After the initial quarantine of the pandemic, many analysts commented on the outlier trend of residential housing sales. An examination of the data from the Eastside to Bainbridge Island and other areas by Realogics Sotheby's International Realty one year later shows that the lack of inventory and the flood of purchasers was not an isolated incident.

The real estate market had a great start this year. Low inventory, rising median home sales prices, and short time on the market continued these patterns in the second quarter of 2021, putting sellers in the driver's seat. Each quarter, Realogics Sotheby's International Realty analyses five significant areas to see where the market has been and where the trends are leading us.

Realogics Sotheby's International Realty is releasing two reports this year to help buyers and sellers in the Puget Sound real estate market make informed decisions. To begin, the 2021 Exclusive Report examines how Seattle's burgeoning and diverse economy has fueled unprecedented development and population growth, indicating a clear urbanization trend.

As home prices in the Seattle metro area continue to rise, affordability has become an increasingly elusive goal, as has timed the market for developer incentives and today's historically low, but rising, interest rates. According to The Seattle Times, condominium sales in Seattle increased 121.2 percent year over year, while median prices increased 4.5 percent compared to April 2020.

On December 31, when the clock reached midnight, few were surprised to see 2020 expire. But despite the difficulties of the last year, the real estate market remained resilient. It continued to boast median home prices that had continued to grow since the initial lockdown last March, more closed home sales than this period last year, and low inventory for its quarterly reporting in almost all market areas.

The strongest headwinds caused by COVID-19 in 2020 were in urban centers across the country. According to S&P/Case-Shiller reports, Downtown Seattle was not sheltered, despite the Seattle metro area commanding the highest aggregate median home price increases in the U.S. for most of the year.