Charted: Central Ohio's seasonal home sales

Here's a way to visualize the seasonal rise and fall of our hot local housing market .

The big picture: 2024 is shaping up to be another year of sluggish home sales nationwide, according to a recent CoreLogic report , as elevated mortgage rates dampen the appeal and affordability of home buying.

Yes, but: Home sales in the high-demand Columbus metro area still trended slightly upward this spring, as is typical, even as prices continued to rise.

By the numbers: Columbus Realtors recorded 7,516 closed sales in the region between March-May of this year, a 5.5% increase over the same period last year.

• Area home sales set a record high for median price last month, at $330,000.
• Compared with other major cities, though, our homes still come at a bargain. The national median sales price last month was $419,300 .

The bottom line: If you're hoping to buy a house this year, competition is heating up again, alongside the weather.