PROSPECTIVE home sellers who sat tight as US prices climbed higher and faster than ever during the pandemic are finally emerging to cash out, a step towards easing a dire shortage in the frenzied housing market.
The number of US homes for sale climbed 6.7 per cent in early June from the same weekly period in May, according to Haus, an investment platform for homebuyers. That was the biggest increase since Covid-19 lockdowns took hold last year. Listings rose in 54 of the 100 metropolitan areas measured, including the regions around Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Detroit, Denver and Seattle.
“Sellers are saying, ‘it’s time, let’s make the money,'” said Julie Welter, an agent with EXP Realty in Pittsburgh, which had the biggest supply increase in Haus’s data. “With the world opening up again and the vast majority of people being vaccinated, it has given a new comfort level to people.”