Housing sales across Ohio took a hit during April as the coronavirus pandemic swept the state.
The Ohio Realtors reported sales fell 18.6% when compared with April 2019, with 11,057 properties being sold as compared with 13,578 sold the previous year.
The pandemic flattened what had been a good start to the year. So far, 41,402 properties have been sold, down slightly from 41,539 sold during the first four months of 2019.
Real estate agents who are part of the Yes-Multiple Listing Service reports 3,595 sales during April, a 16.8% drop from 4,323 reported last year. Through the first four months, Yes-MLS members have sold 13,482 houses, a 1.9% increase compared with 13,233 sold last year. The Yes-MLS includes agents in Summit 17 other eastern Ohio counties.
Ohio Realtors President Chris Reese said sales started sliding in March, then dropped drastically following the statewide stay-at-home order.
Things dropped further in April.
"We experienced a slowdown in showings, sellers removing their homes from the market and an overall desire to shelter in place for most of the month," Reese said in a news release.
