Home sale numbers in the Triangle area for 2011 are in, and they are not as positive as we would hope. Home sales fell 6 percent in 2011 to numbers we have not seen since 2002. The good news is that toward the end of 2011 we saw an uptick in home sales, which could be an indicator that the housing market in the area is on the mend.
Durham, Johnston, Orange and Wake counties had a total of 3,600 homes sold in the fourth quarter of 2011, which was up 10 percent from the same time period in 2010, according to the Triangle Multiple Listing Services data. Pending home sales were also up 12 percent for the fourth quarter of 2010 in the Triangle area. The average price of a home sold in the fourth quarter was $230,000, which is down about 6 percent. The number of existing homes on the market dropped drastically from April to December of 2011, with a 35% drop seen. The number of new homes on the market has also decreased. Compared to 2008 the number of new homes on the market is 60 percent less. If we continue to see the number of existing homes and new homes decreasing, we could see home prices begin to stabilize.
Stacey Anfindsen, a Cary appraiser who analyzes MLS data for area real-estate agents said, “We should be back to the little percentage changes between zero and 5 percent.” He continued, “I don’t foresee anything double-digit in percentage changes from a closing standpoint.”