2021 was a wild year for real estate and, Atlanta Agent covered it all, from the travails at Zillow Offers and supply shortages to housing-market statistics. Take a look at which stories from the year generated the most interest with our readers.
No. 10: Zombie foreclosures up 21% across the country
Of the 99 million residential properties in the U.S., approximately 1.4 million were vacant in the second quarter, with “zombie” home rates increasing both quarterly (21%) and annually (5.6%).
No. 9: New-home sales plummet in July
Also during July, the median sales price of U.S. homes rose to $390,500 from $370,200 in June, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
No. 8: Biden moves to reverse Trump housing policy
Newly elected President Biden ordered the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to reexamine Trump Administration changes to Obama-era fair housing rules.
No. 7: Atlanta agents skeptical of Zillow deal
The news that Zillow is purchasing ShowingTime for $500 million sent shockwaves through the residential real estate industry in February.
No. 6: Zillow closes Zillow Offers, announces layoffs
Zillow announced in November that it was ending its iBuyer service, Zillow Offers, and cutting roughly a quarter of its workforce, citing the volatility the service created for the online brokerage as the motivation for the move.
No. 5: Realtor survey shows importance of tech in pandemic
The survey, released in August, found that 37% of respondents expected drones to be the most-impactful technology over the next 24 months, followed by cyber security (34%), 5G (31%) and virtual reality (30%).
No. 4: Here’s what 2021 buyers want in a kitchen
The Houzz 2021 Kitchen Trends Study highlights post-pandemic must-haves.
No. 3: Redfin: Housing market could be reaching something of an equilibrium
During the four-week period ended July 11, the average weekly share of homes for sale with a price drop passed 4% for the first time since September 2020.
No. 2: Builders report historic, broad-based levels of materials shortages
Special questions added to the National Association of Home Builders’ monthly builder survey in May found 90% or more of respondents had experienced shortages of plywood, oriented strand board, framing lumber and appliances, with most other materials also hard to come by.
No. 1: U.S. Supreme Court rejects CDC eviction moratorium
The nationwide eviction moratorium put into place by the Centers for Disease Control in 2020 was overruled by the U.S. Supreme Court.