April 12, 2021
Summary:
- Market continues to remain strong.
- Sale prices and sale volumes are continuing to increase.
- Days on the market are showing significant declines.
- 2021 has started strong.
As most of you probably already know, the Lafayette Parish residential real estate market continues to remain strong. Homes are moving quick, and sales prices are continuing to creep up. 2020 proved to be a strong year for this market despite the global pandemic, but the data trends for 2021 are setting the stage for what may look like yet another stellar year.
Data gathered from the Realtors Association of Acadiana’s database is summarized in the charts and graphs below. For purposes of this analysis, detached single-family housing data in Lafayette Parish through March 31, 2021 is presented. The commentary is focused on the last 12 months while highlighting the most recent quarter and month.
The metrics for the most recent 12 months are continuing to show favorable changes. Sale prices are steadily increasing. The number of closed sales increased by 640, or almost 20%, as compared to April 2019 through March 2020. The data strongly supports that houses are moving quickly with the average days on the market declining from around 3 ½ months down to about 2 ½ months. There was also a slight uptick in the average square footage.
The Monthly Price Metrics chart provides a good visual of the sales price statistics over time. It is clear the last 12 months have been on an upward trajectory. The increases can be attributed to a couple of factors. First, the limited inventory within Lafayette Parish is creating a low supply and high demand dynamic that drives up prices. Currently, there is approximately a month and a half of inventory within the market as compared to three to six months during 2016 through early 2020. Second, increases in construction costs have impacted values. Over the last nine months, costs have increased dramatically and have driven up the cost to build a new house. The differential between existing versus new home prices has widened, and as a result, the demand within the resale market has increased.
Looking more closely at 2021, the number of sales in the first quarter are 10% higher than January through March 2020. Even going back to 2017, the graphic highlights how well the start of 2021 was in comparison to recent years.