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The local residential real estate market is getting a slight boost according to a new report from Realtor.com.

The company’s latest monthly report shows that, nationwide, there has been a 25 percent increase in active listings and a 10.8 percent increase in new listings since January of 2019.

The increases came even as the average interest rate on a 30-year mortgage danced around 7 percent, according to mortgage-buyer Freddie Mac, giving hope that more sellers were willing to part with their ultra-low mortgage rates.

“The shift in seller activity could mark a turning point in the high mortgage rate-induced standoff between buyers and sellers,” Realtor.com chief economist Danielle Hale said in a statement. “The uptick is likely due to some residual benefit from fall’s lower mortgage rates, which could fade. But drivers such as the need for families to adapt to life changes and the easing of the lock-in effect, could bring more movement from sellers by year’s end.”

The trend has continued, even in the normally inventory-starved Northeast: The region saw a 7.8 percent increase in active listings and a 4.5 percent uptick in new listings last month, compared to January 2024.

Similar dynamics appear to be playing out across New England’s biggest housing markets.

Greater Boston saw a 7.5 percent increase in active listings year-over-year in January, while new listings rose 13.8 percent on the same basis. By Realtor.com’s definition, the Greater Boston market also includes Strafford and Rockingham counties in southeast New Hampshire.

The Providence, Rhode Island area experienced an 11.2 percent increase in active listings last month, and a 12.6 percent bump in new listings, both on a year-over-year basis.

In Connecticut, however, the increase isn’t as noticeable. The Hartford metro saw a 1.8 percent increase in active listings year-over-year while there was a 5.7 percent increase in new listings during the same time period.

There is still a large gap regionally when it comes to inventory. While out West and in the south listings increased by 31 percent and 27.2 percent respectively, in the Northeast listings only increased by 7.8 percent.

Additionally, when comparing inventory levels to pre-pandemic levels, the inventory gap is the smallest in the South (down 10 percent) and West (down 13.3 percent). In the Northeast, the gap is much more pronounced as inventory is down by 58.1 percent.

New England Sees Listing Increase. Could the Seller-Buyer Standoff Be Thawing?

by Sam Minton time to read: 1 min
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