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Multiple Listing Service of the Houston Association of REALTORS® includes residential properties and new homes listed by 50,000 REALTORS®

MLS Report for May 2015

MAY BRINGS A SLOWDOWN IN HOUSTON HOME SALES

Home prices climb to historic highs and inventory levels improve

HOUSTON (June 10, 2015) The Houston housing market has been on a see-saw ride this year, with home sales increasing and declining in alternating months. May marked a downward swing to the tune of 4.3 percent. Homes priced between $250,000 and $500,000 experienced positive sales activity, while homes between $150,000 and $250,000 were flat. Sales volume was down across the lower-priced segments.

According to the latest monthly report prepared by the Houston Association of Realtors (HAR), May single-family home sales totaled 6,807 units compared to 7,110 a year earlier. Months of inventory, the estimated time it would take to deplete the current active housing inventory based on the previous 12 months of sales, increased to a 3.1-months supply versus 2.8 months last May. That is the highest level since October 2013, but still well below the current national supply of 5.3 months of inventory.

Home prices climbed to all-time highs, with the average price of a single-family home up 4.5 percent year-over-year to $292,040. The median price—the figure at which half the homes sold for more and half for less—soared 10.5 percent to $223,000.

May sales of all property types totaled 8,278 units, down 4.2 percent compared to the same month last year. Total dollar volume was flat at $2.2 billion.

"We have had our ups and downs with home sales this year, but HAR predicted declines due to uncertainty about oil as well as tight inventory, so none of this comes as any surprise,” said HAR Chair Nancy Furst with Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Anderson Properties. “We are on our way to a more normalized housing market after a record-setting 2014, and just like an airplane coming in for a landing, passengers are told to expect the possibility of some dips and bumps on approach."


May Monthly Market Comparison

The Houston housing market had a mixed bag of indicators in the May 2015 versus May 2014 analysis, with single-family home sales and total property sales down, total dollar volume flat, and prices up to the highest levels of all time. Month-end pending sales for single-family homes totaled 8,127, a 3.0 percent decline versus one year earlier.

Houston’s housing inventory expanded in May to a 3.1-months supply versus the 2.8-months supply of one year earlier. That matches the inventory level of October 2013, but is well below the current national supply of homes which stands at a 5.3-months supply, according to the National Association of Realtors.

CATEGORIES MAY 2014 MAY 2015 CHANGE
Total property sales 8,642 8,278 -4.2%
Total dollar volume $2,282,469,582 $2,273,177,479 -0.4%
Total active listings 28,712 30,550 6.4%
Single-family home sales 7,110 6,807 -4.3%
Single-family average sales price $279,422 $292,040 4.5%
Single-family median sales price $201,750 $223,000 10.5%
Single-family months inventory* 2.8 3.1 9.1%
Single-family pending sales** 8,378 8,127 -3.0%
* Months inventory estimates the number of months it will take to deplete current active inventory based on the prior 12 months sales activity. This figure is representative of the single-family homes market.
** Effective May 2015, in an effort to be consistent with industry standards, the Houston MLS is now including all categories of pending sales in its reporting. Previously, the Houston MLS did not include “option pending” and “pending continue to show” listings in its reporting of pending sales. The new methodology is now all-inclusive for listings that went under contract during the month.

Single-Family Homes Update

Single Family

May single-family home sales totaled 6,807, down 4.3 percent from May 2014. Home prices reached the highest levels of all time in Houston. The single-family average price increased 4.5 percent from last year to $292,040 and the median price climbed 10.5 percent year-over-year to $223,000. The average number of days it took to sell a home, or Days on Market (DOM), was 47 in May, down from the DOM of 50 a year earlier.

Broken out by housing segment, May sales performed as follows:

  • $1 - $79,999: decreased 19.4 percent
  • $80,000 - $149,999: decreased 27.2 percent
  • $150,000 - $249,999: flat
  • $250,000 - $499,999: increased 7.6 percent
  • $500,000 and above: increased 7.9 percent
  • Single Family Average Home Price

    HAR also breaks out the sales figures for existing single-family homes. In May, existing home sales totaled 5,860. That is down 6.5 percent from the same month last year. The average sales price rose 4.6 percent year-over-year to $273,945 while the median sales price shot up 10.1 percent to $207,000.

    Townhouse/Condominium Update

    Sales of townhouses and condominiums experienced their first decline since January, falling 6.4 percent. A total of 630 units sold compared to 673 properties in May 2014. The average price, however, rose 3.5 percent to $202,228 and the median price also rose 3.5 percent to $150,000. Inventory grew slightly from a 2.6-months supply to 2.7 months.

    Townhouse/Condominium Sales

    Lease Property Update

    Demand for single-family lease homes declined 6.7 percent in May while the average rent for such properties rose 6.6 percent to $1,843. Townhouse/condominiums leases were up 3.7 percent in May with their average rent up 6.7 percent to $1,655.

    Houston Real Estate Milestones in May
    • At $292,040, the single-family home average price reached an all-time record high;
    • At $223,000, the single-family home median price also achieved an historic high;
    • Single-family homes months of inventory edged up to a 3.1-months supply, matching a level last seen in October 2013;
    • Days on Market for single-family homes was 47 days versus 50 days a year earlier.
    The computerized Multiple Listing Service of the Houston Association of REALTORS® includes residential properties and new homes listed by 29,000 REALTORS® throughout Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties, as well as parts of Brazoria, Galveston, Waller and Wharton counties. Residential home sales statistics as well as listing information for more than 50,000 properties may be found on the Internet at https://www.har.com.

    The information published and disseminated to the HAR Multiple Listing Services is communicated verbatim, without change by Multiple Listing Services, as filed by MLS participants.

    The MLS does not verify the information provided and disclaims any responsibility for its accuracy. All data is preliminary and subject to change. Monthly sales figures reported since November 1998 includes a statistical estimation to account for late entries. Twelve-month totals may vary from actual end-of-year figures. (Single-family detached homes were broken out separately in monthly figures beginning February 1988.)

    Founded in 1918, the Houston Association of REALTORS® (HAR) is a 29,000-member organization of real estate professionals engaged in every aspect of the industry, including residential and commercial sales and leasing, appraisal, property management and counseling. It is the largest individual dues-paying membership trade association in Houston as well as the second largest local association/board of REALTORS® in the United States.