Is there a Window of Opportunity?

Right now, there is an inventory shortage of homes listed on the market.

As of January, total national inventory fell 4.9% representing a 4.2 month supply of homes on the market. This is the fewest number of homes on the market since 2005. Raw unsold inventory is at the lowest point since December 1999. According to Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, “Buyer traffic is continuing to pick up, while seller traffic is holding steady. In fact, buyer traffic is 40 percent above a year ago, so there is plenty of demand but insufficient inventory to improve sales more strongly. We’ve transitioned into a seller’s market in much of the country.” And Yun agrees there will be more homes entering the market this spring, but may not be enough to satisfy the appetites of current buyers. With fewer homes available, home values have been increasing – ever so slightly. But enough that homeowners are starting to be less underwater. Homeowners who were recently “under water” (owe more on their home than its market value), now are making headway above their previous market value and even beyond. This is SUPER news for homeowners who were looking a taking quite a hit financially even a year ago. "Freed from negative equity, homeowners will have more flexibility, and some will likely choose to list their home for sale, helping ease inventory constraints and moderating sometimes dramatic, demand-driven price increases in some markets," said Stan Humphries, chief economist at Zillow, in a statement.

This creates a small window of opportunity that you may be able to take advantage of.

Fewer homes to compete with and more buyers serious to purchase creates a perfect selling scenario.

So what does this mean for you, a homeowner in the Desert?

Why not give me a call 760-567-7282 to see what your home IS valued at in today’s market?

I will sit down with you and go over the figures and your options. No hard sell – just information. And if it works for you, I will show you my proven marketing strategies to show your home in the best marketing light!

Sales in Riverside County for Janurary 2013

Real Estate Investors Seek New Markets Due to Housing Gains

Mary Williams

Investors have played a big role in the housing market since the beginning of the recovery. However, some areas are seeing a peak now, leading investors to move on to other markets.

Attractive Prices, Excellent Returns

Investors have been looking at foreclosures to purchase homes, fix them, and rent out. With the low prices, it’s been an excellent return on their investment. However, as purchase prices rise, some markets are seeing a decline in investor buys.

Phoenix is one city that has lost its popularity with investors, as the percentage of homes bought dropped from 36 percent in August to 28 percent in November. Much of this is due to the competition between investors, which drives the prices upward. The price increase cuts into the profits that investors hope to make.

Investors have been a primary component to the improvement in the housing market, because they have the money to buy with the potential for a handsome return. As more families get back on their feet, home purchases will continue to shift to them.

Where Investors are going

As certain areas max out their potential for investors, other markets provide incentive. Many investors are looking to the southeast, such as Atlanta and cities in Florida, for home purchases. Buyers are focusing their attention on areas that were hardest hit by the housing crisis with plenty of options for purchase. They also look at job growth and potential for renting in those areas. Many of their renters are families that went through foreclosure.

Investors focus their attention on homes with three bedrooms and two baths in the $100,000 to $125,000 price range. They expect to be able to charge at least $1,000 a month for rent. However, these properties are getting harder to find as more investors compete with them for the purchase. Where an investor might have been the only one looking at a property, now you have at least two or three bids on each one.

For many of the interested parties, this isn’t a long-term investment. They’re looking for a way to make money for a few years while waiting for price appreciation. A good percentage of these investors are small operations.

California is another area that has seen the market for investors max out. Now, areas like Tampa, Chicago, Las Vegas, and Atlanta will likely see an increase. In Atlanta, investors make up 40 percent of home sales. This will only last a short time though, until the market gets saturated by investors and the prices go up. Returns will drop from 10 to possibly 6 percent, which may be too low for some companies looking at rentals.

As housing prices increase and more homeowners are able to buy again, competition for buying a home will only be tighter. The time for investors to capitalize on a buyer’s market is quickly running out.

Luxury home sales break records in California!

The 2012 California real estate market really saw a healthy recovery after so many deflating years. According to DataQuick, “The number of homes that sold for $5 million or more in California in 2012 set a record. 697 homes sold for more than $5 million; the previous record was 491 in 2011. Other high-end sales totals broke records as well, with the state setting records for homes sold in the $4 million-to-$5 million range (460) and the $3 million-to-$4 million range (1,104).” 

In all of 2012, 26,996 homes sold priced $1 million and higher, which was the highest in that range since 2007. The increase of homes sold was attributed to higher returns on investments and safe-haven investing. Homes priced in the lower ranges could attribute their higher selling numbers to more job security, down payment sizes and low mortgage rates. 

According to the National Association of Realtors® and other economists, home sales are predicted to increase another 9% this year. However, there still may be the issue of fewer homes on the market, which could be one issue which will slow the number of home sales. 

It really is a good time to put your home on the market in the Desert, but it’s getting closer to the end of season. Call me today at 760-567-7282 and we can get your home listed now – there are lots of buyers still coming from the colder regions into our warm and beautiful Desert area.