First Half Of 2013 Sees Housing Market Increasing In Strength

The Wisconsin Realtors Association says this year has been a strong one for home sales, with both total sales and prices on the rise.

June is typically Wisconsin’s busiest month for home sales. The recession and the housing bubble hit the real estate market in recent years but signs are pointing to a rebound.

“We’re stronger than last year by about 3.1 percent,” says David Clark, a Marquette University economist and a consultant for the Wisconsin Realtors Association. “And last year was a strong year for sales compared to the previous year.”

Looking at the first six months of 2013, sales rose by 11.4 percent over the same time last year. Median prices just for the month of June showed an even stronger increase, at just over 12 percent.

It also costs a bit more to buy the median price-range house in Wisconsin. Prices were up 7.7 percent compared to the first half of last year. Clark says the median price is now $140,000 dollars.

“Prices, even though they have been increasing, are still at very affordable levels,” says Clark. “And interest rates, they’ve been increasing but they’re at affordable rates.”

Clark says the June house-selling season was strong in all sectors of the state.