91视频

Home prices in Portland flattened out last month, but the stall likely is because of a seasonal lull rather than telltale movement in the market.

According to the most recent report from the Regional Multiple Listing Service, the average and median prices for Portland homes were essentially unchanged from October to November, at $273,800 and $233,900, respectively. Throughout the past year, however, home prices have climbed steadily and are 3.9 percent (average price) and 5.4 percent (median price) higher than they were a year ago.

Nick Krautter, a principal broker with Keller Williams Realty, said the average sales price drops every winter as people postpone listing higher-end homes until springtime. Meanwhile, lower-quality homes tend to sell in wintertime, which also contributes to a lower average sales price.

Krautter said he has been surprised at how much home prices have increased. He said that homes in some submarkets are selling for 10 to 20 percent more than comparable properties, with multiple offers. For instance, one home near Mount Tabor originally valued at between $275,000 and $300,000, had a pending sale for $360,000 within a month of going on the market.

鈥淚 really think right now that sellers are getting away with selling stuff, not above market value, but it seems a little bit inflated in some cases,鈥� Krautter said. 鈥淭hat’s because there’s just not much to choose from and that’s the market at the moment.鈥�

In November, the inventory of homes for sale was at 4.2 months. An inventory of six months typically represents a balanced market between buyers and sellers, while any smaller amount favors sellers. It’s not likely that the market will change course, because new listings were down 17.3 percent from a year ago, at 1,675.

Pending sales, at 1,730, decreased 20 percent from October, but increased 2.7 percent from a year ago. Closed sales, at 1,733, fell nearly 18 percent from October, but increased 13.9 percent from a year ago.

Overall, average home prices grew over the past year in all Portland submarkets except Gresham/Troutdale, which decreased 1.4 percent to $180,000. The rest were:

鈥� Northeast Portland increased 6.1 percent to $288,100

鈥� Southeast Portland increased 5.9 percent to $230,700

鈥� West Portland increased 4.2 percent to $409,600

鈥� North Portland increased 3.3 percent to $228,000

鈥� Hillsboro/Forest Grove increased 3.7 percent to $216,000

鈥� Beaverton/Aloha increased 3.1 percent to $218,900

鈥� Yamhill County increased 3.1 percent to $210,300

鈥� Milwaukie/Clackamas increased 3.1 percent to $248,200

鈥� Oregon City/Canby increased 2.6 percent to $236,600

鈥� Northwest Washington County increased 0.7 percent to $354,900

鈥� Mount Hood increased 0.7 percent to $193,900

鈥� Columbia County increased 0.7 percent to $163,100

鈥� Lake Oswego/West Linn increased 0.6 percent to $428,200

鈥� Tigard/Wilsonville increased 0.4 percent $284,000