The real estate numbers are looking good this spring.

For buyers in Carbon County, there are more houses on the market this year to date than there were in 2023.

According to the Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors Association, there were 211 new listings added to the multiple listing, compared to 190 by the end of March 2023.

For sellers, the news is good, too. People are buying.

Lori Campbell, the president of the realtors association, said, “I have a lot of individuals set up in the Multiple Listing Service for auto-emails, which is a way for them to receive to-the-minute updates on new listings that meet their criteria. Clients are alerted once listing matches hit the market, and there’s a noticeable uptick in the number of properties being sent. This means inventory is improving.”

The number of houses with pending sales is higher than last year, and the number of days a house is on the market has dropped. Days on the market dropped to just 40 days in March in Carbon County and 38 days in Monroe County.

Dominick Sacci, a broker and owner of Pocono Mountains Real Estate Inc. in Brodheadsville and Pocono Mountains Property Management LLC, said he has seen an increase of new listings come on the market each month for the last three months.

“This is historical for our market as New York/New Jersey drives the Pocono Mountains real estate market, and most family’s wish to sell/purchase after the winter/holiday seasons to be in line with the school year, purchase a summer vacation spot, etc.,” Sacci said.

For the last two years, his office has been busier during the fall and winter months than in the spring and summer months.

Sacci said that because interest rates are high, many buyers are looking for investment properties. Some are looking for properties they can flip, which means they are looking for properties they can buy at a low price, renovate, and sell at a higher price to make a profit. Other buyers are looking for houses they can use as a short-term rentals, which are often used by people on vacation.

Buyers looking for a new primary residence shouldn’t let interest rates scare them out of the market. Sacci said, “It’s all perception.”

These buyers know that interest rates went from 2.5% to almost 8%, he said.

“They saw their purchasing power diminish, and combined with all-time high prices, that doesn’t motivate consumers to buy,” Sacci said. “If they could see the long outlook, they would calculate rates dropping, refinancing options, and increased property values.”

When people take these dynamics into consideration, they see that they “shouldn’t back out of the market,” Sacci said.

Sales prices

The median and average sales prices last month in Carbon County are up, too.

The median was $255,000, which is a 6.3% increase over March 2023, according to GLVR. The median sales price is the middle price of all house sold in March.

The average sales price was $270,038 compared to $247,509 in March 2023. That is a 9.1% increase. The average sales price is all sales prices in March divided by the number of units sold.

School districts

Comparing the year-to-date data from GLVR for the school districts, Jim Thorpe had the most new listings so far this year, but it also had the highest median sales price at $328,028. That’s a 16.9% increase over 2023. The average sale price was $344,407, a 22% increase.

Lehighton had the highest percentage increase in median price year to date at 44.1%, according to data compiled by GLVR. The median sales price was $245,000. The average sales price was $248,742.

Palmerton took a 30% dip in the median sales price since 2023. The median sales price in 2024 year to date is $180,000. The average sales price was $215,000, down 17.1% compared to March 2023.

Also listed in the data are Panther Valley and Weatherly.

Panther Valley had a median sales price of $103,000, up 5%, and an average sale price of $108,271 down 19.5%.

In Weatherly, the median sale price was $177,500, down 9.7%. Average sales price was $186,725, up 2.5%.

In Monroe County, Sacci said the median sales price for a house in the Pleasant Valley School District is $312,752.

Future trends

As for as how the real estate market will trend over the next few months, Sacci sees smooth sailing

“My instincts say that it will remain balanced - a bit more inventory on the market, a few more buyers enter the market. Some choose to rent before they buy. No real peaks or valleys,” he said.