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Survey finds sharp drop in US homebuyer interest amid coronavirus

Updated March 19, 2020 - 1:59 pm

U.S. homebuyer interest has dropped sharply in the past week as the novel coronavirus upends daily life with sweeping business closures and other shutdowns, a new report indicates.

The National Association of Realtors said 48 percent of members reported in a survey this week that buyer interest has decreased because of the outbreak.

That’s triple the share of members who reported last week that buyer interest had fallen over the virus.

Overall, declining confidence in the economy and the “unprecedented measures” being taken to combat the virus’ spread “are naturally bringing an abundance of caution among buyers and sellers,” Lawrence Yun, chief economist with the National Association of Realtors, said in the release.

Contact Eli Segall at esegall@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0342. Follow @eli_segall on Twitter.

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