ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Winnebago, Boone, and Ogle counties' inventory of available homes reached an all-time low in April, with only 141 properties for sale.

“If we took every house currently on the market, the entire stock would sell out in less than 13 days, that’s how low inventory has reached," said Conor Brown, CEO, Northwest Illinois Alliance of Realtors.

The realty group said the low inventory could be traced back to the 2008 housing crisis, which reduced new home construction, which plummeted again during the COVID-19 pandemic and has yet to rebound.

Among the reasons the agency cited: Current homeowners are locked into historic, pre-pandemic low interest rates on their mortgage loans and are unable or unwilling to move. Or, if they do, they're moving directly into a new home,

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