Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Positive Real Estate Trends for 2013



Say what you want about an inventory crunch, tough lending and rising prices; the Bay Area home market is heating up – not just in pocket areas, but at the macro level.

People are buying and selling more homes, at a pace that’s risen more than 75% above 2007 levels. MLSListings’ latest market data report for greater Bay Area homes showed double-digit, year over year increases in three of five counties representing  85%  of November home sales, and total sales for the greater Bay Area were up 12.7% over year-ago sales.  

Median price continues to rise in all Counties, led by San Benito with an increase of 49% over year-ago levels.  Both Monterey and Santa Clara County median price rose 20%, Santa Cruz grew 10%, and San Mateo is up 5% above year-ago levels.  

New listings fell across the board except in San Mateo County where they remained flat compared to last year, and as one might expect, days on market continue to drop year-over-year in all Counties.

Month-over-month comparisons showed a drop in sales, inventory, and new listings in all Counties from October. 

While there may be a tipping point where the lack of inventory and new listings may slow sales momentum, this will likely keep prices at a premium. The percentage decline of new listings month-over-month is running between a low of 23% in Monterey County and a high of 32% in Santa Cruz County.  

Median price increased in San Benito, Santa Cruz, and Monterey Counties but dropped in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. Data for month-over-month comparisons can be found on www.mlslistings.com. 

So what does this mean for us on the Monterey Peninsula?  Well, historically we follow the bay area’s real estate trends by 4-6 months. 

Let’s take a look at Carmel:
Trends At a Glance
Nov 2012
Previous Month
Year-over Year
Median Price
$974,400
$1,210,000 (-19.5%)
$651,500 (+49.6%)
Average Price
$1,308,640
$1,322,980 (-1.1%)
$1,119,560 (+16.9%)
No. of Sales
17
20 (-15.0%)
16 (+6.3%)
Pending Properties
32
34 (-5.9%)
24 (+33.3%)
Foreclosures Sold
3
(0.0%)
(+50.0%)
Short Sales Sold
2
(N/A)
(-33.3%)
Active Listings
117
134 (-12.7%)
172 (-32.0%)
Active Foreclosures
1
(-50.0%)
(-75.0%)
Active Short Sales
2
(0.0%)
(-77.8%)
Sales Price vs. List Price
95.8%
96.1% (-0.3%)
94.2% (+1.7%)
Days on Market
70
145 (-51.5%)
78 (-9.3%)



and now Monterey:
Trends At a Glance
Nov 2012
Previous Month
Year-over Year
Median Price
$552,500
$330,000 (+67.4%)
$510,000 (+8.3%)
Average Price
$659,930
$377,778 (+74.7%)
$478,909 (+37.8%)
No. of Sales
16
(+77.8%)
11 (+45.5%)
Pending Properties
29
32 (-9.4%)
29 (0.0%)
Foreclosures Sold
2
(+100.0%)
(-60.0%)
Short Sales Sold
1
(-75.0%)
(0.0%)
Active Listings
30
34 (-11.8%)
81 (-63.0%)
Active Foreclosures
2
(+100.0%)
(-66.7%)
Active Short Sales
2
(0.0%)
20 (-90.0%)
Sales Price vs. List Price
95.9%
94.5% (+1.5%)
93.3% (+2.7%)
Days on Market
109
30 (+265.3%)
128 (-14.9%)

This shows a definite market trend toward the positive.  

Overall on the peninsula, home sales were up:
  • In November, sales increased 77.8% from October, and were up 45.5% year-over-year.
  • Prices improved in Nov 2012 with the average price rising 74.7%, a yearly gain of 37.8%.
  • Inventory fell 10.6% from November, and was down 46.4% year-over-year.


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