We have seen a significant drop in the number of homes selling in the North County and San Diego real estate markets due to COVID-19, but in April as in March, there was also a large decrease in active and new listings. In addition, the number of homes that are going under contract (pending) has increased quite a bit since the beginning of April as you can see in the chart below.

This is keeping the real estate market very competitive, especially with entry-level homes. Many homes are seeing multiple offers. They are selling more quickly and at a higher sales price to list price ratio than they were at the same time last year.

Does this mean that our real estate market will see no effect from COVID-19? Not necessarily. The Mortgage Bankers Association reports that as of May 10, 2020, slightly over 8 percent of loans nationwide were in forbearance. The San Diego and North County markets could be adversely affected by this, but most likely we won’t know what those effects are until 2021. And because there are so few homes available to purchase, the consequences may be minimal.

North County and San Diego Real Estate Markets

Year-over prices were up 4.3 percent countywide and 6.3 percent in North County. Inventory dropped by about one-third compared to the previous year, and market times were 31 percent shorter. New listings and pending sales all dropped by over 40 percent in both markets.

See below for this month’s statistics and daily interest rate updates.

February brought continued price growth to North County and San Diego real estate markets. Because of the coronavirus, the California Association of Realtors® is planning on revising this year’s forecast lower, but say the changes will be modest. The uncertainty the virus has brought to financial markets has also led to lower interest rates. Those low rates are spurring on home purchases and refinances.

North County and San Diego Real Estate Markets

Year-over prices were up 8.1 percent countywide and 5.0 percent in North County. Inventory dropped by over 40 percent compared to the previous year, and market times were shorter. We continue to see fewer new listings but more pending and closed sales.

See below for this month’s statistics and daily interest rate updates.