreased by 1.7% year-over-year, compared to October's year-over-year increase of 1.3%.
"The inventory decreases seen across all value ranges could in part be attributed to a spill-over effect, as the lack of inventory has pushed buyers up the price chain to stretch their budgets and search for homes above their initial price target," Ratiu noted.
The metros with the sharpest drops in inventory were San Diego (-28.1%); Phoenix (-24.1%); and Rochester, N.Y. (-22.4%). Only four of the 50 largest metros saw inventory increase year-over-year. The largest inventory increases were in Las Vegas (+14.4%); Minneapolis (+11.5%); and San Antonio, Texas (+7.2%).
Facing even fewer options than last year, eager buyers are acting quickly to close on the few homes that are currently available. During November, home sold in an average of 70 days nationally, two days more quickly than last year. Raleigh, N.C.; Hartford, Conn.; and Birmingham, Ala.; saw the largest declines in days on market with properties spending 10, 10, and 9, fewer days on the market than last year, respectively. Conversely, properties in some of metros found homes sitting on the market longer. Homes in Los Angeles; San Jose, Calif. and Las Vegas sold 20, 12, and 10 days more slowly than last year, respectively.
Meanwhile, the national median home price has yet to adjust to the recent inventory declines after a multi-month run up in inventory earlier this year. The median U.S. listing price grew by only 3.6% year-over-year, to $309,000 in November, which is less than the 4.3% year-over-year increase seen last month. However, of the 50 largest U.S. metros, 43 saw year-over-year gains in median listing prices. Los Angeles (+16.6%); Rochester, N.Y. (+12.8%); and Birmingham, Ala. (+12.3%); saw the highest year-over-year median list price growth in November. Conversely, the steepest price declines were seen in Louisville, Ky. (-4.0%); Minneapolis (-2.0%); and Houston (-1.6%).
Metros Seeing the Largest Declines in Inventory
| Metro | Active Listing Count YoY | Median Listing Price | Median Listing Price YoY | Median Days on Market | Median Days on Market Y-Y |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, Calif. | -28.1% | $715,000 | 8.4% | 46 | 7 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz. | -24.1% | $375,000 | 8.9% | 45 | -1 |
| Rochester, N.Y. | -22.4% | $202,900 | 12.8% | 50 | -8 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Calif. | -22.2% | $1,099,000 | 1.5% | 49 | 12 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Wash. | -22.1% | $580,000 | 5.5% | 49 | 4 |
| Cincinnati, Ohio-Ky.-Ind. | -21.5% | $260,000 | 5.7% | 52 | -5 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pa.-N.J.-Del.-Md. | -21.4% | $295,000 | 11.9% | 64 | -2 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-Va.-Md.-W.V. | -21.2% | $475,000 | 6.8% | 50 | -1 |
| Providence-Warwick, R.I.-Mass. | -20.1% | $375,000 | 7.2% | 59 | 2 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, Calif. | -19.5% | $485,139 | 9.0% | 55 | 6 |
| Oklahoma City, Okla. | -18.5% | $250,000 | 5.9% | 55 | -6 |
| Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Va.-N.C. | -18.1% | $299,900 | 7.6% | 63 | -2 |
| Memphis, Tenn.-Miss.-Ark. | -17.5% | $234,900 | 9.8% | 60 | -7 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif. | -17.4% | $409,900 | 3.8% | 57 | 7 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, Calif. | -17.0% | $933,000 | 5.1% | 43 | 7 |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, Tenn. | -16.2% | $369,900 | 5.7% | 41 | -2 |
| Birmingham-Hoover, Ala. | -15.3% | $252,500 | 12.3% | 72 | -9 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Ore.-Wash. | -14.8% | $465,000 | -1.0% | 59 | 4 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, Conn. | -14.2% | $275,000 | 3.0% | 65 | -10 |
| Austin-Round Rock, Texas | -13.7% | $354,718 | 1.4% | 61 | -3 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla. | -13.3% | $279,000 | 4.8% | 60 | 3 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, N.C.-S.C. | -13.0% | $335,000 | 1.5% | 57 | -6 |
| St. Louis, Mo.-Ill. | -12.6% | $219,900 | 3.9% | 70 | 1 |
| Pittsburgh, Pa. | -12.2% | $195,000 | 10.2% | 74 | -5 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, Md. | -12.0% | $320,000 | 3.2% | 58 | -1 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Fla. | -11.7% | $319,000 | 5.1% | 63 | 1 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, Calif. | -11.2% | $859,000 | 16.6% | 64 | 20 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, Mass.-N.H. | -10.7% | $589,900 | 9.4% | 57 | 5 |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, N.Y. | -10.7% | $189,900 | 1.7% | 53 | -3 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis, Wis. | -10.1% | $279,900 | 4.4% | 56 | 3 |
| Columbus, Ohio | -9.9% | $275,000 | 5.8% | 51 | -2 |
| Kansas City, Mo.-Kan. | -9.4% | $300,000 | 3.5% | 63 | 1 |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Anderson, Ind. | -8.7% | $259,900 | 8.3% | 59 | 1 |
| New Orleans-Metairie, La. | -8.2% | $284,000 | 1.7% | 73 | -2 |
| Cleveland-Elyria, Ohio | -7.9% | $185,000 | 0.3% | 65 | -1 |
| Jacksonville, Fla. | -7.8% | $312,000 | 4.1% | 68 | -3 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colo. | -7.2% | $498,000 | 4.8% | 51 | 7 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Fla. | -7.2% | $409,000 | 2.8% | 91 | 5 |
| Richmond, Va. | -6.0% | $315,000 | 2.3% | 56 | -1 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, Ky.-Ind. | -5.1% | $244,900 | -4.0% | 52 | -1 |
| Raleigh, N.C. | -3.8% | $359,900 | 1.4% | 63 | -10 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa. | -3.1% | $550,000 | 2.8% | 66 | -4 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Ill.-Ind.-Wis. | -2.3% | $309,000 | 2.3% | 57 | 1 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas | -1.0% | $340,000 | 0.0% | 59 | 1 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas | -1.0% | $305,000 | -1.6% | 64 | 0 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Ga. | -0.6% | $320,000 | 0.3% | 57 | 3 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, Mich. | 0.8% | $232,500 | 3.3% | 50 | 3 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas | 7.2% | $285,750 | -1.5% | 63 | -4 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minn.-Wis. | 11.5% | $342,990 | -2.0% | 50 | -2 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nev. | 14.4% | $319,500 | -0.1% | 53 | 10 |
