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Prospective homebuyers in the Hartford metro area faced no better selection of homes on the market this fall than they did a year ago, according to a new analysis by Zillow economists.

The number of new listings was up a mere 0.1 percent year-on-year in September, and down 28 percent from September 2019.

It’s a market that sellers appeared to feel pretty good about, too: Only 19.7 percent of listings on the market in September had cut their initial list price, the third-smallest share in the nation after New York City and Silicon Valley and much lower than the nationwide share of 25.1 percent.

According to the Greater Hartford Association of Realtors, total single-family inventory in the market was off 1.3 percent year-over-year, to 763 houses, while total condominium inventory was up 30.9 percent to 195 units.

But outside the Northeast, mortgage rates’ declines since July 1 served to bring more sellers onto the market, possibly including homeowners who’d felt locked into their current homes by their low mortgage rate despite the home no longer meeting their needs, Zillow said.

“September proved the readiness of both buyers and sellers to return when conditions are right. Lower mortgage rates helped more buyers clear the affordability hurdle, and gave buyers already in the market more homes to choose from,” Skylar Olsen, Zillow’s chief economist, said in a statement. “The mortgage rate spike after a strong jobs report early this month gave back some of those affordability gains, at least for now. Buyers should be prepared for more ups and downs, which means it’s crucial to have their finances in order and their expert team in place to act quickly, but not rashly, when they find the right house.”