Chattanooga Real Estate Blog

4th Quarter home sales show a gain over 2008 but lag behind 3rd quarter 2009.

In the fourth three month period of the year just ended, the Southeast Tennessee and Northwest Georgia area saw the sale of 1,527 residential units, a 19.8% increase over the same quarter’s sales in 2008, but a drop of 6.5% over the July through September sales of 2009.

Median price figures for the period witnessed a decrease to $128,500 – a drop of 4.8% from the 4th Quarter of 2008 and a statistically negligible decline of 1.2% from the previous quarter. While a positive sign, in terms of affordability, the price drop is often interpreted by some authorities as a sign of a continuing sluggish economic outlook. However, the index indicating the number of days on the market has remained remarkably consistent – from 120 a year ago to 120 in the 4th Quarter of 2009 – and only 5 days less than the 3rd Quarter.

The local real estate market witnessed a slight, drop in December in the number of homes sold, according to data released by the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) of the Chattanooga Association of REALTORS®. In December of 2009, Southeast Tennessee and the Northwest Georgia area saw the sale of 474 residential units, a 6.5% decrease compared to the previous month’s sales, but a marked improvement over 2008, showing a 9.7% increase over the same monthly period of a year ago.

For the month of December, the local median home price was $128,250. That represents a decrease of 5.2% from the same period one year earlier and a small decrease of 1.3% from the median price reported the previous month. REALTORS® are quick to point out that it continues to represent a continuing trend of real affordability, and that price sensitive buyers should strongly consider purchasing now, and avoiding the inevitable increases in an improving market.

The average number of days on the market showed a slight increase, attributed to the busy period of
any holiday season. From recent highs (above 130 days), the average is now showing 126 days, which
has not been interpreted as showing any significant trend.

Sales and Inventory History

Category – Residential