February 2022: There were 37 listings as of the first week of February, down dramatically from February 2021 when there were 78 listings. Additionally, 18 of the 37 listings are under contract with a buyer, leaving just 19 active listings for buyers to choose from. There have never been fewer listings in February of any year.
BACKGROUND: The number of properties for sale is seasonal. Each year, December and January have the fewest number of properties for sale, because people don’t like to show their homes during the holiday season. And each year, the highest number of homes for sale is in the summer, because it is more convenient to sell your home in the summer. Note this repeating annual pattern in the above graph.
The condo/townhouse graphs do not show as smooth a transition from month to month as the house graphs. This is because there are far fewer condo and townhouse sales in Santa Cruz County than house sales. In the field of statistics, a larger quantity of numbers makes a better statistic.