Listing keywords associated with families and children, like community pools, nearby parks and cul-de-sacs, led to both faster-than-expected sales and higher premiums.

“This is a sign that the competitive purchase market, driven by low housing inventory and high demand, is pushing prices higher and weighing down on activity.” — Mortgage Bankers Association Associate Vice President of Economic and Industry Forecasting Joel Kan

In 40% of metro areas analyzed, home prices in the first quarter hit or tied new peaks according to the report, including Boston. 

Homes in Boston stayed on the market for 24 days less than they did last year, at an average of 22 days.

Massachusetts home sales rose 14.6% in March from a year ago.

Boston condo sales jumped to their highest first-quarter total in 16 years.

Nationwide, the seasonally adjusted housing index rose 1.1% month over month in February and 12% year over year, up from monthly and yearly increases of 0.8% and 11.2% in January, respectively.

The boost in inventory shows signs of seasonal norms as supply starts to catch up with demand.

Year over year, the pace of sales was up 66.8% nationwide.

Rent rates nationwide have been decreasing since the onset of the pandemic, but new data shows that in some cities, this could be changing in the near future.

As the economy slowly recovers from the early days of the pandemic, the share of loans in forbearance dropped for the seventh consecutive week, signifying a 40-basis-point decrease in the last two weeks.

With the lowest level of inventory in nearly 40 years, the 2021 spring market has homebuyers facing a level of competition not seen in a generation.

High demand and low inventory levels continue to drive up prices heading into the spring and summer markets.

As they come of peak age for first-time homeownership, millennials are gaining an increasing share of today’s housing market.

The median sales price of homes in the 53 metro areas covered by RE/MAX’s National Housing Report rose 4.5% month over month in March to $303,000, marking the first time in the 13-year history of the report that it topped $300,000.

Recent data found real estate markets north and west of Boston were among the hottest last month.