According to the Illinois Association of Realtors, sales for April were up 9% over the sales for March of this year. That is a healthy increase and a sign of significant buyer activity in the market.
Given the increase of energy and hustle I’ve seen in my office, I expect the second quarter numbers to be much stronger than the first quarter. First quarter numbers largely reflect winter months; whereas, the second quarter covers April, May and June, the peak of the spring market. This year I’ve seen a radical difference in these two quarters with regard to open house attendance, home showings, and most importantly contracts.
As I’ve said in previous articles, I don’t think this is a sign of a complete recovery. In fact, I would expect summer sales to be slower than the spring, as they are every year. But, I’ll take whatever good news I can get and the second quarter numbers promise to bring some very good news, indeed.
