The frenzy continues in real estate sales on Lake Wylie this spring. Both waterfront homes and dockable lots are selling at record paces — the highest number of sales through April in over a decade. At the same time, the number of springtime listings is at the lowest point in years.
People are on the move, all over the country:
Americans are leaving the big cities, but they’re not going far. According to Bloomberg CityLab, they’re heading out to the suburbs, places with a little more space and access to outdoor amenities (like Lake Wylie!). About 84% of movers stayed within their same metro area.
In the Charlotte area, the mover inflow/outflow ratio was pretty flat — which means we didn’t have a large increase or decrease in population change during the pandemic, but people did shuffle around.
Real estate is big news. Prices are climbing, multiple offers and bidding wars are common, and supply (number of listings) is very, very low all over the country.
For several years after the recession (2007-2010ish), new construction slowed considerably — and we’re now feeling the supply pinch.
Though building has started up again in the Lake Wylie area, costs are high, particularly as the pandemic affected the supply of materials.
The ability (and, during the pandemic, the necessity!) to work remotely, combined with low mortgage rates, has encouraged people to start buying houses.
So, here we are. Waterfront home sales are outpacing the 4-year average:
In the chart above, the blue line represents the average number of waterfront homes sold on Lake Wylie, by month, over the past 4 years. The green line represents 2021 sales. Seasonally, sales are lowest in winter months (December thru February), then begin to pick up in spring.
In April of 2021, we’re approaching our summer “peak” levels. There were 16 waterfront home closings in April, and there are currently 32 under contract. Year-to-date sales (42 homes) are outpacing the average by 35%. The average sales price is up to $832,000 for waterfront homes, an increase of about 3% over last year. However – – the mix of homes sold this year to date are, on average, about 15% smaller than last year’s average, so the price increase on an individual home basis is closer to 15-20%, depending on location, price point and features.
The average time on the market for waterfront homes? An astounding 36 days. For perspective, the average time on market for the entire year of 2020 was 115 days – – more than three times as long. Through April, about 70% of waterfront home sales have time on the market of less than a month. Half sold for the asking price or more.
Waterfront lot sales are equally impressive this year:
In the chart above, lot sales through the end of April are reported for each year since 2011. This year, with 27 lots sold to date, we’ve achieved record levels. Twenty-one lots are currently under contract, which, if they all close, will bring us close to the total for all of 2020!
The average price is $343,000, an increase over last year’s total by 5%.
Listings for both lots and homes are very low:
In the chart above, listings by month over the past two years are shown for waterfront homes on Lake Wylie (blue line) and dockable waterfront lots (red line). While home listings have ticked up a bit in the past two months, that is typical for spring seasonality. Comparing listings for the first of May, our current home levels are down more than 20% from last year, and down 43% from two years ago.
The number of lots listed is down over 40% from last year and from the year before.
The Lake Wylie Man team is working with a number of buyers right now, at all price points, for both lots and land. We have sold more Lake Wylie property than any other realtor in the area, each year for over a decade. Buying and selling lake property involves different considerations than real estate transactions off the lake. Rely on The Lake Wylie Man for expert advice in pricing, marketing, and ensuring the closing is smooth.
Please call if you’d like to discuss your property. I look forward to hearing from you!
