Bumper crop of buyers despite limited supply of homes

An often warm and sunny February brought out more and more people looking to buy homes, but in a market with fewer

properties available.

“Undeniably, our unusual spring-like weather has not only fueled and jump started an early allergy season, but the market as well,” said Diedre Haines, Coldwell Banker Bain’s principal managing broker, in a statement.

The number of homes sold in Snohomish County increased to 740 in February up from 668 for the same month the year before. That’s an increase of 10.78 percent year over year.

It was also an increase over January when 686 home sales closed, according to numbers from the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

More homes went on the market last month than the year before — 1,221 this year compared with 1,058 in February.

But the overall number of homes available dipped year over year.

Last month, 1,880 properties were listed for sale around Snohomish County. That’s a 12.6 percent drop from the year before when 2,151 homes were available.

“The early spring weather has brought a bumper crop of buyers to a market experiencing a drought of listings,” said John Deely, principal managing broker at Coldwell Banker Bain in Seattle, in the statement.

Home prices also increased year over year. The median price for a home in the county went up to $319,000 in February compared with $294,000 in the same month a year ago, or an increase of 8.5 percent.

Single-family homes sold for a median price of $330,000 in the county. Last year, those houses were selling for a median price of $315,000 or an increase of 4.76 percent.

Condos in the county sold for $240,712 last month compared with $174,975 for the same month a year ago. That’s an increase of 37.5 percent.

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