“Austin, Boulder, Denver and Seattle all logged substantial month-over-month increases in showings,” said ShowingTime President Michael Lane. “With a limited number of homes to see, showings per listing jumped to levels we’ve never seen before. Seattle recorded more than 26 showings per listing in January, Denver had 23 and Austin recorded 18 showings per listing. The nationwide average in the markets we track is eight showings per listing.”
Other cities – including Ocean City, N.J.; Madison, Wis.; Salt Lake City, Utah and Columbus, Ohio – all recorded at least 70 percent increases in showings versus December.
“It’s clear that buyers decided to come out in January instead of waiting until spring to shop for homes,” Lane said. “While the winter storms that affected most of the country in February will have a downward impact and will be reflected in our next report, we expect to continue seeing big jumps in buyer activity once cities thaw out and more listings come on the market.”
For the third consecutive month, the West Region experienced the most significant year-over-year increase in showing activity, with a jump of 90 percent. The other regions also recorded year-over-year increases, though at a slower pace than in December. The Midwest was up 57.3 percent, the Northeast 52.2 percent, and the South increased 51 percent.
“As anticipated, demand for real estate remains elevated and continues to be affected by low levels of inventory,” said ShowingTime Chief Analytics Officer Daniil Cherkasskiy. “On average, each home is getting 50 percent or more requests this year compared to January of last year. As we head into the busy season, it’s likely we’ll push into even more extreme territory until the supply starts catching up with demand.”
The ShowingTime Showing Index is compiled using data from more than six million property showings scheduled across the country each month on listings using ShowingTime products and services. The Showing Index tracks the average number of appointments received on active listings during the month.
