Home sales are down in the Lehigh Valley, and so are new listings and inventory. But the Greater Lehigh Valley Realtors (GLVR) sees a silver lining.
“Mortgage applications for home purchases — a gauge of future buying activity — have posted consistent double-digit annual gains, rising 20 percent higher than a year ago in mid-October, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association,” noted GLVR CEO Justin Porembo, in a news release. “The Lehigh Valley followed suit in October, with pending sales improving 3.1 percent year-over-year.”
This week, GLVR released its monthly snapshot of the local real estate market, noting an “expected seasonal slowdown” in the October numbers.
Closed sales in Lehigh and Northampton counties slid 4.8 percent, coming in at 596 listings. Inventory also decreased 4.8 percent. There were a combined 794 units in the two counties, GLVR said.
Meantime, the median sales price increased 1.9 percent to $353,750, up from $347,000, and Months Supply of Inventory (a measure of supply and demand) dropped 12.5 percent to 1.4 months. Five to six months is typically associated with a healthy inventory.
If you’re a seller, the market is still very much in your favor; the average time on the market for a home-for-sale was just 20 days in October, only one day slower than a year ago. Also, homes are still selling at or above list price, coming in at 100.4 percent.
In Carbon County, the median sales price decreased to $244,000, GLVR reported. Closed sales slid to 69. New listings improved to 82. Inventory decreased to 176 units, leading to a Months Supply of Inventory that declined to 3.1 months.
Home inventory in both Carbon County and the Lehigh Valley is tighter than the national average. According to data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR), inventory in October 2025 edged up 1.3 percent from the previous month to 1.55 million units, which is 14 percent higher than the same period last year. This represents a 4.6-month supply at the current sales pace, NAR said.