“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.”

Edmund Burke

The big real estate story across the nation and locally is the shortage of available homes for sale. There were 6,403 homes for sale at the end of August according to the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors (NEFAR) market stats. That is 35% less than August 2019 number of 9,874 for a reduction of 3,471 properties. We have 799 fewer properties than last month.

There is a 2.3 months supply of inventory available in Northeast Florida which is down 38% from August 2019 when there was a 3.7 months supply. A five to six month supply is considered a balanced market.

The inventory is down even with building permits rising. Building permits in the Jacksonville MSA are up about 6% year to date over the previous year even with COVID 19 slowing the process down. There were 7,823 permits issued through the eight months ending August. Most of the builders are selling their speculative homes before construction is finished.

The new listings in August 2020 from the NEFAR report are 3,441 homes. This is 4% fewer new listings than August 2019 and we are down 5% year to date. As new listings become available, they are going under contract quickly and many times with multiple offers.

There is a strong demand for homes in our market now. In addition to local buyers that want more space for working from home, schooling virtually, or more outdoor space, we have many people moving from other states. Some employers are allowing employees to work from home permanently or at least until mid-2021 and that allows employees to relocate to areas with better weather, more space, and lower taxes.

The strong demand and short supply of homes continues to drive prices higher. The median and average sales prices are up 8% and 9% respectively year-to-date. It also creates the perfect time to sell your home. If you are dreaming of a new or different home, please let us know and we can give you the guidance you need to make a good decision.

Davidson Cares is not making the mistake of doing nothing as mentioned in the quote. We have found a safe way with individual shoot times and no group gatherings to have our 5th Annual Davidson Cares Clay Day on October 29th. We would love for you to participate and support St. Augustine Youth Services, Investing in Kids and Builders Care with a donation, sponsorship, or as a shooter. Please go to DavidsonCares.com to get all of the information.

It is so nice to have sports back. I hope your favorite team has a great year. Thank you for your continued support of Davidson Realty, Davidson Property Management, and Davidson Cares!