Price gains slow in NWMLS region as sellers outnumber buyers

by Emily Marek

The median sales price in northwest Washington rose only $1,000 from March to April, according to the latest report from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

The median home sold for $650,000 last month. That’s a negligible increase month over month and a 0.2% decrease year over year.

Meanwhile, active listings jumped 47.4% annually — and 24.2% month over month — as sellers continue to outnumber buyers.

Inventory increases were highest in Snohomish (up 84.8%), Columbia (up 76.9%) and King County (up 71.3%) counties.

“As the number of sellers continues to outpace buyers, it is not surprising that price growth has slowed,” Steven Bourassa, director of the Washington Center for Real Estate Research, said in a press release.

Across the region, closings rose 0.7% year over year in April, with 5,887 homes sold. Pending sales, meanwhile, fell 4.6%.

However, given the rate of sales, the NWMLS region had only a 2.46-month inventory, meaning sellers still technically have the upper hand. In a balanced market, where neither sellers or buyers have the advantage, it would take between four to six months to sell every home in the inventory.

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