New home listings in Massachusetts dropped over 11 percent year-over-year in March, according to data provided to Banker & Tradesman by the state’s largest multiple listings service.

March 2019 saw 8,631 new homes listed on MLS PIN through March 29, while that same figure for 2020 was a mere 7,630. The difference equates to an 11.6 percent drop.

MLS PIN serves all of Massachusetts, although many homes on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket are instead listed on the separate Cape Cod & Islands MLS, which is owned by the Cape and Islands Association of Realtors.

The drop followed a February that appeared to show the state heading for a strong spring real estate market, with new listings on MLS PIN rising to 6,775, an 11.16 percent jump over February 2019’s 6,095 new listings.

“I think we hit the slo-mo button on sales. I can’t see too many people buying a home from the comforts of their current home,” said Tim Warren, CEO of  real estate data firm The Warren Group, publisher of Banker & Tradesman. “‘Stay at home now’ means ‘Don’t buy a home now.’ And ‘Don’t list a home now.'”

Lamacchia Realty Broker/Owner Anthony Lamacchia said his agents saw the coronavirus take a serious toll on sellers’ optimism last week.

“Ordinarily, we’d be seeing around 3,000 homes a week being listed. Ten days ago, people were saying ‘I don’t give a damn. I’d put my house on the market,'” he said. “It’s getting to the point that [the only] sellers on the market are the ones who really have to get going on something.”

Since concerns over the coronavirus and state restrictions to limit its spread first started to emerge during March, agents across the state have been looking for ways to market homes virtually, using photo walk-throughs, live-streamed tours and other techniques. Lamacchia said he believes agents, buyers and sellers will learn how to adapt to the reality of transacting during a pandemic, now that an extended period of social distancing appears to be guaranteed by Gov. Charlie Baker’s extension of the state-ordered closure of “non-essential” businesses through May 4.

Neither Lamacchia nor Warren said they feared home prices will suffer much during any period of reduced sales activity. Homes don’t appear to be overvalued, Warren said, noting prices have risen only slowly in the last several months. And the severe shortage of new homes in the state, Lamacchia said, will ensure a strong demand once normal life is able to resume.