Buyer Traffic Stronger Year-Over-Year in January 2018

A new monthly survey from the National Association of Realtors found that the states with the strongest buyer traffic were Washington, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah. Louisiana and Alaska had the weakest buyer traffic.

The NAR Buyer Traffic Index above 50 points translates to stronger conditions year-over-year. January 2018's index was at 69, whereas it was at 63 in January 2017. In December 2017, the index read at 66. The Seller Traffic Index dipped a bit in January 2018 from December 2017, down three points to 44. The NAR study concluded that homebuying demand is outpacing current supply.

In contrast, only five states have “strong” supply conditions in November 2017–January 2018 compared to one year ago: Alaska, North Dakota, Nevada, Rhode Island. and Utah. In many states, seller conditions have remained “stable” compared to one year ago, which means that the level of supply has not changed compared to one year, even if demand has been increasing. In 22 states, supply conditions are “weak” compared to one year ago.

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