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INDIANA
Indianapolis Inventory on the Downswing
After four years of declining inventory, prompting rising prices and
bidding wars, the housing market finally experienced some relief in October.
Nationally, housing inventory increased 2 percent in October with an
additional 25,000 listings on the market, according to a Realtor.com report.
e Indianapolis metro experienced the greatest inventory decline
among the 45 metros in the study. Inventory is down 16 percent since
last year, although new listings rose 13 percent over the year. Similarly,
the Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania metros all experienced inventory drops of at
least 10 percent over the year in October.
Not only were there more listings on the market in October, but
also the homes hitting the market were cheaper than existing listings.
New listings, which increased 4 percent in October, were 8 percent
cheaper than previously listed properties, translating a discount of
about $25,000 compared to existing listings.
New listings were also about 190 square feet smaller than existing
listings, according to Realtor.com. ese cheaper and smaller listings
could be particularly attractive to new homebuyers.
"e inventory increase will not solve the problem overnight, but it
should provide some relief to those still in the market, especially if the
growth we're seeing in more affordable homes and condos hold steady,"
said Danielle Hale, Chief Economist at realtor.com. "However,
affordability is still an issue with increasing mortgage rates and prices
keeping many would-be buyers on the sidelines."
Not only did inventory pick up at the national level, but inventory
also increased in more than half of the 45 major markets Realtor.com
tracks for the first time since 2014. Inventory in 26 of the 45 markets
tracked increased in October, compared to increases in 22 markets
reported the previous month.
In San Jose, California, one of the highest priced and most
competitive markets in the country, the number of active listings in
October was up 130 percent from last year, while new listings increased
28 percent.
San Jose far outpaced all other markets in terms of inventory
growth, but the Seattle, Washington, metro—another hot market—
ranked second in overall inventory growth with a 60 percent increase
in active listings over the year.
Seattle was followed by the San Francisco metro, where listings
increased 42 percent, the San Diego metro with a 41 percent increase,
and the Nashville metro with a 32 percent increase.
