Home Buyer Demand Turns Cooler as Home Tours Decline from Record-Breaking Highs
Tuesday, August 2nd, 2022
In what may be a welcome change for home shoppers used to abnormal market activity, the latest data from the ShowingTime Showing Index® found home showings declined again year-over-year in June – though home touring activity is still above pre-pandemic levels. ShowingTime is one of the residential real estate industry's leading technology providers of showing management and market statistics.
The decline in home showings across the country is another indicator that the housing market may be moving toward rebalancing, as inventory improves and competition among home buyers eases. The Northeast saw the smallest drop in June, with a 10.9% dip in showings. The Midwest followed with a 16.7% drop, while the South's 25.9% decline and West's 44.1% downturn rounded out the regions. The U.S. overall had an 18.7% fall in buyer traffic compared to this time last year.
Burlington, Vt., led all markets in showings per listing in June with an average of 13.58, marking the second consecutive month in which it claimed the top spot. Notably, Burlington is also one of the few markets where showings per listing are up significantly year over year – in other markets analyzed, showings stayed flat or declined.
Rochester, N.Y. and Cleveland also saw double-digit showings per listing, rounding out the three markets to reach that distinction. The dwindling number of markets to see double-digit showings per listing represents a turnaround from the spring, when that number reached triple digits from February through April.
"Most markets are experiencing a slowdown in buyer activity, especially compared to the historically high traffic seen last year," said ShowingTime Vice President and General Manager Michael Lane. "While summer is a slower time of year for real estate compared to spring, the dip we're seeing compared to last June suggests this slowing is more about a rebalancing of an overheated market than just marking the end of the home shopping season."