The Headline: 3,083. That’s how many homes closed across Central Ohio in August, up 6.3% year-over-year — per Columbus REALTORS®. Nationally, existing-home sales rose just 0.7% year-over-year, per NAR. We didn’t just beat the national number. We crushed it.
And rates just gave buyers a break, easing down to a low of 6.65%, per Freddie Mac. Small move. Right direction.
The Data
- Median sales price: $350,000, up 2.3% year-over-year, per Columbus REALTORS®. Steady appreciation, not a sprint.
- Inventory: 6,193 single-family homes and condos — the highest August inventory level in Central Ohio in over a decade, per Columbus REALTORS®.
- Months of supply: 2.4. Still a seller’s market by the numbers — but the most breathing room buyers have had in years.
- Closed sales, year-over-year: up 6.3%. New listings and prices posted gains right alongside it — growth on every front at once.
- Mortgage rates: 30-year fixed at 6.65%, down from 6.67% the week before — its second consecutive weekly decline. The 15-year sits at 5.95%. Both are modestly above year-ago levels (6.58% and 5.69%), per Freddie Mac.
Nationally, the median existing-home price hit $434,100 in August, up 2.0% year-over-year — the 37th straight month of annual price gains, per NAR. National inventory actually fell 0.6% year-over-year to a 4.6-month supply. Central Ohio is moving in the opposite direction — building inventory while the country tightens. That’s not a small distinction. That’s the whole story.
If You’re Buying
Rates ticked down two weeks in a row. That’s not a headline moment, but it’s a real signal — and paired with the highest August inventory this region has seen in a decade, you have more to choose from and slightly better financing than you did a month ago. This is the window people will wish they’d used.
If You’re Selling
2.4 months of supply still favors you — but it’s loosening, and buyers know it. The good news: prices are still appreciating at 2.3%, and closed sales are up over 6%. Demand hasn’t gone anywhere. Price it to what’s actually selling, not to what you wish it would sell for, and you’re still in a strong position.
The Bottom Line
Central Ohio added inventory, grew sales 6.3%, and kept prices appreciating — all in the same month the national market posted sub-1% sales growth and shrinking supply. Rates easing two weeks running only adds fuel. This region isn’t cooling off. It’s compounding.
Sources: Columbus REALTORS® Central Ohio Housing Report, National Association of REALTORS® Existing-Home Sales Report, Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey®.
Join Kyle’s September Fundraiser: 557 Miles for Childhood Cancer Research
Kyle is running, biking, swimming, and kayaking 557 miles this September for the CancerFree KIDS 100-Mile Challenge — funding the research that gives kids with cancer a fighting chance. Every mile is a dollar raised for a cure. Support the mission at cfk.donordrive.com/
Kyle Alfriend
The Alfriend Group / ReMax Achievers
(614) 395-1776
Kyle@AlfriendGroup.com
www.AlfriendGroup.com