Homeowners and home buyers in Scotch Plains are smart to learn about the real estate market to help make an informed decision about when to buy and sell a home in Scotch Plains .
Here’s what’s been happening lately.
Inventory:
- 35 homes were sold in Scotch Plains in August - compared to the 12 month average of 28.25 homes per month.
- Inventory is 133 currently listed homes compared to a 12 month average of 147.4 homes.
Click here to view currently listed homes in Scotch Plains.
- As inventory grows, demand for homes usually drops. This can help to lower prices and/or lengthen how long it takes to sell a home.
Months of Inventory:
Realtors use an analysis called Months of Inventory to evaluate the real estate market. The Months of Inventory is equal to how long it would take to sell the existing inventory if no new houses were put on the market. When the Months of Inventory is below four months, realtors call it a seller's market because the supply is relatively low so sellers have a stronger position in negotiations between a buyer and a seller. When the Months of Inventory is above seven months, realtors call it a buyer's market because the supply is relatively high and buyers have a stronger position in negotiations. Months of Inventory between four and seven is considered a normal market with a good balance of buyers and sellers.
In Scotch Plains, there are currently 5.64 months of inventory. There are enough homes listed for sale to satisfy the current buyers in Scotch Plains.
Prices:
- The average sale price in Scotch Plains in August was $496,715 - compared to the the 12 month average sale price of $557,661. Increasing sale prices is common in the summer and homeowners are experiencing a comfortable return on investment.
- The average list price in Scotch Plains in August was $650,382 - home sellers who want to compete in the end of summer real estate market in Scotch Plains are going to have to rethink their pricing strategy.
- Scotch Plains home prices vary seasonally and the trend line indicates steady growth over the past 7 years with every indication that prices will continue to rise.
Days on Market:
- In August, the average sold home in Scotch Plains was on the market for 43 days - compared to 47 days in July and compared to 37 days in August of 2018.
- The speed of a home sale is dependent on home condition, pricing, and marketing. Homes typically sell slower in the winter than the rest of the year as is evident in this six year graph below. The trend line, however, shows that the time it takes to sell a home continues to get shorter overall.
Please click here to read what this means for buyers and sellers.
To read more about the real estate market in Scotch Plains, please read our earlier market reports here. For more information on how Team Zuhl can help you, please call us at 908-917-4189.
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