Once America’s hottest housing market, this state is now the hardest place to sell a home
If you’re planning to cash out in Florida, you might want to pack your patience.
The Sunshine State is the single worst place in the country to sell a home right now, according to a fresh ranking from Underwood Law Firm that pits 48 states against each other on how brutal their markets are for sellers.
Florida sits at the bottom of the barrel with a staggering 206,508 homes up for grabs, the biggest glut of any state studied.
The typical property there lingers for 73 days before a buyer bites, and bidding wars have all but vanished. Only 10.9% of homes fetched more than their asking price.
This essentially means buyers in Florida are calling the shots.
The firm crunched Redfin Data Center figures across seven yardsticks.
Those include median sale price, total homes sold, median days on market, annual price swings, active inventory, the share of homes selling over asking and the share of listings that had to slash their price.
Each factor carried a different weight depending on how much it matters to sellers. The scores were then blended into a single difficulty rating, and states were lined up from most punishing to most forgiving.
Texas grabbed the No. 2 slot. The Lone Star State has 180,524 homes on the market and a median wait of 68 days. Nearly a quarter of sellers there, about 23%, were forced to cut their price, putting Texas near the top of the study for markdowns.
South Carolina landed at No. 3. Homes in the Palmetto State sit for a median of 74 days, and 22.1% of listings took a price chop. A mere 13% sold above asking.
Montana placed fourth and holds the dubious distinction of the slowest market in the ranking. Homes there sit for a median of 85 days, close to three months. Even more jaw-dropping, the data shows zero homes in Big Sky Country selling for more than list price.
Arizona closed out the five toughest markets. Properties there wait a median of 66 days, and 21.4% of sellers had to lower their price.
Now head to the Northeast and the picture flips.
Connecticut earned the gentlest score in the entire study, landing dead last at No. 48. Well over half of its homes, 55.8%, sold above asking, the highest rate in the nation.
Rhode Island placed 47th. There, 45.4% of homes went for more than list price, and the typical property was snapped up in just 31 days, less than half the Florida wait.
New Jersey ranked 46th. Buyers in the Garden State paid over asking on 48.3% of homes, even with a hefty median price tag of $587,553.
Massachusetts came in 45th despite some of the steepest prices in the study, with a median of $657,263. Still, 43.6% of homes there drew offers above list price.
Illinois rounded out the seller-friendly end of the list. The Prairie State logged 11,526 home sales, a median of 52 days on market, and 35.8% of homes sold over asking.