The past few years have been a whirlwind for homebuilding and development. From supply chain disruptions and labor shortages to fluctuating interest rates and shifting buyer preferences, the challenges have been relentless. As we look ahead, here are some key market insights that will shape the Des Moines Metro housing landscape in 2025. Des Moines Market Snapshot As of February 2025, the Des Moines Metro has 1,998 active single-family listings, equating to a 3.1-month supply—a slight increase from last year’s 2.9-month supply. New construction homes make up 956 of these listings (a 6.1-month supply), up from 869 new builds in 2024. A notable shift is in the resale market, where active listings have jumped 58% year-over-year from 661 to 1,042. […]

It’s been quite a year, with major events shaping the economy, housing market, and everyday life. Inflation and interest rates remained hot topics, impacting everything from mortgages to new construction costs. The real estate market saw a shift as affordability challenges persisted, while labor shortages and supply chain disruptions still exist, things have improved on that front for builders. On a global scale, geopolitical tensions, technological advancements, and climate concerns influenced markets and policies. As we step into a new year, it’s worth reflecting on how these changes have shaped the housing industry—especially here in the Des Moines metro. Inventory Trends: A Balancing Act Active Inventory Active inventory in the Des Moines metro area has increased compared to last year […]

Say GOODBYE to the uncertainty that was 2023 and HELLO to the stability 2024 should bring! In the real estate industry, the fourth quarter months of 2023 ended with interest rates finally settling into a more predictable pattern. Housing market trends in 2023 were incredibly hard to predict – making planning very hard to do. As we close the door on yet another year, the environment feels as though things are shifting in our favor! Historically high interest rates of 2023 averted buyers. However, mortgage demand rose after interest rates lowered in the months of November and December. This end of year ease of interest rates and inflation should bring house hunters back in 2024. Baby boomers wanting to downsize […]

We can all agree. The past few years have been crazy for our industry. 2022 started strong, but we could feel the market beginning to cool by the end of the second quarter; a feeling that continued into Q3 and Q4. Many, many factors have been driving the real estate ups and downs as of late. The loudest of which has been the fluctuation of interest rates. The volatile rate environment in the latter half of 2022 does seem to be stabilizing and industry optimists are hopeful buyers will return. The Federal Reserve may even be prepared to help, by slowing the uptick in interest rates as they see inflation numbers declining. Other promising factors are at play as well. […]

The ending of the first quarter of 2021 marks the one year mark for the global coronavirus pandemic. Who could have predicted we would also be in the one of the robust housing markets any of us have ever experienced? What brought about this market, we ask ourselves? Was it the extremely low interest rates? Could it be the stimulus money that was introduced into our economy? Is the work from home requirements that our workforce was forced to accommodate? We may never fully understand all the factors that got us to where we are today but everyone can agree; this is uncharted territory for the housing market, both in new construction and resale. When looking at 19 different communities […]

Like it or not, autumn has arrived and old man winter is fast approaching in Central Iowa. Speaking of crazy Iowa weather, it has actually played a very interesting role in this year’s real estate sales and market activity. Excessive rainfall in recent months helped turn some building sites into impromptu slip-and-slides, causing delays in construction and contributing to a lower-than-expected number of housing starts. Developers, too, haven’t been able to get in all the plats they had hoped and many are playing catch up following a super wet summer and spring. Currently, interest rates, talk of future recession, and a dip in home sales from prior years are each at the forefront of everyone’s mind. In reality, weather conditions […]