Home-buyer enthusiasm started off the early-spring market strong in a number of Arlington areas and was still above the regional average in the rest, according to new data.
Leading the pack countywide was ZIP 22202 of the Route 1 corridor, according to the latest T3 Home-Demand Index of Bright MLS.
The index uses a variety of data points to settle on a monthly score for buyer interest all the way down to the ZIP-code level. It is a forward-looking counterpart to rear-view-mirror monthly sales data.
The open-ended scorecard gauges buyer-interest conditions as High with any score above 130; Moderate from 110-129; Steady from 90-109; and Slow from 70-89. Any score less than 70 suggests the market of available homes is limited.
That 22202 area scored 281, by far the highest in the county, and it was joined in the “High” category by 22206 (169), 22203 (143), 22204 (134) and 22205 (131).
Holding “Steady” were 22201 (106), 22213 (101) and 22209 (99).
The enclave of 22207 stood at 79, suggesting a somewhat sluggish buyer reaction as the spring season begins to emerge from winter’s slumber.
For Arlington as a whole, March’s T3 index of 125 was down a point from a month before, but continued to lead the region.
Alexandria (117) was the only other locality to top three digits, with Fairfax County standing at 77; Prince George’s County at 76; Falls Church and the District of Columbia at 75 each; Loudoun County at 63; Montgomery County at 62; and Frederick County, Md., at 50.
Across the entirety of the Washington metropolitan area, the overall score of 72, while down a third from a year before, was up from 71 in February and 57 in January.
Demand for all types of homes softened across the region in February except for luxury single-family homes, which rose. Although declining over the month, buyer interest was strongest for luxury condos, with demand in the Steady category.
For full details. see the Website at www.homedemandindex.com.
