Have Home Sales slowed?
Last week I published How quickly are houses selling? which showed that 88% of sales which closed in May received offers in 15 days or fewer.
But home sales are a lagging indicator, with May reported sales reflecting contracts agreed to for the most part in March. At the onset of COVID I started tracking the number of offers accepted on a weekly basis. This showed a sharp drop from mid-March 2020 which lasted only until early May, after which the number of accepted offers took off.
With all the publicity about the sharp jump in mortgage rates, the high level of inflation, concerns about a possible recession, etc. etc. one might have accepted to see a slow down in the number of accepted offers. This chart shows the weekly numbers YTD for 2021 and 2022: (more…)
New Listings mid-week June 8
A good number of New Listings again this week:
Click on these links for details: (more…)
How quickly are houses selling?
The following chart shows the percentage of sales each month where the offer was received in 15 days or less after listing:
Comment
Sales are a lagging indicator – May sales, for example, for the most part reflect sales agreed in March – but they do demonstrate the strength of demand – and the seasonality of the market in New England. I shall publish an article tomorrow showing the number of Accepted Offers week by week to show the level of current activity. (more…)
June Housing Inventory: still way below 2020 levels
There has been a sharp increase in the number of properties for sale in the last three months, but while this takes inventory of SFHs above the year ago level, it remains well below that of 2020:
Single Family Homes
Condos
The number of Condos available has also jumped, but in this case still remains below year ago levels:
Free Property and Mortgage Fraud alert notification for homeowners
It has been reported by the FBI that one of the quickest growing white collar crimes in America is property and mortgage fraud. This happens when a person knowingly records a fraudulent document making it appear that they own another person’s property or that the owner owes them money.
Southern Essex’s state-of-the-art Property Watch Service allows you to view the document the same day it was recorded and print it at no cost.
How it works: (more…)
May Housing Inventory shows some improvement
There has been a sharp, seasonal increase in the number of properties for sale in the last two months, but this only brings the available inventory back to around last year’s levels and well below that of 2020:
Single Family Homes
Condos
The number of Condos available has also jumped, but in this case still remains below year ago levels:
Flash First Quarter 2022 Numbers
The shortage of inventory is reflected in these Q1 numbers:
As always, small numbers need to be treated with caution. This chart shows the cyclicality of sales in New England:
400 groups view $1 million property in 4 days
Are potential buyers suffering buyer fatigue and withdrawing from the search? Well, not according to this recent example where a staggering 400 groups viewed a $1 million listing in Wenham in 4 days.
The only reaction is…. wow! Wow indeed.
February Inventory – Marco? Marco? Where are you?
There are 34 cities and towns in Essex County and, according to the 2019 US Census, some 202,000 owner-occupied housing units. As of February 1st there were just a combined 261 Single Family Homes and Condos available for sale – or 0.13% of the total.
Single Family Homes
Condos (more…)
Essex County 2021 Median Prices: Town by Town Guide
The median Single Family Home price in Essex County increased 13% in 2021 to $609,000, while the median Condo price increased 11% to $388,000. The increases for Massachusetts overall were very similar but note that the median Condo price in Boston increased by only 5%.
And read these recent articles:
Is today the day you decide to move to Florida?
Can the Federal Reserve prevent a Recession?
How Marblehead’s 2022 Property Tax Rate is calculated
Essex County 2022 Property Tax Rates: Town by Town guide
January Inventory – how low can you go?
Essex County 2022 Commercial Property Tax Rates: Town by Town guide
Guide to Buying and Selling in Southwest Florida
If you – or somebody you know – are considering buying or selling a home and have questions about the market and/or current home prices, please contact me on 617.834.8205 or Andrew.Oliver@SothebysRealty.com.
Andrew Oliver, M.B.E.,M.B.A.
Market Analyst | Team Harborside | teamharborside.com
REALTOR®
Sagan Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty
One Essex Street | Marblehead, MA 01945
m 617.834.8205
www.OliverReportsMA.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
“If you’re interested in Marblehead, you have to visit the blog of Mr. Andrew Oliver, author and curator of OliverReports.com. He’s assembled the most comprehensive analysis of Essex County we know of with market data and trends going back decades. It’s a great starting point for those looking in the towns of Marblehead, Salem, Beverly, Lynn and Swampscott.”
__________________
Andrew Oliver
REALTOR® | Market Analyst | DomainRealty.com
Naples, Bonita Springs and Fort Myers
Andrew.Oliver@DomainRealtySales.com
m. 617.834.8205
www.AndrewOliverRealtor.com
www.OliverReportsFL.com
January Inventory – how low can you go?
After increasing somewhat – albeit from a very low base – in the first several months of 2021, the seasonal drop-off after October after was just as sharp as in prior years – and again this is a reduction from a low level. 2022 is starting off at a seemingly impossible even lower level.
Single Family Homes
The % decline is almost irrelevant. More relevant is the months of supply shown.
Inventory now has less than 1 months’ supply overall and is only over 1 month – but still far below the 6 months deemed to reflect a market in equilibrium – at prices over $1.5 million.
Condos (more…)
New Listings and Inventory Update
Here are the latest New Listings (the state of inventory is shown later in this article).
Click these links for details: (more…)
Mid-week New Listings and Inventory Report
Here are the latest New Listings (a link to my report on the current state of inventory is shown later in this article):
Click these links for details: (more…)
How accurate are Zillow’s Zestimates?
During the pandemic-spurred housing boom, Zillow Offers emerged as a particularly aggressive iBuyer, or instant buyer, of homes in Sun Belt markets, offering homeowners more than the market value of their properties, with no catch. Zillow has now conceded that it has been paying too much for properties, even in a market characterized by soaring home values. Saying it had lost $1 billion on iBuying, Zillow has shut down its Zillow Offers unit.
“We’ve determined the unpredictability in forecasting home prices far exceeds what we anticipated and continuing to scale Zillow Offers would result in too much earnings and balance-sheet volatility,” Chief Executive Rich Barton said.
Zillow used an algorithm to make home price estimates, called the “Zestimate,” and determine what it would pay home sellers.
Are Zestimates accurate?
Zestimates are somewhat like the National Hurricane Center’s projection for a hurricane’s path: both provide a single price or point, but those prices and points are actually the median of a range.
Here’s an example for a house: (more…)
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