McEnearney Market in a Minute — Northern Virginia (December 2019): “The lack of available inventory continues to be the biggest factor impacting the market. Contract activity is down because there are so few available choices. There is less inventory for all three property types – condo, attached and detached homes – in almost every price category. That is pushing prices and absorption rates up, and days on the market down. And with fewer new listing coming on the market, we expect these conditions to continue throughout the winter.”
McEnearney Market in a Minute — Washington, D.C. (December 2019):
“Overall supply at the end of November contracted considerably from a year ago with the drop in inventory and the increase in contract activity. Absorption rates are up and so are home prices. Lower interest rates are making it easier on purchasers. In short, all signs are positive for Washington, D.C.’s real estate market as we head into the winter months.”
Homeownership/Buying Trends
- Rising child care costs put a squeeze on homeownership (REALTOR Magazine)
- DMV homeowners stay in their homes an average of 12 years (National Association of REALTORS)
- Most prevalent new neighborhood amenity in 2019 — food halls everywhere (UrbanTurf DC)
- How to buy your first place if you’ve been living in your parents’ basement (Washington Post)
- Rent vs. Buy: Suburban Edition (New York Times)
- From roommates to nuclear families, a look at housing composition in the D.C. area (UrbanTurf DC)
- Nearly half of D.C.-area renter households ‘cost-burdened,’ report says (CurbedDC)
- A new report estimates how long it takes to save for a down payment in D.C. (Curbed DC)
- Low credit scores cost home buyers real money (Washington Post)
- To buy or to rent: The great homeownership debate (Curbed)
- Their estimates may be off base … but why Zillow addicts can’t look away (New York Times)
- The American Starter Home: Expensive, small, broken down and hard to find (Trulia)
- Report: 8.3M first-time buyers are coming (REALTOR magazine)
- D.C. area homeownership gap going opposite direction than rest of the country (UrbanTurf DC)
- Untangling the housing shortage and gentrification — Untangling these related but different problems is important, because the tactics for solving one won’t work for the other (CityLab)
Exterior/Interior Trends
- 10 home features that are most in demand (REALTOR Magazine)
- Find out the color of the year predictions for 2020 (Real Simple)
- 10 design trends coming to a home near you (Houzz)
- Study: High-end showers are key in home remodels (REALTOR magazine)
- Split-level homes are becoming popular again (Apartment Therapy)
- Homeowners are increasingly using their wine collections as a design element. But doing so comes with challenges and some big costs (Wall Street Journal)
- The quest for the perfect closet — What today’s idealized closets and pantries say about our inner lives (Curbed)
- Home-improvement boom is forecast to fizzle (Wall Street Journal)
Updated Jan. 14, 2020
