With the spring buying season underway, Emporia is already seeing a shortage of homes available on the market, leading to higher prices and quick sales.

Local realtors are keeping a close eye on this trend which, while good for sellers, is posing some challenges to the local market overall.

“Currently, we have a very low supply of homes for sale in Emporia and Lyon County,” Jamie Sauder, a realtor with Coldwell Banker Emporia Real Estate, said. “Historically, we average about 35 – 40 transactions per month market-wide, so that leaves about a 1.75-month supply of homes for sale. A healthy — or more common — market would have a five- to six-month supply of homes for sale.”

(Read more: Emporia Gazette)