Yuba-sutter market

There is some wiggle room for people looking to buy a home in the Yubasutter area, considering there is inventory available, but experts say it’s more of a seller’s market at the moment.

Davinder Heer, president of the Sutter-yuba Association of Realtors, said one way experts determine if an area has a buyer’s or seller’s market is by looking at its “months of inventory” – which basically indicates how long it would take to sell the remaining inventory if no new houses were listed on the market.

In September, Sutter County had 3.1 months of inventory, and that went down to 2.7 months in October.

Yuba County had similar numbers, he said. In September, the county had 3.2 months of inventory and 2.6 months in October.

Heer said the market is considered stable when an area has about 6 months of inventory.

“It’s relatively normal. Anything less than six months means it’s a seller’s market,” Heer said.

New construction starts have been slow in the area, but Yuba County has seen more than its counterpart.

“My advice for buyers is we are seeing a bit more inventory, so they do have some choices out there, but we aren’t in a buyer’s market. We are still seeing a strong seller’s market,” Heer said. “For sellers, a lot of times they think their properties can go higher because we are in a hot market, but that risks it from becoming what is considered a stale property if it sits too long, so marketing and listing the property at the right price is a big factor.”