Why aren’t boomers selling?
Baby boomers are booming, but they’re just not going to hit the residential real estate market the way some experts thought they would, according to Selma Hepp, chief economist for CoreLogic, a property data analytics firm.
“A few years back, we certainly heard about this cohort of people turning 65, and some said that there would be all this inventory of homes for sale,” Hepp said. “But we haven’t seen any of that happening yet. If anything, inventories are at historic lows and continue to decline year over year.”
She said one reason seniors are staying put is that home prices in some areas are about 40 percent higher than they were before the pandemic, and interest rates are soaring. Also, seniors are healthier than ever and staying in their homes longer, she said.
Instead of a wave of properties flooding the market, it will be more like a trickle. (more…)
Essex County 2022 Annual Report
2022 Essex County Annual Report
Detailed report on all 34 cities and towns in Essex County for 2022.
And these recent articles:
Economic and mortgage commentary
What drives Mortgage rates in one chart (more…)
March Inventory shows no improvement
Inventory usually starts the year low and remains that way for the first quarter, a pattern that is repeating this year.
Single Family Homes
Condos
Condo inventory has followed a similar pattern:
Mortgage rates (more…)
Essex County 2022 Housing Market Review
Single Family Homes (SFH)
After sharp increases Year-over-Year (YOY) in Q2 and Q3, the median SFH price in Essex County showed a more modest increase (YOY) in Q4, and also showed the usual seasonal decline from Q3 into Q4. Overall, the median price increased 5% for the year to $640,000, taking the increase in the last 3 years to 35%. Reflecting the low levels of inventory recently, SFH sales declined 11% in H1 and 18% in H2.
The share of sales over $600,000 increased from 52% in 2021 to 58% in 2022, driving the median price for the year well over $600,000.
Condos
The median condo sale price moved more steadily upwards in 2022, increasing by 11% in both H1 and H2, and by 34% since 2019. Sales fell 11% in H1 but by a startling 27% in H2. It seems likely that the increase in mortgage rates had a bigger impact on Condo sales – often bought as a first home with a significant mortgage – than on SFH sales, where mortgages – especially at the higher-end – tend to be less important with many buyers using cash or a large down-payment. (more…)
Salem 2022 Housing Market Review
Single Family Homes (SFH)
The SFH Median Price increased 9% in 2022. Sales were higher than in 2021, but otherwise were the lowest since 2012.
The share of sales over $600,000 increased from 40% in 2021 to 56% in 2022, driving the median price for the year to over $600,000. There were 11 sales over $1 million in 2022, up from 6 in 2021.
Condos (more…)
Essex County Town by Town Guide: 2022 Median Prices and Sales; 2023 Tax Rates
Here is a town-by-town guide to 2022 Median Prices and Sales, together with 2023 property tax rates.
Read February Inventory as low as this weekend’s temperature
And these recent articles:
Economic and mortgage commentary
How Marblehead’s 2023 Property Tax Rate is Calculated
Essex County 2023 Property Tax Rates: Town by Town guide
Lies, Damned Lies and Inflation “Statistics”* (more…)
How Marblehead’s 2023 Property Tax Rate is Calculated
The formula for calculating the property tax is: 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 tax levy. To this figure is added debt service – the Principal and Interest payable on the town’s debt. – to produce the total Tax Levy.
The tax rate is then calculated by dividing the Tax Levy by the Assessed Value of property – and, crucially, that calculation is based upon prices as of January 1, 2022, using date from sales in calendar year 2021. What that means is that 2022 sales are used for the calculation of the tax rate in FY2024 – not FY2023.
Here are the numbers for Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023, remembering that FY 2023 runs from July 2022 to June 2023. (more…)
November Inventory stays high
Inventory numbers usually drop as we head towards the winter months, but this year the level of SFH inventory has remained steady so far.
Single Family Homes
Condos
Condo inventory has also been steady, although this brings the level back only close to last year’s level.
Marblehead house sells for 35% above list price
Housing market slowdown? Tell that to Marblehead buyers.
A house listed at $1.5 million just sold for a tad over $2 million.
And in the Third Quarter overall two-thirds of the 74 Single Family sales in Marblehead took place above list price with more than a quarter at 10% or more above list price.
Inventory in Essex County
A market is traditionally deemed to be in equilibrium between buyers and sellers when there is enough supply to meet 6 months of demand (I actually think that number has been reduced by the speed with which buyers now become aware of new listings and are able to view them online, but 6 months is still the most quoted figure).
Here are the numbers for Essex County SF homes as of October 1:
Comment
Mortgage rates have doubled, the stock market has swooned, there is increasing talk of recession, etc, etc. And yet, there is no sign that the imbalance between buyers and sellers in Essex County has changed in the slightest.
I find myself wondering whether the spike in mortgage rates will be the latest factor in keeping supply in check, as homeowners are reluctant to give up their cheap mortgage rates and pay current rates if they buy a new home. (more…)
October Inventory shows modest decline
After 5 months when Single Family inventory ran ahead of last year’s numbers, in October there was a modest year-on-year drop.
Single Family Homes
Condos
Condo inventory continues to lag both 2020 and 2021 levels.
Pre-Labor Day Inventory drops
The drop in Single Family inventory before Labor Day, as sellers delay listing, was sharper than usual this year. We will get a better read on Inventory in the next couple of weeks.
Single Family Homes
Condos
Condo inventory continues to lag both 2020 and 2021 levels.
Summer 2022 Market Review
Click on Summer Market Review to read the market review for the first 6 months of 2022,
This reports covers all 34 cities and towns in Essex County, with more detailed reviews of Beverly, Gloucester, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Marblehead, Rockport, Salem and Swampscott
And these recent articles: (more…)
August Inventory recovers to 2020 levels
There has been a sharp increase in the number of properties for sale in the last few months, taking SFH inventory back to 2020 levels:
Single Family Homes
Condos
The number of Condos available has also jumped, but in this case still remains a little below last year’s levels:
New Listings and Inventory Update
Here are this week’s New Listings and the latest Inventory:
Click on these links for details: (more…)
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