Square Footage Costs More in the Suburbs than in Urban Centers, Redfin Reports
Originally published on October 18, 2022, by Angela Cherry for Redfin.
As home prices fall fastest in cities and mortgage rates rise, the value of a square foot in the suburbs has caught up with that of urban centers. That’s according to a new report from Redfin (redfin.com), the technology-powered real estate brokerage, which found that space in suburban homes was worth more than space in urban homes in September for the first time since Redfin started tracking this data in 2018. The typical home in suburban neighborhoods nationwide was worth $206 per square foot during the four weeks ending September 25, just slightly higher than $205 in urban neighborhoods.
Price growth is falling much faster in urban areas than in other types of neighborhoods amid the overall housing-market slowdown. In urban neighborhoods nationwide, price per square foot increased 3.5% year over year–that’s still up from a year ago, but down significantly from its pandemic peak. That’s much smaller than the 9.5% growth in suburban areas. It grew 8.4% to $180 in rural areas.