As a rule, those who have St. Cloud homes for sale generally welcome real estate headlines that

include words like “soars” and “surge.” On the other hand, words like “slowdown” are less likely to be

well received. Last week’s residential real estate dispatches featured all of the above—although not

always in the most welcome contexts.

The ‘soars’ came into play in Bloomberg.com’s review of U.S. home inventory levels. These were

said to have expanded at a record rate in July. The authors cited realtor.com®’s tally of active listings

nationwide, which jumped 31% from a year earlier. Even more notable was that this marked the third

straight month of record increases. Such soaring inventory levels were clearly “good news for shoppers

still in the hunt”—signaling more negotiating power for buyers. The result was not necessarily truly glum

news for sellers, though. A clarifying paragraph noted that inventories remained below pre-pandemic

levels—and July’s nationwide median listing price was “up 17% from a year earlier”—hardly cause for

dismay by sellers.

‘Surge’ came into play in cnbc.com’s review of refinancing activity, said to be characterized by the

previous week’s “wild swings in mortgage rates.” Last week saw an unusual uptick in refinancings—a 4%

“surge” said to have been due to homeowners taking “fast advantage” of a dip in refi interest rates. Even

so, refinancing volume is down considerably from a year ago.

The ‘slowdown’ came mere words after Bloomberg.com’s ‘surge’ (above)—but was echoed by

quickenloans.com and many others. It described what “many hopeful home buyers are hoping for”—a

market slowdown. As “signs the housing market could be slowing down,” these top three were named:

1. “Housing Inventory is Growing;”

2. “Fewer Mortgage Applications are Being Submitted;” and

3. “Sellers are Dropping Prices.”

Despite the presence of these signs, buyers were cautioned against assuming further price cuts were

inevitable. Rather than waiting for housing prices to drop, they advised, “that’s not the best strategy.”

Although no elaboration was provided, the bottom-line “best time to buy a home” was a realistic “it

depends on the state of your personal finances.”

Whether you are planning to add your own property to the current crop of St. Cloud homes for sale

or thinking of making an offer for one, I hope you’ll call to discuss all the ways I can help!

Providing a superior level of informed, professional real estate services to buyers and sellers throughout Central Minnesota. We have agents specializing in residential, commercial, multifamily, new construction, existing, investment properties, foreclosures/REO, and short sales with offices located in:

Multiple Office Locations To Serve YOU!

Saint Cloud 320-259-4554

Princeton 320-983-3555

Sartell 320-259-4554

Little Falls 320-259-4554

Minneapolis 763-565-2000

Hutchinson 320-455-9127

Litchfield 320-298-1140

Premier Real Estate specializes in MANY areas around Central MN including Saint Cloud, Waite Park, Rice, Royalton, Sartell, Royalton, Little Falls, Cold Spring, Saint Joseph, Elk River, Monticello, Ramsey, Saint Michael, Andover, Ham Lake, Anoka, Champlin, Buffalo, Glencoe, Brownton, Silver Lake, Kandiyohi, Dassel, Minneapolis, Maple Grove, Saint Louis Park, Saint Paul, Robbinsdale, Crystal, New Hope, Brooklyn Center, Brainerd, Nisswa, Aitkin, Albany, Coon Rapids, Sauk Rapids and more!