Columbus housing market remains hot

But some signs signs are pointing to a slowdown

The Columbus housing market remained on fire in May but a growing number of signs point to a slowdown ahead, especially in Northeast Ohio.

Columbus-area home sales jumped 7.5% in May over last May, while prices leapt 13% from a year ago to yet another record. The median sales price of a Columbus-area home in May was $310,830, up from $275,000 last May.

Homes sold after being listed an average of 12 days, down from 14 days a year ago and well below historic norms.

Nationally, however, home sales fell 3.4% in May, the fourth straight month of declines, adding to growing indications that the housing market is slowing down as mortgage rates continue to climb.

“Home sales have essentially returned to the levels seen in 2019 – prior to the pandemic – after two years of gangbuster performance,” Lawrence Yun, chief economist with the National Association of Realtors said in a news release.

“Further sales declines should be expected in the upcoming months given housing affordability challenges from the sharp rise in mortgage rates this year,” Yun added.

The average 30-year mortgage rate rose to 5.78% last week, double what it was in September and the highest rate since 2008, according to the federal mortgage agency Freddie Mac.

“While home sales continue to be propped up by positive demographics and a solid job market, the combination of rapidly rising mortgage rates and house prices are taking some of the steam out of the housing market,” wrote Nationwide Chief Economist David Berson in an analysis of Tuesday’s sales figures.

“We expect existing home sales to continue to slow over the course of the year as mortgage rates move higher, and this will eventually help house price gains to slow,” Berson added.

In a separate report, the real-estate

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