Houses in Pennsylvania are continuing to sell quickly and at higher prices.
The Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors and The Realtors Association of York and Adams Counties released the latest housing numbers for September.
For the area of Dauphin, Cumberland and Perry counties, the number of units sold and the median price were far higher in September 2021 than September 2019. The median price of a home sale in the Harrisburg area is more than $50,000 higher than it was two years ago. And homes sold more quickly as well.
Over in York County and Adams County, the average number of days to sell house in both counties sits in the single digits - just seven days in Adams County.
“Finishing out the third quarter of the year, the real estate market continued a strong quick performance,” Tina Llorente, president of The Realtors Association of York and Adams Counties said in a news release. “The theme of the year continues to be a lack of inventory.”
Let’s take a look at the numbers for September.
Dauphin, Cumberland and Perry counties
The Greater Harrisburg Association of Realtors, which tracks sales in Cumberland, Dauphin and Perry counties, reported 757 homes were sold in the three-county region in September. That’s actually less than in September 2020 (810 homes sold) but well above the 672 units sold in September 2019. It’s worth noting home sales in part of 2020 were largely put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, creating pent-up demand as restrictions eased.
The median sale price in the three-county region was $231,000 in September, up from $204,200 in September 2020. It’s also substantially higher than the median price of $180,000 two years ago, representing an increase of 28%.
Cumberland County leads the three-county area in median price for houses sold in September at $255,000. In Perry County, the median price was $217,450, while Dauphin County’s median price was $205,000. The median price in all three counties is tens of thousands of dollars higher than it was in September 2019.
On average, houses in the three-county region were on the market for just 20 days, compared to 33 days last September and 44 days in September 2019. Homes were selling in 17 days in the three-county area in August.
Still, homes in the midstate are selling very quickly. Across the country, the average home sold in 43 days in September, according to the National Association of Realtors. A year ago, the average home sale across the country took 54 days.
It’s getting more challenging to find homes at more affordable prices, real estate agents have said. In the three-county area in September, 300 homes were sold priced at $199,000 or less, which is 97 fewer than September 2020. The number of homes sold that were priced between $200,000 and $400,000 is roughly the same as a year ago.
Houses in the $200,000-$299,000 like previous months are still moving much faster than other price points. Houses in that price point are moving on average in just 12 days. In the highest price point ($400,000 and above) the median price was a whopping $514,990, which is just a little higher than in September 2019 but higher than the $492,495 median price in August.
York and Adams counties
In York County, 695 homes were sold in September 2021, which is a 7% increase from September 2020, according to the Realtors Association of York & Adams Counties. In Adams County, 121 homes were sold in September, which is a 2% decrease from last year.
The median sales price in Adams County was $255,900, an 11% increase from last year. The median sale price in York County was $241,000, an 18% increase from last year. In August 2021, the median price in Adams County was $271,365, and in York County it was $233,000.
Houses sold in Adams County in September, on average sold in seven days, which is one day slower than in August. In York County, houses sold in eight days, which is the same as August.
In Adams County, the Gettysburg Area School District leads the way in median price in September at $280,750. Over in York County, the highest median prices are seen in the Northern York County School District at $284,900.
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