A quick look at the October 2024 housing market

Mortgage interest rates went down and then up a bit.

Mortgage interest rates

The number of homes on the market is rising and on average it takes twice as long to sell a house as it did a few months ago. Don’t get me wrong in most cases houses in St. Paul are selling in 30 days or less. Prices are not rising as quickly. We are still experiencing a seller’s market except in downtown St. Paul where the market is balanced.

Celebrating the original people

Fort Snelling
Fort Snelling

The land my house in St. Paul sits on once belonged to the Anishinaabe. The original people. Historically, the Minnesota region was strategically important to Native American peoples for thousands of years as they used the waterways for transportation and food and to develop an extensive trade relationship with other native peoples. By the 1600s, two main groups lived in present-day Minnesota, the Dakota and the Ojibwe.

Let’s not forget that the land we live on was stolen from the Anishinaabe and they were almost exterminated in the process.

Last year, the Biden administration issued a proclamation recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day for the third consecutive year. The commemoration of Native American history and culture is now federally recognized alongside Columbus Day, which has been historically observed on the same day.

We can honor Indigenous people by learning about them and our shared history.

Register to vote today

Voting on West 7th in St. Paul
vote

Just a friendly reminder. People wishing to register to vote in Minnesota before the election must do so by October 15, 2024. You can register at the polls on election day but if you do it ahead of time voting will be faster for all of us on election day.

I like to vote early just in case. 🙂 If you don’t want to vote early have a plan for election day and register today. At the very least make sure you know where to go to vote. Polling places can change and sometimes they do.

Go to the Minnesota Secretary of State website to check and see if you are registered or register online. They make it so easy, but I just don’t see the point of waiting until election day.

Election day is November 5, 2024, and that is also my birthday which falls on a national election day every 28 years.

Please vote. You can vote today. I voted yesterday in person.

The pandemic and Downtown St. Paul

The Covid-19 pandemic had a strong impact on downtown St. Paul and it looks like the neighborhood is still struggling.  Downtown is the only St. Paul neighborhood that isn’t experiencing a strong seller’s market. In fact, we are seeing a weak buyer’s market.

There are definitely opportunities for those who would like to move downtown. The graph shows the increase in condos for sale after the pandemic hit.

Housing supply graph for downtown St. paul
Housing supply in downtown St.Paul

September 2024 home sales

In St. Paul home sales were down 17% year over year for September. Median sale prices were about the same in 2024 but slightly lower. Average days on the market went up a little from August but homes are still selling in less than a month and median days on the market is less than 15 days.

Over all homes in St. Paul sold for more than the asking price. There is a slight increase in the number of homes on the market and the number of new listings.

We typically see home sales activity pick up a little in September. Things slow down around Thanksgiving time and then pick up again right after the 1st of the year.

Table - September home sales by neighborhood
September 2024 home sales in St. Paul by neighborhood

The data used to make the table was extracted from the NorthstarMLS which is deemed reliable but not guaranteed.