Florida Bucks National Trend, Home Sales Jump 11% in September

According to the latest housing data by Florida Realtors for September 2019, Florida's housing market reported more closed sales, higher median prices and increased pending inventory compared to a year ago. Sales of single-family homes statewide totaled 23,510 last month, up 11.5% from September 2018.

"Mortgage rates that remain historically low and strong economic trends continue to help fuel Florida's housing market," said 2019 Florida Realtors President Eric Sain. "In another positive sign, pending inventory for existing single-family homes was up 1.7% year-over-year, while pending inventory for existing condo-townhouse properties was up 0.9%.

"Staying on top of trends in local housing markets can be challenging for buyers and sellers - turning to a local Realtor for expert guidance can ease stress and help with peace of mind."

Pending inventory is the number of listed properties that were under contract at the end of the month or data collection period.

Statewide median sales prices for both single-family homes and condo-townhouse properties in September rose year-over-year for 93 consecutive months. The statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes was $265,000, up 5.3% from the previous year, according to data from Florida Realtors Research Department. Last month's statewide median price for condo-townhouse units was $193,000, up 5.8% over the year-ago figure. The median is the midpoint; half the homes sold for more, half for less.

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the national median sales price for existing single-family homes in August 2019 was $280,700, up 4.7% from the previous year; the national median existing condo price was $257,600. In California, the statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes in August was $617,410; in Massachusetts, it was $430,000; in Maryland, it was $310,000; and in New York, it was $296,900.

Looking at Florida's condo-townhouse market in September, statewide closed sales totaled 9,007, up 6.1% compared to a year ago. Closed sales may occur from 30- to 90-plus days after sales contracts are written.

"With inventory levels continuing to dwindle, low mortgage interest rates remain the major reason we are continuing to see strong sales and price growth throughout much of the state," said Florida Realtors Chief Economist Dr. Brad O'Connor. "And with both sales and prices continuing to rise, it should come as no surprise that the dollar volume of sales throughout the state also increased significantly this September compared to September of last year. Statewide, closed sales of single-family homes totaled to about $8 billion, a year-over-year increase of 17%. Dollar volume for sales of townhouses and condos, meanwhile, rose by 7.5% to about $2.4 billion."

According to Freddie Mac, the interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.61% in September 2019, a significant drop from the 4.63% averaged during the same month a year earlier.