Last month I reported that the market was steady. And it still is, relative to the last 18 months or so. With 11 interest rate hikes since March 2022, along with substantial short-term rental restrictions in Summit County, our market is seeing signs of a new normal with less sales volume.

 
Line graph showing monthly sold residential listings in Summit County from 2015 to 2023, with peaks in early 2021 and periodic fluctuations throughout the years. Highest point is just above 350 listings.

I ran the search (chart above) for number of sold properties by month as far back as the data goes in my software. You can see if you hover over the chart, the month of October is usually at the top or close to the top of sales volume each year. Not so much in 2023 – last month we had only 123 residential sales. 

Here is the history of residential sales in all of Summit in the month of October:

  • 2015 – 247
  • 2016 – 205
  • 2017 – 241
  • 2018 – 211
  • 2019 – 204
  • 2020 – 374 (Covid)
  • 2021 – 264
  • 2022 – 138
  • 2023 – 123

There were 130 residential properties that went under contract in October, so the pipeline of future sales will remain somewhat steady.

Line graph showing monthly pending residential sales in Summit County from 2015 to 2023, with peaks in sales each year and a sharp spike around early 2020, followed by lower, steady numbers through 2023.

Average days on market is creeping up to 52:

 
Line graph showing average days homes stay on the market in Summit County from 2015 to 2023, starting high above 150 days and gradually decreasing, with fluctuations, to around 50 days by late 2023.

Percentage sale to list price for October is 97.5%

Line graph showing the average percent of last list price for Summit County homes from 2015 to late 2023, peaking in early 2022 above 102% and dropping to around 98% by late 2023.

As I normally say, well-priced properties, in good condition and in good locations are still selling. If you have a property with any issues, you will need to price accordingly to be attractive in this market with fewer buyers ready to transact. It is, however, taking longer for properties to go under contract. Pricing remains steady – we aren’t seeing big drops in average prices. 

It’s taking an average of 16 showings before a property goes pending:

A line graph shows average showings to pending for Summit County residential homes from 2015 to 2023, with frequent fluctuations between roughly 6 and 18 showings per pending sale.

Showings per listing is also down in October to 3.3 for the entire month. Last month it was 4. If you need 16 showings to get an offer, than you have a hold time of 4.8 months. In this market, it’s better to price at market price or slightly below to compete to be the next sale, since showings are becoming increasingly limited. 

Buyers have a good opportunity to transact without much competition. Also, we can provide some insight into interest rate buydowns to make the monthly payments lower. 

Line graph showing showings per listing in Summit County from early 2015 to late 2023. Trends rise and fall, peaking above 6 in 2021 and declining toward 2023. Data is through November 2, 2023.

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