COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Home sales in central Ohio fell slightly in January, according to the latest report from the Columbus Realtors industry group, but the market was still much hotter last month than a year ago.

New listings fell 0.5%, home sales 2.8%, and contracts 0.8% in January compared to December, according to the report released last week.

Despite the small dip after a record-breaking year, Columbus area home sales were still higher last month than in any other January.

“The central Ohio housing market was very active last month, despite the slight drop in sales,” Columbus Realtors president Sue Van Woerkom said in a release. “We’re seeing some buyers get discouraged due to lack of inventory.”

Columbus Realtors is a group of more than 9,700 real estate professionals in nine counties (Franklin, Delaware, Fayette, Licking, Madison, Marion, Morrow, Pickaway, and Union) and parts of 11 other counties (Athens, Champaign, Clark, Clinton, Fairfield, Hocking, Knox, Logan, Muskingum, Perry, and Ross).

The Columbus area is one of the nation’s fastest-growing housing markets, and prices continued to rise in January.

The median home price increased 11.1% to $250,000 last month compared with January 2021, per Columbus Realtors. The average home price of $290,847 is a 10.4% increase.

A table from Columbus Realtors’ January 2022 report compares the month to January 2021 for the entire 20-county area.

Ten years ago, the group said, local realtors were selling 66% of their inventory. But with population growth and a booming home market, they sold more than 91% of inventory last year.

Notable communities in January

The majority of sales in January — 56% — were in Franklin County, which makes sense considering it’s the population center.

The median sales price of Franklin County home grew 13% to $247,000 last month, one of 12 counties that saw increases, according to Columbus Realtors. The group had individual reports for 18 of its 20 counties.

The highest median sales price in January was $403,900 in Delaware County, and the lowest was $115,000 in Marion County.

As for the 56 communities and school districts that Columbus Realtors tracks, the most affluent suburbs of Columbus led the way in median home prices last month:

  • Top median home price in January (community): New Albany, $780,000
  • Bottom: Marion, $115,000
  • Top median home price in January (school district): Northridge, $759,450
  • Bottom: Newark, $158,400