Odd times show up in odd ways. We are currently in a moment where podcasts are doing stories about people strapping on sandwich-board signs to try to find a house to buy. Meanwhile, builder sentiment shows early signs of decreasing and we (again) hit record highs for lumber prices (chart, same link) resulting in $20k+ per home price increases. I’m obliged to mention local Months-of-Inventory for existing homes, which sat at (*ahem*) 0.7 in February. Oh, and nationally, housing starts were down 10% YoY in February. Housing is having its own version of this scene from Oliver Twist.
Our Mover’s Moving Index hit a seasonally-expected, 187 number in February. Deals are happening – just not as fast as they could happen if input costs were more conducive.