New Listings mid-week January 22
These are the most recent New Listings:
Marblehead New Listings
Swampscott New Listings
Salem New Listings
Beverly New Listings
Lynn New Listings
and click Other towns to search any town in Massachusetts.
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
www.TeamHarborside.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
Can a 97-Year-Old Still Get a 30-Year Mortgage?
Older Americans may not realize that they can still qualify for a mortgage, as the Equal Credit Opportunity Act forbids discrimination in the mortgage market on the basis of age. According to this NAR article 97-year-olds older borrowers are eligible to get loans that will expire even up to their 130th birthdays.
According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency, borrowers over the age of 65 comprise about 10% of all mortgages that are originated each year, and
more lenders are trying to promote to retirees that they can still qualify with special lending programs geared to them.
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
www.TeamHarborside.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
Lynn 2019 Housing Market Summary
[Click here to download a PDF of this report.]
Single Family Homes (SFH)
The median SFH price increased 9.2% to $385,000 in 2019, up from $352,500 in 2018, and up almost 30% since first reaching $300,000 in 2016.
Condos
The median sales price increased 12.4% to $281,000 from $249,900 in 2018, taking the gain to 44% since 2016.
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
www.TeamHarborside.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
Are You Thinking of Selling in 2020?
If you are thinking of selling in 2020 these are some of the questions you should be asking:
What is a realistic expectation of the price I will get?
How long will it take to sell my house?
What is the best marketing plan to get maximum exposure for my house?
Team Harborside of Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty is one of the top performing real estate groups North of Boston. Since 2009, Team Harborside has represented buyers, sellers, and investors, in transactions totaling over $350,000,000.
Contact me to arrange a meeting to discuss how Team Harborside can help you achieve your goals in 2020.
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
www.TeamHarborside.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
Open Houses Sunday January 19
A bright and warmer day ahead for these Open Houses:
Click on these links for details:
Marblehead Open Houses
Swampscott Open Houses
Salem Open Houses
Beverly Open Houses
Lynn Open Houses
And click Open Houses to search any other town in Massachusetts.
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
www.TeamHarborside.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
Essex County 2019 median home prices: a Town by Town guide
[Click here to download the table listing towns in alphabetical order, and here to download the table showing towns from highest to lowest median price.]
Overall, in the 34 cities and towns of Essex County, the median Single Family Home (SFH) price increased 3.9% to $475,000 in 2019, while sales were up 2.7%. Both were new record highs.
The table below shows the median price for each town for the last 3 years, with the percentage change in 2019. It also compares sales for the last two years.
Note that a small number of sales can lead to price fluctuations. In general, the larger the number of sales, the more reliable is the median price.
While the overall median price in Essex County was $475,000, only 12 of the 34 cities and towns had median prices below this level, while 22 had median prices above $475,000. The reason for this is that the median price for the the County is calculated by taking all 6,000 plus individual property sales, and many of the towns with a large number of sales are in communities with lower prices.
Calculating the median price for Essex County using towns – i.e. the median price of 34 numbers – rather than individual sales produces a median price of $584,500.
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
www.TeamHarborside.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
Essex County 2019 Housing Market Summary
[Click here to download a PDF of this report.]
Single Family Homes (SFH)
The median price of the Single Family Homes (SFH) sold in the 34 cities and towns of Essex County in 2019 increased 3.9% to a new record $475,000. The pace of gain increased in H2. Sales increased 2.7%, just reaching a new high.
Condos
The median price of Condos/Townhomes sold in 2019 increased 6.7%, to $320,000. Sales increased 1.8%.
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
www.TeamHarborside.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
Top 5 Dos and Don’ts for Staging a Home
Tips from HGTV’s The Stagers
Top 5 Dos
Top 5 Don’ts.
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
www.TeamHarborside.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
Open Houses weekend January 17/18
70 degrees last weekend, 12 degrees this morning – but it will “warm” up later for these Open Houses (remember to check back tomorrow at 8:00 am for an updated list for Sunday):
Click on these links for details:
Marblehead Open Houses
Swampscott Open Houses
Salem Open Houses
Beverly Open Houses
Lynn Open Houses
And click Open Houses to search any other town in Massachusetts.
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
www.TeamHarborside.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
Salem 2019 Housing Market Summary
[Click here to download a pdf of this report.]
Single Family Homes (SFH)
After a 10.5% increase in 2018, the median price of SFHs sold in 2019 increased just 1.4% to a new high of $431,250. Sales increased to the second highest level recorded.
Condos
The median price of the condos increased just 1.5% in the first half (H1) but jumped 10.7% in H2 for a Year-on-Year gain of 6.2%.
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
www.TeamHarborside.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
New Listings week ending January 17
These are the most recent new listings:
Marblehead New Listings
Swampscott New Listings
Salem New Listings
Beverly New Listings
Lynn New Listings
and click Other Towns to search any town in Massachusetts.
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
www.TeamHarborside.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
Beverly 2019 Housing Market Summary
Single Family Homes (SFH)
After topping $500,000 in each of the first 3 Quarters, the median SFH price dropped back to $475,000 in Q4 as that Q saw a high percentage of sales under $500,000. Sales declined again and were the lowest since 2012.
Condos
The median condo price gained 13.6% to $325,000, but was lower than the 2017 level. Sales at Elliott Landing complicate comparisons from year to year.
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
www.TeamHarborside.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
New Listings mid-week January 15
Just a handful of New Listings:
Marblehead New Listings
Swampscott New Listings
Salem New Listings
Beverly New Listings
Lynn New Listings
And click here to check New Listings in any town in Massachusetts.
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
www.TeamHarborside.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
How is Swampscott’s 2020 Property Tax rate calculated?
Swampscott’ residential tax rate will drop from $15.20 in Fiscal Year 2019 to $14.30 in FY 2020 (and down from a high of $18.84 in FY 2013). The FY 2020 rate will be the lowest since 2008.
Commercial and industrial property is surcharged at 170%, as in FY 2019, resulting in a tax rate of $27.45, down from $28.83 in FY 2018 (and a high of $35.02 in FY 2013).
The average SFH tax bill has been flat in recent years, while the average commercial tax bill has increased:
Were a single tax rate to be enacted – meaning that residential and commercial property were taxed at the same rate – that rate would be $15.10 for FY 2020. The average SFH and condo tax bills would increase by 5.6% while the average commercial bill would drop 41.2%.
How is the rate calculated?
The method of calculating the tax rate is quite simple: take the $ amount of the previous year’s tax levy, add 2.5% for Proposition 2 1/2, and also add any new growth (such as new construction or a condo conversion). This figure is the new maximum tax levy. To this figure is added debt service – the Principal and Interest payable on the town’s debt.
Note that in recent years, Swampscott has not assessed the maximum allowed under this formula, a decision that has reduced the tax bill for residents. The average tax bill will decline by $23 in FY 2020, a third consecutive year of decline.
Here are the numbers for FY 2018, 2018 and 2020, remembering that the FY runs from July to June.
The Tax Levy calculation
The maximum $ amount that can be raised by the property tax will increase year by year. That is because of the formula: last year’s number plus 2.5% (Prop 2 1/2) plus new growth. In the table above you can see how the FY 2019 maximum tax levy of $50,034,670 becomes the base for FY 2020. Add $1,250,867 for Prop 2 1/2 and new growth of $425,000 to get the new figure of $51,710,537.
To this number is added the debt service – Principal and Interest on the town’s debt, much as homeowners pay P&I on their mortgage. Note that the actual tax levy was less than the maximum allowed by just over $2 million in FY 2018, by $3.4 million in FY 2019 and by $4.4 million in FY 2020. In other words, the amount to be raised through taxes was reduced by these amounts each year.
The Tax Rate
The actual tax rate depends upon the total Assessed Value of all property: residential, and commercial, industrial and personal (CIP). The tax rate is calculated by dividing the total dollar amount to be raised from each class by the Assessed Value of each class. Thus, the headline tax rate will also fluctuate depending upon the direction of Assessed Values.
In simplistic terms, if we assume that the $ amount to be raised increases by a little more than 2 1/2% each year, then if the average Assessed Value also increases by a little more than 2 1/2% the tax rate will be unchanged. If the increase in Assessed Values is less than 2 1/2%, then the tax rate will rise. And if the increase in Assessed Values is more than 2 1/2% then the tax rate will fall. In recent years Assessed Values have been increasing significantly more than 2 1/2% allowing for the tax rate to decline sharply.
Looking at the Swampscott residential tax rate, in FY 2019 it was $15.20, achieved by dividing $42.6 million raised from residential homeowners by the residential AV of $2.8 billion. In FY 2020 the amount to be raised from residential taxpayers is set to increase slightly to $42.9 million, but because the total residential AV increased by 7.2% to $3.0 billion, the headline tax rate has dropped sharply to just $14.30, the lowest figure since 2009.
Comment
The residential real estate market in Swampscott was stable in 2019 (and 2019 prices will be the basis for the FY 20201 tax rate), with the median price of Single Family Homes sold rising less than 1%, while the median price of the condos sold declined 2.5%. Sales in any year represent only a small percentage of the total stock so it does not follow that assessed values calculated by the town will mirror these movements.
As to the tax rate for FY 2021, that depends on a number of factors: the amount of debt service, how much of the maximum tax levy is assessed, and the shift to the CIP class being three of them. Absent some change in methodology, however, it does not seem likely that the residential tax rate will see a further decline in FY 2021.
From a residential real estate perspective, the substantial decline in the tax rate in recent years and the stability in tax bills are both very welcome news and are clearly encouraging more people to decide both to live and work in Swampscott.
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
www.TeamHarborside.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
Oon Houses Sunday January 12
A strange January weekend in prospect became even stranger in fact as the Titans throttled the Ravens and the temperature neared 70 degrees. What will today bring? How about a new home?
Visit these Open Houses to choose one.
Click on these links for details:
Marblehead Open Houses
Swampscott Open Houses
Salem Open Houses
Beverly Open Houses
Lynn Open Houses
and click Open Houses to check other Massachusetts towns.
Andrew Oliver
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReports.com
www.TeamHarborside.com
Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
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