Housing Demand Index Up 7% in May

Housing demand increased 7.4% in May according to the Redfin Housing Demand Index just released. The rise was driven by a 6.3 percent increase in the number of homebuyers requesting tours, and a 9.7 percent increase in the number making offers on homes from April to May.

The Demand Index is based on thousands of Redfin customers requesting home tours and writing offers. The Demand Index is adjusted for Redfin’s market share growth. A level of 100 represents the historical average for the three-year period from January 2013 to December 2015.

Across the 15 metros covered by the Demand Index, this is the second-straight month new listings have increased. There were 6.6 percent more newly listed homes for sale in April compared to the same time last year, and 3.6 percent more new listings in May, compared to May 2017. Demand is still outstripping supply, however, and that is why total inventory is still decreasing. The total number of homes for sale was down 3.3 percent year over year in May.

Despite the Demand Index’s rebound from April to May, demand still appears lower than it was at this time last year. The Demand index was 7.5 percent lower in May 2018 than it was in May 2017. The same number of people were requesting home tours, but the number making offers fell 16.7 percent year over year. Again, this is an indication of a dearth of homes to make offers on, as opposed to consumers’ desire to buy.

“People listing their homes for sale in higher numbers this April and May is good news for buyers, and good news for home sales,” said Redfin head of analytics Pete Ziemkiewicz. “But it’s still not enough to satisfy buyer demand, which means price increases will likely continue.”