The following analysis of select counties of the Idaho real estate market is provided by Windermere Real Estate Chief Economist Matthew Gardner. We hope that this information may assist you with making better-informed real estate decisions. For further information about the housing market in your area, please don’t hesitate to contact our office.

ECONOMIC OVERVIEW

Following a trend that started last fall, job growth in Idaho continues to moderate. The addition of 18,400 new jobs year-over-year represents an annual growth rate of 2.5%. This is to be expected at this point in the economic cycle, but it’s worth noting that the current rate of job growth remains well above the national average of 1.6%.

In May, the state unemployment rate was 2.8%, marginally lower than the 2.9% rate of a year ago. The state remains at full employment, though it is interesting to note that the employment rate remained below 3% even as the labor force rose 2%, suggesting that the economy remains very robust as there are still job openings to accommodate new workers.

HOME SALES

• 6,936 homes were sold during the second quarter of 2019, representing a modest drop of 2.8% from the second quarter of 2018.
• In Northern Idaho, Shoshone County was the only county to experience sales growth, with sales up by 21.3% over the second quarter of 2018. There was a modest decline in sales in the other two counties. In Southern Idaho, Canyon and Payette counties had modest sales growth, but the rest of the region experienced lower sales activity.
• Year-over-year sales growth was positive in just one of the Northern Idaho counties. Sales rose in two Southern Idaho market areas relative to the same period a year ago.
• Pending sales rose in the quarter, suggesting that closed sales next quarter are likely to be an improvement over current figures.

HOME PRICES

• The average home price in the region rose 7.8% year-over-year to $358,406 and was 3.2% higher than the first quarter of this year.   Continue reading…..