If you’re a homeowner thinking about making a move, you may wonder if it’s still a good time to sell your house. Here’s the good news. Even with higher mortgage rates, buyer traffic is actually picking up speed.
Data from the latest ShowingTime Showing Index, which is a measure of buyers actively touring homes, helps paint the picture of how much buyer demand has increased in recent months (see graph below):
As the graph shows, the first two months of 2023 saw a noticeable increase in buyer traffic. That’s likely because the limited number of homes for sale kept shoppers looking for homes even during colder months.
To help tell the story of why the latest report is significant, let’s compare foot traffic this February with each February for the last six years (see graph below). It shows this was one of the best Februarys for buyer activity we’ve seen in recent memory.
In the last six years, we saw the most February buyer traffic in 2021 and 2022 (shown in green above), but those years were highly unusual for the housing market. So, if we compare February 2023 with the more normal, pre-pandemic years, data shows this year still marks a clear rise in buyer activity.
The uptick in buyer traffic is even more noteworthy considering the increase in mortgage rates this February. The Freddie Mac 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose from 6.09% during the week of February 2nd to 6.50% in the week of February 23rd. But even with higher rates, more buyers were looking for a home.
Jeff Tucker, Senior Economist at Zillow, says the increased buyer activity could continue:
More buyers will keep coming out of the woodwork. We always see a seasonal uptick in home shoppers in March and April . . .”
If you’re looking to sell your house, seeing buyers still active in the market this year should be encouraging. It’s a sign buyers are out there and could be looking for a home just like yours. Working with a real estate professional to list your house now will help you get your home in front of eager buyers today.
Bottom Line
Rising foot traffic is a bright spot for this year’s housing market and indicates that buyers are looking to purchase this year, even with higher mortgage rates. If you’re ready to sell your house, let’s connect.
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About Us
We are Jamie and Sandi Ehresman, happily married and happily teamed up to rock this thing called Real Estate in our little neck of the woods (Central Texas, that is 😊).
When we’re not working, we’re hanging out in downtown Bastrop with friends, enjoying local food and music, dancing around our kitchen while making dinner, kayaking down our local piece of the Lower Colorado River, starting a new home project, traveling to far-off places with family…you get the idea!
Part of what makes both our marriage and our business work so well is that we complement each other perfectly. Together, we are able to attend to every detail, jump every hurdle, solve every problem, and go the extra mile to ensure an extraordinary experience for you and yours.
But beyond that, we are interested in the relationships we are building even more than the transactions we are working, as important as those are. We want you to call us, to work with us, to build a lasting relationship with us. We MEAN it. We are here for you.