INDUSTRY NEWS
Last week, housing sector workers, including real estate agents, were included in the expanded COVID-19 vaccine rollout in Alabama.

The CDC announced that it is extending its nationwide eviction moratorium through June 30, 2021. NAR has fought successfully for federal rental assistance and will continue to advocate to ensure the moratorium doesn’t lead to a spiraling crisis for housing providers and tenants.

INDUSTRY REPORTS
BAR and Greater Alabama MLS track home sales data for the Central Alabama market, including Jefferson, Shelby, Talladega, Coosa, St. Clair, Blount, Bibb, Chilton, Calhoun, Clay, Cleburne, and Randolph counties.

Want to see stats by county or for your city? You must be logged in to Paragon to view the reports.
Learn more about the Listing, Office, and Agent activity from the past month in the ShowingTime report.

Given the latest stimulus package and vaccinations, NAR is projecting that the industry will do well in 2021. Even with the inventory shortage, sales should continue to increase.

MARKET STATS
MARKET RESOURCES
Following months of sharp gains, existing-home sales reversed course in February, falling 6.6%. However, the dip—precipitated by a persistent inventory crunch that’s getting worse—isn’t necessarily a significant drag on the real estate market, says NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “The market is still outperforming pre-pandemic levels.”

When it comes to challenges, the No. 1 challenge by a long shot is finding inventory. It’s also what keeps brokers up at night, with about half mentioning the lack of housing inventory as a write-in answer for current challenges. 

With new construction costs high, it’s up to real estate professionals to get sellers off the fence.

Millennial buyers 22 to 30 years (Younger Millennials) and buyers 31 to 40 years (Older Millennials) continue to make up the largest share of home buyers at 37%.

This trend report provides insights into differences and similarities across generations of home buyers and sellers.

Surging lumber prices and shortages in building materials are keeping some homeowners from completing renovations or repairs, forcing them to put off critical projects, the National Association of Home Builders reports.

Whereas new-home buyers typically bear the brunt of construction cost increases, current homeowners clamoring to redo their property during the pandemic are feeling the burden, too.
Market Statistics – BirminghamRealtors.com