Orlando Housing Market Activity – December 2020

By Uncategorized January 15, 2021

Orlando Housing Market Closes out 2020 with Increased Median Home Prices and Lowest Inventory Seen in Years

A new report from the Orlando Regional REALTOR® Association details how the housing market fared in 2020 compared to recent years. Despite the pandemic and its impacts, Orlando’s median home price rose as buyers scrambled to find homes in a market with consistently shrinking inventory.

According to the report, Orlando’s annual median home price for 2020 ($265,000) was 9.1% higher than the 2019 annual median price ($243,000), thanks to another 12 months of year-over-year median price increases. While the median home price rose each month, inventory continued to decline and reached a low in December 2020, when it reached the lowest level since July 2005.

Orlando home sales completed during 2020 racked up a final tally of 36,871, which is 0.5% above the cumulative sales total of 36,707 for 2019. For historical comparison, annual sales in 2019 were 1.8% above the cumulative total sales for 2018; yearly sales in 2018 were 3.2% lower than in 2017.

“The Orlando area was red-hot throughout 2020, as demand spiked and the number of houses on the market dropped throughout the year. We expect this pattern to continue in 2021,” said ORRA 2021 President Natalie Arrowsmith, NextHome Arrowsmith Realty. “Looking at the data, inventory has significantly decreased since the beginning of the year. In fact, December 2020 shows the lowest inventory we have seen in more than 15 years, which creates an extremely competitive market for buyers.”

Editor’s Note: Additional 2020 cumulative statistics are included at the end of this release

Median Price

The overall median price of Orlando homes (all types combined) sold in December is $275,000, which is 10.4% above the December 2019 median price of $249,000.

The median price for single-family homes that changed hands in December increased 12.1% over December 2019 and is now $296,950. The median price for condos increased by 5.7% to $148,000.

Sales and Inventory

Members of ORRA participated in 3,672 sales of all home types combined in December, which is 21.1% more than the 3,033 sales in December 2019 and 51.6% more than the 2,422 sales in December 2018.

Sales of single-family homes (2,890) in December 2020 increased by 20.1% compared to December 2019, while condo sales (401) increased 35.9% year over year.

The overall inventory of homes that were available for purchase in December (4,875) represents a decrease of 30.6% when compared to December 2019 and a 12.7% decrease compared to last month. There were 42.6% fewer single-family homes and 12.1% more condos, year over year.

Current inventory, combined with the current pace of sales, created a 1.3-month supply of homes in Orlando for December. There was a 2.3-month supply in December 2019 and a 3.3-month supply in December 2018, showing that inventory has significantly decreased.

The average interest rate paid by Orlando homebuyers in December 2020 was 2.70%, which remains the same as the month prior.

Homes that closed in December took an average of 45 days to move from listing to pending status.

Pending sales in December 2020 are up 20.9% compared to December 2019 and are down 11.4% compared to last month.

MSA Numbers

Sales of existing homes within the entire Orlando MSA (Lake, Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties) in December were up by 17.5% when compared to December of 2019. Year to date, sales are down 2.8%.

Each individual county’s sales comparisons are as follows:

  • Lake: 26.8% above December 2019;
  • Orange: 13.0% above December 2019;
  • Osceola: 24.3% above December 2019; and
  • Seminole: 16.2% above December 2019.

2020 Annual Market Recap
(cumulative 2020 totals compared to cumulative 2019 totals)

Median Price

The 2020 annual median home price for 2020 ($265,00) is 9.1% higher than the 2019 annual median price ($243,000) and 14.0% higher compared to 2018’s annual median price ($232,500).

The annual median price of single-family homes increased by 9.6% to $285,000 in 2020, while the median price of condos increased by 7.4% to $145,000.

Sales

Sales in 2020 were up by 0.5% over 2019. A total of 36,871 homes were sold in 2020, compared to 36,707 the previous year.

Sales of single-family homes increased by 2.3% over 2019. Condo sales were down 10.2% and townhomes were down 1.2%.

By year’s end in 2020, 40,743 homes were sold in the Orlando MSA whereas 41,922 homes had been sold by year’s end in 2019, for a 2.8% decrease. Each individual county’s year-end sales comparisons are as follows:

  • Lake: 0.5% below 2019;
  • Orange: 5.6% below 2019;
  • Osceola: 0.5% above 2019;
  • Seminole: 1.6% below 2019.
About the Author
Bobby Baldor
eXp Realty, the largest residential real estate brokerage by geography in North America and a subsidiary of eXp World Holdings (NASDAQ: EXPI).

Bobby is a U. S. Marine Corps Veteran and Florida native with over 17 years of combined, award-winning experience in Real Estate and Mortgage Lending in Central Florida. An eXp ICON AGENT and Certified Mentor. Formerly with RE/MAX where he was recognized as a Hall of Fame Member and a consistent Platinum Club Award Winner. Locally, a multi-year Gold-Level Award Top Producer within the Orlando Regional Realtors Association (ORRA). His consistent productivity has earned him universal recognition, named as a Top agent in numerous publications, year after year including being voted a Best of Southwest Orlando Realtor 6 years in a row!

Bobby holds a Florida Real Estate Broker’s License with designations as a Graduate, REALTOR Institute (GRI); Accredited Buyer Representative (ABR); Certified Short Sale Professional (CSP); a Florida Military Specialist (FMS) and one of the few Real Estate Collaboration Specialists – Divorce (RCS-D) in Central Florida. These advanced designations denote expertise in financial, market, and investment analysis, in addition to negotiation. As such, he is considered an ‘expert’ in his field with experience in court testimony.

Personally:

Bobby is also a dedicated member of his community and has served on numerous local Boards of Directors. He is a youth sports coach and a Partner in Education with Orange County Schools. Thus, Bobby was voted a 2015 ORRA Good Neighbor Award recipient for his volunteerism and charitable contributions by his peers.

Bobby and his beautiful wife Halle have three very active children; Isabella, ‘Little’ Bobby and Alex. They stay busy as a family with sports, extra-curricular clubs and travel. However, they also give back as a family and donate to local rescues as well as providing their home to foster animals whenever possible.

One of Bobby’s greatest attributes is that time and again he has proven himself to be a selfless professional, treating each of his clients as if their property was the most important. He continues to work with his clients personally and does not differentiate between a $100K condo or a $1M house on a lake…anywhere in Central Florida, he gives each one the equal time, attention and respect that they deserve, as praised through the countless reviews written about him by former Buyers & Sellers!

Bobby Baldor has demonstrated the extensive experience and proven expertise in our local market to help you and your family achieve your real estate goals. But more importantly, he is a caring member of our community. Bobby’s personal slogan is ‘Your Real Estate Hero’ …and he works hard to prove it.