Redfin Reports the Median U.S. Home Price Hit an All-Time High of $434,000 in April

(NASDAQ: RDFN) — The median U.S. home sale price rose 6.2% year over year in April to $433,558—the highest level on record, according to a new report from Redfin (redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage.

Today’s housing market is much slower than it was during the pandemic homebuying boom, but prices continue climbing because there still aren’t enough homes to go around.

New listings increased 1.7% month over month in April on a seasonally adjusted basis and rose 10.8% year over year. Still, they were roughly 20% below pre-pandemic levels, in large part because many homeowners don’t want to sell, as they feel “locked in” by the low mortgage rate they scored during the pandemic.

It’s worth noting that last April, new listings were at the lowest level on record aside from the start of the pandemic, which is one reason they’re now posting such a large year-over-year gain.

Home sales were little changed from a month earlier (0.2%) in April on a seasonally adjusted basis but were down 1.4% from a year earlier.

Homebuyers are getting hit by the one-two punch of high prices and elevated mortgage rates. The average 30-year-fixed mortgage rate was 6.99% in April. That’s up from 6.82% in March and 6.34% in April 2023, and is more than double the all-time low of 2.65% during the pandemic.

“It’s not all bad news for homebuyers. Mortgage rates are already inching lower in response to this week’s inflation report, which signaled that the Fed may cut interest rates this summer—a possibility that just weeks ago many thought was off the table,” said Redfin Economics Research Lead Chen Zhao. “In certain parts of the country, buyers also have room to negotiate as homes linger on the market, prompting sellers to slash their asking prices and provide concessions.”

Housing Supply—While Historically Low—Hit a Four-Year High in April as Homes Lingered on the Market

Active listings rose to the highest level since December 2020 in April. They were up 0.3% from a month earlier and up 7.5% from a year earlier on a seasonally adjusted basis, though remained far below pre-pandemic levels.

While new listings represent the number of homes that were listed for sale during a given month, active listings represent the total number of homes that were for sale during a given month. That means that the latter metric includes homes that have been sitting on the market for a while.

Nationwide, 43.9% of homes that went under contract in April did so within two weeks of being listed, down from 46.9% a year earlier.

18% of Home Sellers Are Cutting Their Asking Prices