By Catherine Reagor | Arizona Republic
Metro Phoenix’s median home price hit a record $450,000 in February — and likely soared to $455,000 in March.
Many homebuyers, particularly first-timers, can’t get a break from the Valley’s rising home prices.
Buyers who plan to rent out the homes or just live in them part time are driving the Valley’s housing market to a frenzy.
Those non-primary homebuyers were behind 36% of all home sales in February, according to the latest research from the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service’s Information Market group. And 29% of those buyers paid cash.
Most of those buyers, which include big groups backed by Wall Street and second-home buyers, are paying more than list price for the well-below normal number of Phoenix-area houses for sale.
“It’s been déjà vu” pretty much every month during the past year, with prices setting new records, said housing analyst Tom Ruff with The Information Market.
Metro Phoenix’s median could hit $470,000 in the next few months based on pending sales, Ruff said.
An increase in sales and a drop in supply are driving prices up. Home sales climbed 11% in February as the number of listings fell 1.3%.
And Valley houses are selling seven days faster than they did a year ago.
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