Ridgefield Market Snapshot
Ridgefield home sales remain strong in the first half of 2021 compared to 2020, which is to be expected due to the two lost months during the pandemic shutdown. There was a 51% increase in sales during the first half of 2021 with 237 homes selling as compared to only 157 in 2020. The overall sales volume increased by 86% from $119,397,044 YTD in 2020 to $222,198,937 YTD in 2021. It will be interesting to see if the numbers start to even out more in Q3 as we factor in the incredible second half of 2020 to the mix.

Prices Are Up
Both the Median Sales Price and the Average Sales Price saw marked increases in the first half of the year. The median price jumped from $635,000 in 2020 to $815,000 in 2021. The average sale price saw an equally large upward movement and sits at $937,548 this year, a 23% increase over 2020’s $760,491.

Market Time Is Down
The average days on market saw a 44% decrease from 116 days to 65 days before a property went under contract. Tellingly, the months of inventory also decreased from 16 months to 6 months year over year. This lack of inventory and surge in buyer demand has fueled a housing shortage across the country, resulting in higher prices and creating the seller’s market we are currently experiencing.

The Luxury Market
Luxury market sales in Ridgefield – defined as homes selling for more than $1.5 million – took a huge leap in the first half of 2021 with 22 homes selling as compared to only 11 by this time last year. When we look at the last five years, 2019, 2018 and 2017 had 7, 1 and 2 luxury sales by mid-year respectively. This was in large part due to the continuing exodus of people leaving urban areas for the space and privacy of country estates early in the year. Combined with low interest rates and a surging stock market, real estate reflected a desirable investment. Even now as things open up and offices are talking about bringing workers back in, we are still seeing interest at the top end of the market.

Looking Ahead
For the better part of a year the real estate market has been in a boom like we’ve never seen. The mass exodus from urban areas caused unprecedented inventory demands on our local market resulting in bidding wars, multiple offers, all cash offers and a shift to a seller’s market almost overnight. As the country reopens after the ‘long pause’, and questions about hybrid work and school begin to rise, we are once again faced with an unknown situation. To date, the number of sales and overall prices have seen double and triple digit growth. With people beginning to take vacations again, the market seems less frenzied than a few months ago, but we are still seeing homes that are in good condition and priced well sell amid a torrent of offers in just a few days.

Read the full report.

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