Home sales finished the year strongly, with a 17.9 percent bump in sales in December of 2015. It marked the best December for the housing market in Connecticut since 2006.
The Warren Group, a Boston based real estate data provider said that meant in the whole of 2015, sales of single family homes were up 16.9 percent over the previous year.
But the disconnect with prices continues. The median sales price fell in December 2.1 percent to $235,000, mirroring the decline over the year as a whole. Prices are now on average 16 percent below their peak in 2007.
Warren Group CEO Tim Warren said the numbers last year represent pent up demand from consumers.
"The spike in sales shows that people are finally confident enough in their jobs and incomes that they are eager to buy homes," Warren said in a statement. "Right now, homes are affordable. Combine that with low interest rates, and you see why so many people are home shopping right now."
The two counties with the highest growth were New Haven and Litchfield, although every county saw double-digit growth in sales.
Warren said he believes the departure of General Electric from Fairfield will not have a major downward drag on the Connecticut housing marketing this year, because the total number of jobs moving out of state is comparatively small. "The GE move is a psychological loss that bruises the state's ego - I think that is the more important impact," he said.
