The San Antonio housing market is tilted towards buyers -- and sellers

San Antonio recorded 1,561 single-family home sales in September, according to the San Antonio Board of Realtors. That's a 2 percent decrease from the total for September 2008. Pending home sales in September numbered 1,494. That's about 11 percent more than at the same time in 2008.

There is an 8-month supply of homes on the market this fall in San Antonio, declared the Board of Realtors. Prices have remained stable, around the $151,000 median at the same time in 2008. The market is considered slightly better for buyers than sellers, and a hot July and August market showed that first-time buyers in particular were purchasing homes and taking advantage of the tax credit. Homes priced lower than $200,000 were the best-selling.

In the last 30 days, according to MLS statistics, 644- three-bedroom single-family homes sold for an average price of $139,400 in Bexar County.

Four-bedroom homes, numbering 295, sold for an average price of $212,200. The average time on the market for these two major segments of the real estate market was around four months.

To the left is an "average" 3-bedroom according to the MLS, and below is an average 4-bedroom. Actually, they are both above average in that their time on the market was significantly less than the average.

These numbers right off the MLS paint a slightly different picture than the broad-brush view, since statistics vary wildly by neighborhood, price range, and area of the rather large San Antonio metro. A balanced market is considered to be one in which there is a 6-month supply of inventory. These MLS numbers don't include many new homes, of course.

Average numbers obviously don't tell the whole story, although they give us a good overview. And home buyers want a home that is above average, anyway!