Residential property equity continued to grow in the first quarter of 2021, with one in three homes considered equity rich.

These included 79% of the offers in Seattle, a bump from the 74.8% rate this past March and a leap from the 50% rate in April 2020.

Last month’s uptick in new listings is sure to be a welcome sign for Seattle homebuyers — and their battle-weary real estate agents. But April housing statistics released by Northwest Multiple Listing Service (MLS) show that sellers still won’t see their homes remain on the market for very long.

A new study by WalletHub tells why Seattle is the best city in the country for agents.

The housing market hit records last month as home prices reached an all-time high and homes sold faster than ever. 

Low mortgage rates and low inventory levels are making the demand for homebuilding more attractive to buyers in Seattle and nationwide.

In 40% of metro areas analyzed, first-quarter home prices hit new peaks or tied previous ones, according to ATTOM Data Solutions’ first-quarter 2021 U.S. Home Sales Report.

Homes stayed on the market for 10 days less than they did last year, at an average of 22 days.

The boost in inventory shows signs of seasonal norms as supply starts to catch up with demand.

Rising wages and falling mortgage rates are helping keep homeownership within reach of average wage earners nationwide despite surges in housing prices.

Nationally, home prices increased by an average of 10.4% over the previous year, representing the largest year-over-year gain since April 2006.

Redfin homes on the market in Seattle faced bidding wars in January at a rate of 73.8%, up from 66.5% in December 2020.

“In the final months of 2020, single-family rents posted the highest increases in over four years,” said Molly Boesel, principal economist at CoreLogic. “However, single-family rent price reaction to the pandemic and resulting recession differed greatly across metros.”

The report added that vacation homes and affordable homes in small towns near major urban centers were in strong demand as a result of the pandemic.