More potential homebuyers were viewing homes last month

September saw a rise in home viewings compared to a year ago although the hurricane season took its toll on some southern states

More potential homebuyers were viewing homes last month
September saw a rise in home viewings compared to a year ago although the hurricane season took its toll on some southern states.

Figures from real estate analysts ShowingTime reveal that there was a 7.3% rise in viewings year-over-year with the Northeast region leading the growth at 11.5%.

That was followed by an 8.3% rise for home showings in the Midwest and 7% in the West. The South saw a modest 0.5% rise due to the impact of Hurricane Irma.

"Hurricane Irma had a significant impact on showing activity in coastal areas from Florida to South Carolina, with some markets seeing a 10% to 30% decrease compared to last September," ShowingTime Chief Analytics Officer
Daniil Cherkasskiy said. "Other areas in the South not affected by Irma actually saw a substantial year-over-year increase, which explains why the region as a whole experienced only a slight increase.

He added that the South will be interesting to watch in the coming months to see if showing activity rebounds quickly from the Hurricane Irma slowdown, or whether it will be delayed until the first quarter of 2018.

The ShowingTime Showing Index is currenty released monthly but it’s intended that it will eventually be a weekly metric of activity.