In a notable contrast to January 2018, when the 12-month average year-over-year increase in showing traffic nationwide was 7.7 percent, January 2019 saw the 12-month average decline to almost one percent. The decrease in showing activity has been felt throughout the country but most noticeably in the West Region, which experienced an 18.8 percent year-over-year drop last month. The Midwest Region recorded a year-over-year decline of 12.4 percent in January, with the South Region not far behind with a year-over-year drop of 11.5 percent. The Northeast Region saw a more modest drop of 2.4 percent in January.
“Showing traffic continues to subside from last year’s impressive heights,” said ShowingTime Chief Analytics Officer Daniil Cherkasskiy. “In January, we did not see an influx of home shoppers to reverse year-over-year declines in showings, which suggests that we may see slower traffic this spring compared to last year.”
The ShowingTime Showing Index, the first of its kind in the residential real estate industry, is compiled using data from property showings scheduled across the country on listings using ShowingTime products and services, providing a benchmark to track buyer demand. ShowingTime facilitates more than four million showings each month.
Released during the third week every month, the Showing Index tracks the average number of appointments received on active listings during the month. Local MLS indices are also available for select markets and are distributed to MLS and association leadership.