YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – House sales in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties were down roughly a third in January from the month before.
MLS Now, a multiple listing service collecting sales data from the northeastern Ohio region, reported 276 houses were sold in the three counties last month, compared with 395 in December and 307 in January 2024.
In Columbiana County, 39 houses were sold last month, down from 71 in December, and down from 44 in January 2024. In Mahoning County, 137 units were sold in January, down from 181 the month before and more modestly from the 148 sold in January 2024. In Trumbull County, 100 units were sold, down from 115 a year earlier and from 143 in December.
Across Ohio, house sales in January rose 0.8% in January, with 7,428 units sold, compared with 7,376 units in January 2024, Ohio Realtors reported. Nationally, existing home sales slid 4.9% in January from the month before, to 4.08 million, but were up 2% year-over-year.
“Mortgage rates have refused to budge for several months despite multiple rounds of short-term interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve,” Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said in a news release. “When combined with elevated home prices, housing affordability remains a major challenge.
The average sale in Mahoning County in January was $193,871, up 4.4% from $185,775 a year earlier and more modestly from $193,560 in December. In Trumbull County, average sale price for a house last month was $174,054, up 21% from $143,332 a year earlier but down from $185,425 in December. The average sale price for a house in Columbiana County in January was 163,539, down 8.1% from the month before and more substantially from December’s $187,890 average.
Across Ohio, the average sale price reached $274,522, a 7.6% increase from the $255,052 reported in January 2024, Ohio Realtors reported. Around the state, 13 out of 14 markets tracked experienced an increase in average sale price for the month compared with January 2024.
“Ohio’s housing market is showing strong momentum to start the year, with increased sales and rising home values reflecting continued confidence in our state’s real estate sector. The 0.8% uptick in sales and a 7.6% rise in average prices demonstrate a resilient market that remains attractive to buyers and sellers alike,” Ohio Realtors President Michelle Billings said in a news release.
Total dollar volume was $17,405,489 in January, up 5.6% from $16,483,216 in January 2024 but down from $26,522,929 in December. Dollar volume in Mahoning County was $26,560,445 last month, down 3.4% from $27,494,731 a year earlier and substantially from $35,050,826 in December. Columbiana County’s $6,378,050 last month was down 18.5% from $7,825,475 in January 2024 and was less than half of December’s $13,340,231.