Inventory chronically low; demand booming
The number of Single Family Homes (SFH) receiving offers, while still down Year-on-Year, has increased sharply in recent weeks while inventory has been well down all year, indicating that homes are selling very quickly.

Single Family Homes
After years of decline, the number of SFHs for sale in Essex County on the first of the month compared with a year earlier (YOY) increased from August 2018 until June 2019. The decline then resumed, as this table shows:

The next two charts (the first for January to June; the second July to December) show the number of SFHs for sale on the first of the month since 2017. In the first chart the numbers for 2020 YOY show the renewed decline (in 2019 inventory was increasing until June).

The second chart shows the decline YOY each month since July 2019.

Condos
The number of condos for sale increased YOY from June 2018 until August 2019, but since then there has been a consistent decline:

These two charts show numbers since 2017 for January to June, and July to December.
The first chart shows the decline in 2020 YOY, while in 2019 inventory was increasing in the first 6 months of the year.

The second chart shows inventory has been declining since October 2019.

Supply
Once again, the pattern of supply is consistent: very scarce at lower price levels and abundant at the top end:

Comment
Housing statistics for properties sold are a rear-view mirror, telling us what happened 6-8 weeks earlier.
For relevant statistics about the current level of market activity I look at both inventory (which I report monthly in this article) and the number of houses receiving Accepted Offers week by week, a number I report at the beginning of the week for the prior week. (Here is a link to the most recent report Accepted Offers held back by shortage of inventory).
The number of Accepted Offers in June showed a Year-on-Year increase as we are seeing fresh demand from people wanting to move out of Boston in addition to the demand that was already present, as both buyers and sellers have become comfortable with the new protocol in place for buying and selling properties.
We are back to the most basic economic equation: demand exceeds supply = rising prices.
Goodbye Boston, Hello Marblehead
Mortgage rates hit all-time low – again
“If you’re interested in Marblehead, you have to visit the blog of Mr. Andrew Oliver, author and curator of OliverReports.com. He’s assembled the most comprehensive analysis of Essex County we know of with market data and trends going back decades. It’s a great starting point for those looking in the towns of Marblehead, Sale, Beverly, Lynn and Swampscott.”
Andrew Oliver
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
Open Houses Sunday June 28
A few more Open Houses, although the protocol for attending has changed. In many cases, either a prior appointment is needed, or attendees will be restricted in numbers at any time. Check with the individual property for its requirements if you are planning to go or call me and I will let you know. This list is published on Saturday morning and updated on Sunday morning.

Click on these links for details:
Marblehead Open House
Swampscott Open Houses
Salem Open Houses
Beverly Open House
Lynn Open Houses
Inventory plummets while demand increases
Goodbye Boston, Hello Marblehead
Number of Accepted Offers Soars
“If you’re interested in Marblehead, you have to visit the blog of Mr. Andrew Oliver, author and curator of OliverReports.com. He’s assembled the most comprehensive analysis of Essex County we know of with market data and trends going back decades. It’s a great starting point for those looking in the towns of Marblehead, Sale, Beverly, Lynn and Swampscott.”
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
Open Houses weekend June 27/28
We are starting to see a few Open Houses, although the protocol for attending has changed. In many cases, either a prior appointment is needed, or attendees will be restricted in numbers at any time. Check with the individual property for its requirements if you are planning to go or call me and I will let you know. This list will be updated on Sunday morning.

Click on these links for details:
Marblehead Open House
Swampscott Open Houses
Salem Open Houses
Beverly Open House
Lynn Open Houses
Number of Accepted Offers Soars
Goodbye Boston, Hello Marblehead
“If you’re interested in Marblehead, you have to visit the blog of Mr. Andrew Oliver, author and curator of OliverReports.com. He’s assembled the most comprehensive analysis of Essex County we know of with market data and trends going back decades. It’s a great starting point for those looking in the towns of Marblehead, Sale, Beverly, Lynn and Swampscott.”
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
List of currently available properties
With new listings seeing tremendous competition, buyers should also look at the list of all available properties as sometimes properties get overlooked for no apparent reason.
I am posting each week details of all houses and condos currently available for sale (and the links below continually update). Different arrangements are being made for viewing so please contact me to see what is possible. The market is very active at the moment with the number of Accepted Offers back to 2019’s level, despite the fact the inventory is down 35-40%.

Marblehead SFHs For Sale
Marblehead Condos For Sale
Swampscott SFH For Sale
Swampscott Condos For Sale
Salem SFHS For Sale
Salem Condos For Sale
Beverly SFHs For Sale
Beverly Condos For Sale
Lynn SFHs For Sale
Lynn Condos For Sale
Inventory plummets while demand increases
Goodbye Boston, Hello Marblehead
Number of Accepted Offers Soars
“If you’re interested in Marblehead, you have to visit the blog of Mr. Andrew Oliver, author and curator of OliverReports.com. He’s assembled the most comprehensive analysis of Essex County we know of with market data and trends going back decades. It’s a great starting point for those looking in the towns of Marblehead, Sale, Beverly, Lynn and Swampscott.”
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
New Listings week ending June 26
New Listings are still on the low side while the market is extremely active, as buyers and sellers have become comfortable to the new way of doing business. For an update on inventory compared with a year ago read Inventory plummets while demand increases which explains the strong demand for houses that do come on the market.

Click on these links for the New Listings:
Marblehead New Listings
Swampscott New Listings
Salem New Listings
Beverly New Listings
Lynn New Listings
And read these recent articles:
Goodbye Boston, Hello Marblehead
Number of Accepted Offers Soars
If you – or somebody you know – are considering buying or selling a home and have questions about the market and/or current home prices, feel free to contact me on 617.834.8205 or Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com.
“If you’re interested in Marblehead, you have to visit the blog of Mr. Andrew Oliver, author and curator of Oliver Reports . He’s assembled the most comprehensive analysis of Essex County we know of with market data and trends going back decades. It’s a great starting point for those looking in the towns of Marblehead, Sale, Beverly, Lynn and Swampscott.”
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
Number of Accepted offers Soars
The number of Accepted offers for SFHs in Essex County soared last week by more than 30% compared with the same week last year. This continued the strong, recent trend:

To put this recent trend into perspective, let’s look at monthly figures for 2020 compared with 2019:

and finally the current inventory numbers:

Comment
There is a tremendous demand for properties currently, but it is worth noting that overall Offers are still down some 15% for the year. A reasonable guess is that the market will remain active longer into the summer this year.
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
“If you’re interested in Marblehead, you have to visit the blog of Mr. Andrew Oliver, author and curator of OliverReports.com. He’s assembled the most comprehensive analysis of Essex County we know of with market data and trends going back decades. It’s a great starting point for those looking in the towns of Marblehead, Sale, Beverly, Lynn and Swampscott.”
New Listings mid-week June 24
New Listings remain light while homes are selling quickly – read Inventory plummets while demand increases:

Click on these links for details:
Marblehead New Listings
Swampscott New Listings
Salem New Listings
Beverly New Listings
Lynn New Listings
How does inventory compare with a year ago?
In one word – down. In three words- down a lot.

Goodbye Boston, Hello Marblehead
Mortgage rates are rising – and that’s good news
“If you’re interested in Marblehead, you have to visit the blog of Mr. Andrew Oliver, author and curator of OliverReports.com. He’s assembled the most comprehensive analysis of Essex County we know of with market data and trends going back decades. It’s a great starting point for those looking in the towns of Marblehead, Sale, Beverly, Lynn and Swampscott.”
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
Open Houses on Father’s Day
We are starting to see a few Open Houses, although the protocol for attending has changed. In many cases, either a prior appointment is needed, or attendees will be restricted in numbers at any time. Check with the individual property for its requirements if you are planning to go or call me and I will let you know. This list will be updated on Sunday morning.

Click on these links for details:
Marblehead Open House
Swampscott Open Houses
Salem Open Houses
Beverly Open House
Lynn Open Houses
Inventory plummets while demand increases
Goodbye Boston, Hello Marblehead
“If you’re interested in Marblehead, you have to visit the blog of Mr. Andrew Oliver, author and curator of OliverReports.com. He’s assembled the most comprehensive analysis of Essex County we know of with market data and trends going back decades. It’s a great starting point for those looking in the towns of Marblehead, Sale, Beverly, Lynn and Swampscott.”
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
New Listings week ending June 19
New Listings are still on the low side while the market is extremely active, as buyers and sellers have become comfortable to the new way of doing business. For an update on inventory compared with a year ago read Inventory plummets while demand increases which explains the strong demand for houses that do come on the market.

Click on these links for the New Listings:
Marblehead New Listings
Swampscott New Listings
Salem New Listings
Beverly New Listings
Lynn New Listings
And read these recent articles:
Goodbye Boston, Hello Marblehead
Mortgage rates hit all-time low – again
If you – or somebody you know – are considering buying or selling a home and have questions about the market and/or current home prices, feel free to contact me on 617.834.8205 or Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com.
“If you’re interested in Marblehead, you have to visit the blog of Mr. Andrew Oliver, author and curator of Oliver Reports . He’s assembled the most comprehensive analysis of Essex County we know of with market data and trends going back decades. It’s a great starting point for those looking in the towns of Marblehead, Sale, Beverly, Lynn and Swampscott.”
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
List of properties currently available
While it is human nature to focus on properties new to the market, it is also important for buyers to check the entire inventory. Very often – for no apparent reason – houses get overlooked. I am posting each week details of all houses and condos currently available for sale (and the links below continually update). Different arrangements are being made for viewing so please contact me to see what is possible. The market is very active at the moment with the number of Accepted Offers in the last 5 weeks almost back to 2019’s level, despite the fact the inventory is down 35-40%.

Marblehead SFHs For Sale
Marblehead Condos For Sale
Swampscott SFH For Sale
Swampscott Condos For Sale
Salem SFHS For Sale
Salem Condos For Sale
Beverly SFHs For Sale
Beverly Condos For Sale
Lynn SFHs For Sale
Lynn Condos For Sale
Inventory plummets while demand increases
Goodbye Boston, Hello Marblehead
“If you’re interested in Marblehead, you have to visit the blog of Mr. Andrew Oliver, author and curator of OliverReports.com. He’s assembled the most comprehensive analysis of Essex County we know of with market data and trends going back decades. It’s a great starting point for those looking in the towns of Marblehead, Sale, Beverly, Lynn and Swampscott.”
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
Open Houses weekend June 20/21
We are starting to see a few Open Houses, although the protocol for attending has changed. In many cases, either a prior appointment is needed, or attendees will be restricted in numbers at any time. Check with the individual property for its requirements if you are planning to go or call me and I will let you know. This list will be updated on Sunday morning.

Click on these links for details:
Marblehead Open House
Swampscott Open Houses
Salem Open Houses
Beverly Open House
Lynn Open Houses
Inventory plummets while demand increases
Goodbye Boston, Hello Marblehead
“If you’re interested in Marblehead, you have to visit the blog of Mr. Andrew Oliver, author and curator of OliverReports.com. He’s assembled the most comprehensive analysis of Essex County we know of with market data and trends going back decades. It’s a great starting point for those looking in the towns of Marblehead, Sale, Beverly, Lynn and Swampscott.”
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
Mid-week New Listings June 17
New Listings are slow while homes are selling quickly – read Inventory plummets while demand increases:

Click on these links for details:
Marblehead New Listings
Swampscott New Listings
Salem New Listings
Beverly New Listings
Lynn New Listings
How does inventory compare with a year ago?
In one word – down. In two words- down sharply.

Goodbye Boston, Hello Marblehead
Mortgage rates are rising – and that’s good news
“If you’re interested in Marblehead, you have to visit the blog of Mr. Andrew Oliver, author and curator of OliverReports.com. He’s assembled the most comprehensive analysis of Essex County we know of with market data and trends going back decades. It’s a great starting point for those looking in the towns of Marblehead, Sale, Beverly, Lynn and Swampscott.”
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
Homebuyer mortgage demand spikes to 11-year high
Mortgage applications to purchase a home rose 4% last week from the previous week and were a remarkable 21% higher than one year ago, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted index. That was the ninth consecutive week of gains and the highest volume in more than 11 years.
“The housing market continues to experience the release of unrealized pent-up demand from earlier this spring, as well as a gradual improvement in consumer confidence,” said MBA economist Joel Kan.
Goodbye Boston, Hello Marblehead
Accepted Offers top year ago number
“If you’re interested in Marblehead, you have to visit the blog of Mr. Andrew Oliver, author and curator of OliverReports.com. He’s assembled the most comprehensive analysis of Essex County we know of with market data and trends going back decades. It’s a great starting point for those looking in the towns of Marblehead, Sale, Beverly, Lynn and Swampscott.”
Andrew Oliver
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
Accepted Offers top year ago figure
The number of Accepted Offers (AO) for SFHs received in Essex County has continued to recover from the COVID-19 lows of April.

This is the chart I post each week showing the weekly numbers compared with 2019. Note that Holy Week was week 14 in 2020 and week 16 in 2019. To make it easier to read I have started the chart at week 9 (March 6, 2020; March 8, 2019):

And this is the percentage change compared with the same week in 2019.

The spike in week 16 ( April 24) was a result of the timing of Holy Week, while the increase in week 21 (May 29) compared with a strangely low number in 2019. More relevantly, the improving trend is clear. A better indicator is that the average of the last 5 weeks of 168 is just 3% lower than the 174 in 2019.
And… look at this table:

Inventory is has been running 30-40% below last year’s numbers all year – yet the number of Accepted Offers recently has been quite close to last year’s levels,
Comment
The real estate industry – professionals involved in transactions, as well as buyer and sellers – has adapted to the COVID-19 world. Buyers are out there, inventory remains low (read Inventory plummets while demand increases) and bidding wars are back in earnest. In fact, with inventory down nearly 40% YOY it is clear that properties are now selling more quickly than they were a year ago.
Thus buyers need to have all their ducks in a row – most importantly, a current pre-approval letter or proof of funds – before making an offer.
Also, bear in mind that some sellers – a diminishing number as confidence in the measures now in place for viewing become established- are requesting that their properties not be listed in MLS, so if you are checking on Zillow you might not be seeing all that is available.: you need to speak to a real estate agent.
Goodbye Boston, Hello Marblehead
Mortgage rates are rising – and that’s good news
“If you’re interested in Marblehead, you have to visit the blog of Mr. Andrew Oliver, author and curator of OliverReports.com. He’s assembled the most comprehensive analysis of Essex County we know of with market data and trends going back decades. It’s a great starting point for those looking in the towns of Marblehead, Sale, Beverly, Lynn and Swampscott.”
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
Open Houses Sunday June 14
We are seeing a few Open Houses, although the protocol for attending has changed. In many cases, either a prior appointment is needed, or attendees will be restricted in numbers at any time. Check with the individual property for its requirements if you are planning to go or call me and I will let you know.

Click on these links for details:
Marblehead Open House
Swampscott Open Houses
Salem Open Houses
Beverly Open House
Lynn Open Houses
Inventory plummets while demand increases
Goodbye Boston, Hello Marblehead
“If you’re interested in Marblehead, you have to visit the blog of Mr. Andrew Oliver, author and curator of OliverReports.com. He’s assembled the most comprehensive analysis of Essex County we know of with market data and trends going back decades. It’s a great starting point for those looking in the towns of Marblehead, Sale, Beverly, Lynn and Swampscott.”
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
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