The Northeast was the only region to report higher buyer traffic, however, as the U.S. as a whole was slower, albeit more in line with prior-year showing traffic. The U.S. declined 2.3 percent, the lowest such decline since August 2018 after 10 consecutive months of slower activity. The West Region continued its trend of slowing traffic, seeing a 10.6 percent drop year over year. The South and Midwest saw more modest declines in activity at 4.1 percent and 3.4 percent, respectively.
“Year over year, the situation is stabilizing with May 2019 roughly in line with May 2018 and with the Northeast region crossing into positive territory,” said ShowingTime Chief Analytics Officer Daniil Cherkasskiy. “Activity in the Midwest and South are also in line with last year as we continue to see stronger traffic in the lower price quartiles of the market, with more expensive homes still seeing less traffic compared to the same time last year.”
The ShowingTime Showing Index, the first of its kind in the residential real estate industry, is compiled using data from property showings scheduled across the country on listings using ShowingTime products and services, providing a benchmark to track buyer demand. ShowingTime facilitates more than four million showings each month.
Released monthly, the Showing Index tracks the average number of appointments received on active listings during the month. Local MLS indices are also available for select markets and are distributed to MLS and association leadership.