Open Houses are Back!
Housing is much different this year compared to last year, with more FOR-SALE signs, more OPEN HOUSE directional arrows, and longer market times. Since reaching a low of 37 days at the end of March, the Orange County Expected Market Time has swelled to 57 days.
Many times, there is a big difference between expectations and reality. Sellers are now coming on the market expecting a boatload of activity, throngs of buyers touring their homes, and instantaneous success after sifting through multiple offers. Yet, the market has evolved. A telltale sign that the market has changed is the growing number of OPEN HOUSE directional arrows that adorn busy intersections. It is now common to see the same OPEN HOUSE for multiple weekends in a row. The hot, high-paced, instant housing market has transformed into something completely different, throttling back and slowing from week to week.
The Orange County housing market was insanely hot just a few months ago. The Expected Market Time (the number of days it takes to sell all listings at the current buying pace) grew from 37 days in March to 57 days today, the highest level for this time of year since 2019. An incredible 28% of all active listings have reduced their asking price at least once. 48% of available homes have been on the market for 30 days or more, and 25% have been exposed to the market for at least 60 days.
Excerpt taken from an article by Steven Thomas.