At the end of the peak selling season of 2025, house sales increased 3 percent in September from September 2024 (2167 vs. 2099). Sales dropped to 304 from 314 sold in August, the current record month for sales this year. Selling prices in September continued to rise and set records in the year-over-year comparison that reaches back to 2006.
The number of houses sold in September increased 20 percent (fifty houses) from September 2024 (304 vs.254).
The inventory of houses for sale dropped by eight houses from the same time in September 2024 (990 vs. 998). This slight change reduced the supply level to 5.9 from 6.2-months at the end of August. For comparison, in September 2010, there were 3574 houses for sale for a 17.3-months supply of houses for homebuyers.
The average selling price in September 2025 rose 15 percent to $459,203 from $400,535 in September 2024. Year-to-date, in 2025, the average selling price grew 14 percent to $425,115 from $371,896.
The median selling price in September 2025, $315,000, increased 11 percent from $284,750 in September 2024. Year-to-date, the median selling price increased by 9 percent ($299,000 vs. $275,000).
The median price is the price at which 50% of the homes sold were above that price and 50% were below.
The total dollar volume in September 2025 increased 8 percent compared to September 2024. ($101,732,164 vs. $94,454,730). The year-to-date total dollar volume in 2025 grew 3 percent ($784,388,228 vs. $756,720,984).
The number of bank-owned or foreclosed homes as a percentage of all transactions remained at 1 percent just as it was in August. There were four houses included. The previous lowest percentage was 0 percent in September 2022, and the highest percentage in September was 37 percent in 2009.
The Freddie Mac mortgage rate in September was 6.30, up from 5.69 in August for a 30-year conventional mortgage. A year ago, the rate was 6.08.
This data reflects home sales across Allegan, Berrien, Cass, and the westerly 2/3 of Van Buren Counties and should not be used to determine the market value of any individual property. If you want to know the market value of your property, please contact your local REALTOR ® .
When Selling a Home…
Want to fetch top dollar for your home and walk away with as much money in your pocket as possible? Of course, you do.
Your first instinct may be to pick the highest bid on the table. But the offer price isn’t the only thing worth considering. This is the time to count on the experience of your REALTOR ® to help you evaluate offers beyond price.
1. The earnest money deposit. The EMD is the sum of cash the buyer is offering to fork over when the sales agreement is signed to show the person is serious about buying your home. This money will go toward the buyer’s down payment at closing.
2. The contingencies. Most offers have contingencies — provisions that must be met for the transaction to go through. Contracts with fewer contingencies are more likely to reach closing in a timely fashion.
3. The down payment. The size of the down payment can affect the strength of the offer. In most cases, a buyer’s down payment amount is related to the home loan they're taking out. Your chief concern is for the transaction to close — and for that to happen, the buyer’s mortgage has to be approved.
4. The all-cash offer. The more cash the buyer plunks down, the more likely the lender is to approve their loan. That’s why an all-cash offer is ideal for both parties. The buyer doesn’t have to fulfill an appraisal contingency.
5. The closing date. Settlement, or “closing,” is the day when both parties sign the final paperwork and make the sale official. Typically, the whole process — from accepting an offer to closing — takes between 30 and 60 days.
When Buying a Home…
When you’re shopping for a mortgage loan, it’s sometimes hard to understand the jargon lenders use in the good-faith estimate explaining the costs and fees you’ll pay when taking out a mortgage. When you apply for a mortgage, the lender has three days to give you a good-faith estimate of the fees and interest rate you’ll pay, as well as other loan terms.
The good-faith estimate shows fees that may change before closing and fees that will not change. If the interest rate increases before closing, the lender must let you know how much the rate can jump and what your new payment would be if it does.
In the new “tradeoff table,” you can ask lenders to provide details on the tradeoffs you can make in choosing among home loans so you can make side-by-side comparisons.
What the form doesn’t cover, and you will have to ask the lender to estimate for you, are property taxes that you will have to pay at closing, and the amount of money you will need to bring to the closing of your loan. Your REALTOR ® can also help explain some of the details on the good-faith estimate.
To view properties that are for sale in your local area, go to www.swmar.com, and click on “Search”. The Southwestern Michigan Association of REALTORS ® , Inc. is a professional trade association for real estate professionals who are members of the National Association of REALTORS ® , and ancillary service providers for the real estate industry in Allegan, Berrien, Cass, and Van Buren Counties. The Association can be contacted at 269-983-6375 or through their website at www.swmar.com.
