New and Unique Reason for Higher Home Prices

A couple of articles came across my desk this week that I found… interesting. 

Redfin, a Seattle based Real Estate brokerage did some research and the Wall Street Journal expanded it into an article. 

Their research showed them that home ownership has increased from an average of eight years to around thirteen years! This average increase has increased in just the last nine years. 

If this five-year increase happened over a few decades, no one would notice much. Or, they would have attributed the change to an aging demographic. But this increase was five years occurring over a period of around nine years. A homeownership change like this has created a marked decrease in the available homes for sale! 

Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather told The Wall Street Journal: “If people aren’t moving on, there just are fewer and fewer homes available for new-home buyers,” 

As I suspected, Baby Boomers ages 67 to 85 are not moving. Freddie Mac blamed this reality for creating a shortage of 1.6 million homes 

While I haven’t personally done similar research in the Pacific Northwest, I would concur that this is also happening here. More and more first-time buyers are finding it harder to find a home that is affordable.  If you are a ‘statistic junkie’ like I am, you’ll love the info at the bottom of this post.

Now…don’t take this new reality as all bad news. 

First, this information shows that the long-term investment in homeownership is stronger than ever. People who consistently pay off their homes will make their strongest investment! 

If you are looking…don’t despair. You are on the right path and I would love to help you start making equity that will benefit you for decades. 

But…if you’ve been in your home for a while… this would be a great time to at least test the waters. If you can downsize, or if you are thinking about moving somewhere new, now is a great time to call me and we can look at some comps and evaluate your possibilities. 

In the real estate world, bad news to some people can be GREAT news to you…as long as you have a real estate agent who knows how to navigate the process. 

I’d love to talk and weigh out some options. A tough time for buyers can be the perfect situation for someone wanting to maximize their selling price!