Foreclosures continue to decline, short sale market share up

Rockville, MD –(February 10, 2012) – The following analysis of the Baltimore Metro Area housing market has been prepared by RealEstate Business Intelligence (RBI), and is based on the January 2012 RBI Pending Home Sales Index™ released today.

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OVERVIEW

Baltimore Metro Area listing inventory ended January at the lowest level since April 2006, yet new contract activity was 2.5% higher than January 2011. Pricing continued along a stable course with a nominal year-over-year decline but the median sold price for townhouses showed a surprising year-over-year spike of 22.6%.  The market share of foreclosed listings in both sales and inventory continued the previous month’s trend of sharp year-over-year declines. New listing activity continued to decline compared to the same period last year, though there were 16.9% more short sales added in January compared to January 2011.

December Signed Contracts Down 18.3% from November, Consistent with Seasonal Patterns

Rockville, MD – (January 10, 2012) – The following analysis of the Baltimore, Maryland Metro Area housing market has been prepared by RealEstate Business Intelligence (RBI), and is based on the December 2011 RBI Pending Home Sales Index™ released today.

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OVERVIEW

Baltimore Metro Area inventory ended 2011 at the lowest level since April 2006 with 12,758 active listings. There was a significant decline in the share of the active market made up by foreclosures compared to 2010, though short sale listings market share was up. The 1,827 new listings entering the market was the lowest level on record and marked a 32.1% decline from December 2010. Signed contract activity was consistent with seasonal expectations, decreasing 18.3% from November, while closed sales exceeded seasonal patterns with a 6.2% month-over-month increase. Sales prices remained stable with a nominal decline from November, though the median price for townhouses exceeded expectations with an annual appreciation of 8.1%.