Some Redfin agents are advising prospective buyers to get serious now as mortgage rates decline and the housing market tilts in buyers’ favor

(NASDAQ: RDFN) — The median U.S. home-sale price rose just 3.5% year over year during the four weeks ending February 23, the smallest increase since September. That’s according to a new report from Redfin (redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage. Mortgage rates have declined to their lowest level in more than two months, dipping from 7.13% to 6.78% in the last two weeks alone and upping buyers’ purchasing power by thousands of dollars. Mortgage rates are coming down due to signals that the U.S. economy is slowing, and heightened recession fears.

In addition to a bit of cost relief, another factor is working in buyers’ favor. House hunters have a bit more power to negotiate on sale price and terms as supply piles up in some parts of the country. There are 4.6 months of supply on the market, up from 4 months at this time last year, and the typical home is selling for roughly 2% less than its asking price.

There are signs that slowing price growth, declining rates and more favorable conditions are bringing some house hunters back to the market. Redfin’s Homebuyer Demand Index—a seasonally adjusted measure of tours and other buying services from Redfin agents—has jumped to its highest level since the start of the year, and Google searches of “homes for sale” nationwide have hit their highest level since September.

But home sales have yet to improve. Pending home sales are down 6.2% from a year earlier, in line with decreases Redfin has seen since the start of the year. Even though mortgage rates have declined a bit, the typical monthly housing payment is just $32 shy of its all-time high. Sales could pick up in the coming weeks if the increase in home tours turns into more offers and/or mortgage rates continue coming down slightly.

Redfin agents in some parts of the U.S. are advising prospective buyers to jump in while they can because with today’s economic and political uncertainty, mortgage rates could rise above 7% again soon. And the pileup of supply could soon be depleted: New listings of homes for sale are up just 2.4% year over year this week, the smallest gain in a month.

“My advice to buyers: If you’re thinking of purchasing a home in the next six months, don’t wait until the flowers start blooming,” said Alison Williams, a Redfin Premier agent in Sacramento, CA. “The market will heat up as we get closer to spring. Now is the time to potentially negotiate down the price of a home, save money on closing costs or get the sellers to cover issues uncovered in the inspection. There are bidding wars for relatively affordable homes, under $400,000 or so, and for upscale, fully renovated homes in popular neighborhoods. But for everything in between, buyers are looking online and touring, but not jumping on them. The buyers who are jumping are getting deals.”

For Redfin economists’ takes on the housing market, please visit Redfin’s “From Our Economists” page.

Leading indicators

Indicators of homebuying demand and activity

 

Value (if applicable)

Recent change

Year-over-year change

Source

Daily average 30-year fixed mortgage rate

6.78% (Feb. 26)

Lowest level since Dec. 10

Down from 7.13%

Mortgage News Daily

Weekly average 30-year fixed mortgage rate

6.85% (week ending Feb. 20)

Lowest level in 2 months

Down from 6.9%

Freddie Mac

Mortgage-purchase applications (seasonally adjusted)

 

Unchanged from a week earlier (as of week ending Feb. 21)

Up 3%

Mortgage Bankers Association

Redfin Homebuyer Demand Index (seasonally adjusted)

 

Up 5% from a month earlier (as of week ending Feb. 23)

Down 4%

 

 

Redfin Homebuyer Demand Index, a measure of tours and other homebuying services from Redfin agents

Touring activity

 

Up 19% from the start of the year (as of Feb. 24)

At this time last year, it was up 23% from the start of 2024

ShowingTime, a home touring technology company

Google searches for “home for sale”

 

Up over 20% from a month earlier (as of Feb. 24)

Up 10%

 

Google Trends

Key housing-market data

U.S. highlights: Four weeks ending Feb. 23, 2025

Redfin’s national metrics include data from 400+ U.S. metro areas, and are based on homes listed and/or sold during the period. Weekly housing-market data goes back through 2015. Subject to revision.

 

Four weeks ending Feb. 23, 2025

Year-over-year change

Notes

Median sale price

$377,250

3.5%

Smallest increase since September

Median asking price

$412,253

5.8%

 

Median monthly mortgage payment

$2,762 at a 6.85% mortgage rate

5.1%

$32 shy of all-time high

Pending sales

73,415

-6.2%

 

New listings

81,553

2.4%

 

Active listings

907,659

9.7%

Smallest increase in nearly a year

Months of supply

4.6

+0.7 pts.

4 to 5 months of supply is considered balanced, with a lower number indicating seller’s market conditions

Share of homes off market in two weeks

32.8%

Down from 36%

 

Median days on market

56

+6 days; near longest span since March 2020

 

Share of homes sold above list price

21.7%

Down from 24%

 

Average sale-to-list price ratio

98.1%

Down from 98.3%

 

Metro-level highlights: Four weeks ending Feb. 23, 2025

Redfin’s metro-level data includes the 50 most populous U.S. metros. Select metros may be excluded from time to time to ensure data accuracy.

 

Metros with biggest year-over-year increases

Metros with biggest year-over-year decreases

Notes

Median sale price

Cleveland (13.1%)

San Jose, CA (12.6%)

Nassau County, NY (12%)

Detroit (10.8%)

Milwaukee (10.5%)

Austin, TX (-5%)

Jacksonville, FL (-2.8%)

Tampa, FL (-2.1%)

Atlanta (-0.3%)

Declined in 4 metros

Pending sales

San Francisco (26.9%)

Los Angeles (12.2%)

Anaheim, CA (10.4%)

Riverside, CA (3.5%)

Columbus, OH (1.6%)

Phoenix (0.3%)

Houston (-17%)

Miami (-16.6%)

Minneapolis (-16.1%)

Jacksonville, FL (-16.1%)

Washington, D.C. (-15.5%)

Increased in 6 metros

New listings

Phoenix (23%)

Los Angeles (22.2%)

Sacramento, CA (19.4%)

Denver (16.6%)

Anaheim, CA (16.2%)

Detroit (-21.4%)

Warren, MI (-13.1%)

Montgomery County, PA (-10.5%)

Newark, NJ (-8.3%)

Fort Worth, TX (-8.2%)

Increased in 19 metros

 

To view the full report, including charts, please visit: https://www.redfin.com/news/housing-market-update-early-stage-demand-improves-rates-fall

About Redfin

Redfin (www.redfin.com) is a technology-powered real estate company. We help people find a place to live with brokerage, rentals, lending, and title insurance services. We run the country's #1 real estate brokerage site. Our customers can save thousands in fees while working with a top agent. Our home-buying customers see homes first with on-demand tours, and our lending and title services help them close quickly. Our rentals business empowers millions nationwide to find apartments and houses for rent. Since launching in 2006, we've saved customers more than $1.6 billion in commissions. We serve approximately 100 markets across the U.S. and Canada and employ over 4,000 people.

Redfin’s subsidiaries and affiliated brands include: Bay Equity Home Loans®, Rent.™, Apartment Guide®, Title Forward® and WalkScore®.

For more information or to contact a local Redfin real estate agent, visit www.redfin.com. To learn about housing market trends and download data, visit the Redfin Data Center. To be added to Redfin's press release distribution list, email press@redfin.com. To view Redfin's press center, click here.

Contact Redfin Redfin Journalist Services: Tana Kelley press@redfin.com

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