Washington County Weekend Post

Every year, housing market activity has predictable ups and downs. Sometimes those patterns are difficult to decipher when longer-terms trends, such as plummeting hous- ing prices, or one-off events, such as a home buyer tax credit, drive movements in housing indi- cators. However, seasonal patterns are apparent. Starts and sales swing with the seasons New construction starts and existing home sales fluctuate more throughout the year than other housing activities. Sales are typically 290% above their annual average in June and 31% below their annual average in January, according to Trulia. Construction starts also swing 25% above and below their annual average over the year. Other activities float rather than swing with the seasons. Search activity rises 12% above its annual average in March. But inventories stay within 10% of their annual average every month and asking prices stay within 5% of their annual average every month. With the spring thaw comes first to buyers As the market comes out of winter, buyers wake up first. In the winter, all activity rests: searches, prices, starts, sales and inventories all slide to their yearly low in December or January. Life resumes in March, as search activity pops up and stays above normal through August. Prices rise too and reach their annual high in May. Summer has endings and beginnings: Sales peak in June, as do new construc- tion starts. But inventory keeps climbing as some sellers miss the sales peak, topping out in July and August. What do these patterns tell us? Home buyers are a little ahead of sellers. Asking prices peak at the start of the season, so demand appears to rise ahead of supply. As supply catches up, prices ease back down and sales peak. After that, inventories build up a bit further through the summer. High season comes later in the north Harsh climates fuel sea- sonality. It's harder to build homes in the snow, and a lot less fun to go to open houses. Construction starts in the Midwest are 2.5 times higher in June than in January, but in the South, construction starts are only 50% higher at the summer peak than at the winter low. Sales seasonality too is stronger in the Midwest and Northeast than in the South and West. The best time to buy or sell? Depends on where you are. If you want to buy when inventory swells (or want to avoid those months for selling), inventory peaks in the summer across most of the country, but not in the Sunbelt. In Miami, Tampa and Orlando, inven- tory peaks in March. Las Vegas inventory peaks in October, and Phoenix inven- tory peaks in December, according to Trulia. © ADOBE STOCK Housing market seasons 2B • WASHINGTON COUNTY POST • SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2021 GMTODAY.COM PUBLISHED BY CONLEY MEDIA • SEPTEMBER 2021 GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS • COMMUNITY AGENCIES • CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS • COMMUNITY AGENCIES • CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS Shalom Wildlife Zoo, West Bend. Photo courtesy of Janet H. Wagner jaybirdtoo@sbcglobal.net 2021-2022 WASHINGTON COUNTY Washington County information at your fi ngertips. Look for the 2021-2022 edition of the Washington County Resource Directory inside the September 15th Daily News and September 19th Washington County Post. Advertise your business in this popular publication. Connect with local residents who rely on this booklet as a reference throughout the season. The Winter/Spring Activities booklet publishes in the November 19 Daily News and the November 21 Washington County Post. The booklet is also featured on the West Bend Parks Department website as a flipbook. Ad deadline is Friday, October 8. Place your advertisement today. Contact Barb at 262-306-5075 or bfessenbecker@conleynet.com. Last year's Winter/Spring booklet West Bend Park and Rec 2021-22 OVER 16,700 DISTRIBUTED! SERVICES .COM Southeast Wisconsin For assistance call 262.306.5000 or conleyclass@conleynet.com Place your ad 24/7 @ www.gmtoday.com/classifieds CONCRETE HEALTH CARE HOME REPAIR & IMPROVEMENT LAWN CARE & LANDSCAPING PAINTING TREE TRIMMING

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