EYES ARE ON INTEREST RATES
After weeks of consistent increases, mortgage rates dropped below 8% after news that the Federal Reserve did not raise the “fed funds rate”. This is welcomed news for the housing market. Most experts and leaders in the mortgage industry are still predicting declining interest rates in 2024. However, the timing of this trend is still unclear.
As for home prices, there is no decline/depreciation in sight, especially for Knoxville. The average home sales price in Knoxville was up almost 10% last month compared with October 2022. Despite decreasing demand (buyers in the market) due to higher interest rates, the overall supply of available homes remains extremely low.
However, there are indications that home prices should stabilize as we head into the new year. The Knoxville housing inventory has been increasing steadily since the late summer.
The home absorption rate (number of months it will take to buy up the current number of homes on the market) is the highest it has been in the past 12 months at 1.61 months. That said, this number still reflects a strong seller’s market, but the upward absorption rate trend indicates that we’re moving towards a more balanced market. For some perspective, most economists consider an absorption rate of 4 to 6 months to be a balanced market and anything over 6 months to be a strong buyer’s market. We’re still VERY FAR from either of those scenarios.
If you’re interested in what the real estate market is like in your area, check out our local market reports.
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