We all know that this sellers market would not last too much longer and it seems to be coming to an end sooner than later. The turn towards a more favorable buyers market seems to be taking place with 14% of all listings taking a price reduction in June of this year which is up from just 11% in 2016. Everywhere you turned you heard nothing but, It’s a sellers market and a great time to sell! which was true and still is in some areas of Oakland County Michigan like Farmington Hills, West Bloomfield and others, but are the sellers realizing that things are changing in the opposite direction now that we are approaching fall of 2018?
In my business here in Oakland County Michigan, things seem to have been in a stalemate between home sellers and home buyers resulting in many homes staying on the market for longer periods of time then expected, even surprising us professional Realtors. The potential home buyers seem to know that the buyers market will soon be upon them, with the home sellers still bent on getting top dollar or even more. In Farmington Hills where I have several listings that get many showings, but no one is presenting or moving on them which leaves the sellers thinking “why isn’t my home selling” which leaves us to have to try and explain what is happening when we know the market trends seem to be pointing to a buyers market in many areas.
Part of this can be explained by rising interest rates, builders not meeting demand and foreclosed homes being bought in the past and are now rentals. The simple explanation is supply and demand in which was never reached that housing demand when prices were rising upward. The trend now seems to be on the downward swing especially on the high end housing communities in which rising housing prices benefitted those areas more favorably (which lately have seen close to 20% in their inventory price reductions). A buyers market is not a bad market but getting home sellers to realize and be more realistic in pricing their home may keep us in the black for the meantime while the housing market adjust to the coming changes.
The market changes will happen and it will correct itself as I feel this is exactly what this shift means. The supply and demand aspect of this years upswing left the market unable to respond to the needs of the home buyers, so a slight buyers market may correct the voids that this years home buying and home selling season missed out on. The market will shift back and forth but this home selling and buying season seemed to have ended with a slighter advantage headed toward a buyers market.