Oahu Single-Family Home Price Accelerated More in July than the First Half of 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT:

Anne Cicero

Locations

anne.cicero@locationshawaii.com

(808) 738-2041

Oahu Single-Family Home Price Accelerated More in July than the First Half of 2020

Record-low mortgage interest rates negate “COVID-19 effect” on Oahu housing market

HONOLULU – (August 31, 2020) – Locations’ research analyzed Oahu single-family home and condo sales from January 2020 to July 2020 and found:

• Single-family home sales from January to July 2020 are one percent higher than the same period in 2019. 
• While home prices are flat year-to-date compared to last year, they are trending up and have accelerated more in the past month than in the first six months of the year combined. 
• Condo sales are down by 13 percent year-to-date over last year, which could be attributed to both the crackdown on illegal vacation rentals and the effects of the pandemic on demand for legal vacation rentals; however, condo sales are trending back up in recent weeks. 
• Condo prices are up three percent this year over 2019, fueled by fewer listings and lower interest rates.

“After a rollercoaster real estate market at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, the Oahu housing market has stabilized and is trending up,” said President and CEO of Locations Jason Lazzerini.

Lazzerini went on to say that extremely low single-family home inventory (down 40 percent over last year), coupled with record-low mortgage interest rates, has pushed median home prices above last year’s levels in more than half of Oahu market areas.

“A segment of home sellers who pulled their listings last spring over fears of COVID-19 has not yet returned to the market,” Lazzerini added. “With less than 800 single-family homes for sale across the island and renewed buyer interest, it will be a seller’s market as we head into the fall.”

Lazzerini also noted that competition among homebuyers is especially stiff at entry-level price points; however, there are areas of opportunity for buyers where inventory is higher. For example, there were nearly 50 more condos for sale in Waikiki in July than the previous year, and Days on Market increased by 12 days, softening that market segment a bit.

Locations recommends that homebuyers and sellers partner with a Realtor® who has access to detailed market data, as individual neighborhoods and buildings perform differently. Locations also has 3-D virtual home tours available at www.locationshawaii.com.

###

About Locations As the state’s oldest and leading independent real estate firm, our trusted Neighborhood Experts have served Hawaii’s families since 1969. For more than 50 years, Locations has helped more people buy or sell their homes than any other real estate firm in the state. With our rich kama’aina roots, innovative technology and dedicated market-research department, Locations continues to be at the forefront of this ever-changing industry. Today, Locations has 300 agents in five offices across Oahu. Through our non-profit, the Locations Foundation, our agents and staff support more than 100 Hawaii non-profit organizations both through monetary donations and volunteer hours. Visit LocationsHawaii.com/about-us today to learn more. For up-to-date Hawaii real estate updates, follow Locations on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/LocationsHawaii, Twitter at @LocationsHI, Instagram at @LocationsHawaii, and LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/locations-hawaii. Read the Locations blog at: www.LocationsHawaii.com/news.