There's a hint of Spring in the air and in the real estate market.

I am starting to see some life come back to our local Hamden market. There are a few more homes on "show" status or on deposit. The inventory is growing, but well below the numbers at the end of December. What I am also seeing is an unusual number of houses for rent in the area. Perhaps people are postponing the sale of their home, choosing to rent, while this market stabilizes.  This is helpful, because the last thing we need is a bloated inventory. According to the Greater New Haven Association of Realtors, today there are 285 houses for sale in town (population 58,000+) and 50 homes on deposit. In the depths of our last recession in Connecticut, the inventory of single family homes in town was over 550 houses. At our peak in 2005, the inventory sunk to 95 houses for sale.

I am curious to hear if you are seeing a pick-up of real estate activity in your area.  I know lenders are aggressively asking for referrals from real estate agents.