Housing Inventory today, by price and town, versus a year ago
This article compares today’s inventory, by price, compared with that of a year ago.We are now past the vagaries of winter weather and the dates of Easter and Passover, thus making the comparisons like for like for probably the first time this year. I will look first at Essex County and Massachusetts for the big picture, followed by Marblehead, Swampscott, Salem, Beverly and Lynn, adding comments where appropriate.
Overall, the story is of a decline in inventory at lower price levels and an increase at higher price points, a trend consistent with a rising market.
Massachusetts and Essex County
Overall inventory is down in the entire State by 9% for SFHs and 6% for condos; in Essex County the decline is 10% for SFHs and 12% for condos. But…. there is a marked difference between supply under $500,000 and above that figure, with large declines in supply below $500,000 and increases above that figure, particularly at the top end.
Source: MLS, Oliver Reports
Marblehead
While Marblehead is one of the few towns to show an increase in inventory over 2015, it still shows a sharp drop from the 92 and 100 SFHs for sales on this date in 2013 and 2014, while condo inventory is more in line with numbers from those years. The increase in SFH inventory is concentrated in the $750,000 – $999,999 and over $2 million brackets for SFHs and, rather surprisingly, in condos under $250,000.
Source:MLS, Oliver Reports
Swampscott
The story in Swampscott continues to be the incredibly low level of supply, most markedly for SFHs below $500,000, where the number available has collapsed from 25 to just 3. And there are just 5 condos for sale in the entire town.
Source:MLS, Oliver Reports
Salem
While overall supply in Salem is down just slightly from last year, here again we see declines in inventory at the lower price levels:
Source: MLS, Oliver Reports
Beverly
The total number of SFHs for sale is much the same as last year but the mix has changed, with a huge drop under $400,000 and increases in most of the higher ranges. Condos for sale under $250,000 plunged from 16 to just 4.
Source:MLS, Oliver Reports
Lynn
The decline is most pronounced in SFHs under $300,000 where supply has more than halved from 48 to 23.
Source: MLS, Oliver Reports
If you are considering selling your home please contact me on 617.834.8205 or [email protected] for a free market analysis and explanation of the outstanding marketing program I offer.
Read Which broker should I choose to sell my house?
If you are looking to buy, I will contact you immediately when a house that meets your needs is available. In this market you need to have somebody looking after your interests.
Andrew Oliver is a Realtor with Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
@OliverReports
Salem Q1 Housing Market by the Numbers
This report gives a picture of the Salem Q1 Housing Market by the Numbers, followed by a snapshot of current inventory compared with a year ago.
Median Prices and Sales
Sales of SFHs were up slightly from last year, but sales of condos rose sharply. The median price of a SFH was slightly lower than a year ago, while that for condos was up. Always remember that quarterly numbers can be – and frequently are – volatile, especially during the winter months. We will get a truer picture of the underlying market trends when we get the numbers for the first half of the year.
Source: MLS, Oliver Reports
Current Inventory
While inventory is down somewhat compared with a year ago, the drop is quite modest.
Source: MLS, Oliver Reports
If you are considering selling your home please contact me on 617.834.8205 or [email protected] for a free market analysis and explanation of the outstanding marketing program I offer.
Read Which broker should I choose to sell my house?
If you are looking to buy, I will contact you immediately when a house that meets your needs is available. In this market you need to have somebody looking after your interests.
Andrew Oliver is a Realtor with Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
@OliverReports
Where have all the sellers gone?
I am sure I am not alone in expecting that housing inventory would be higher this (early) spring, given the mild winter and continuing low interest rates,but that has not happened. In this post I look at inventory for both Single Family Homes (SFH) and Condos for local towns, Essex County and Massachusetts.
Marblehead, Swampscott, Beverly and Salem
None of these markets has higher inventory than last year – the big snow year, remember? All are sharply down from 2013 and 2014.
Similar story for condos – look at the drop in Salem.
MLS, Oliver Reports
Essex County and Massachusetts
These don’t show well in a chart so here are the numbers, which show a similar, but less pronounced pattern.
Changes in inventory since 2013
The last two charts show the percentage decline in inventory since 2013.
MLS, Oliver Reports
If you – or somebody you know – are considering buying or selling a home and have questions about the market and/or current home prices, feel free to contact me on 617.834.8205 or [email protected].
Read Which broker should list my house for sale?
Andrew Oliver is a Realtor with Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
You can REGISTER to receive email alerts of new posts on the right hand side of the home page at www.OliverReports.com.
@OliverReports
Salem 2015 Condo Market Review
Sales of condos in Salem in 2015 jumped 22% while the median price gained 9%, although both sales and the median price remain below their 2005 peak levels. The median condo sold for 18% above its Assessed Value in 2015. (more…)
Research identifies site of Salem’s witch hangings
The City of Salem has confirmed that researchers have identified the site of Salem’s witch hangings as Proctor’s Ledge, a wooded site overlooking Walgreen’s on Boston Street, and not Gallows Hill. Salem plans to mark the spot with a memorial.
This CBS Boston Actual site of Salem witch hangings discovered article includes a video of their reporter visiting the “scene of the crime”.
If you – or somebody you know – are considering buying or selling a home and have questions about the market and/or current home prices, feel free to contact me on 617.834.8205 or [email protected].
Andrew Oliver is a Realtor with Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
You can REGISTER to receive email alerts of new posts on the right hand side of the home page at www.OliverReports.com.
@OliverReports
Salem 2015 Housing Market Summary
This report shows “just the numbers”. A detailed review of the SFH market can be read here.
Source: MLS, Oliver Reports
If you – or somebody you know – are considering buying or selling a home and have questions about the market and/or current home prices, feel free to contact me on 617.834.8205 or [email protected].
Read How should I choose the broker to sell my home?
Andrew Oliver is a Realtor with Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
You can REGISTER to receive email alerts of new posts on the right hand side of the home page at www.OliverReports.com.
@OliverReports
Salem 2015 Housing Market review
This 2015 Salem housing market review focuses on the Single Family Home (SFH) market. I shall publish a separate report on the condo market. I have also published a one page Summary of the main numbers for both the SFH and condo markets.
Sales of SFHs were over 200 for the third consecutive year, while the median price was slightly higher at $349,000, equaling the previous peak reached in 2005. In contrast, sales of condos were up 21% and the median price increased by 9%, although both are still below their earlier peaks.
Median price
The median price was consistent in the two halves of the year:
As usual, however, there were quarterly fluctuations, with Q1 and Q4 lower than Q2 and Q3:
Source: MLS, Oliver Reports
Sales
Although not quite a record, sales were over 200 for the third year in a row:
ASR*
The ratio of AV to Sale Price (see below for an explanation) increased only to 85.5%, meaning that the median sales prices was 17% (100/85.5) above the Assessed Value:
Comment
It seems like an appropriate reflection of the change in Salem that September saw the visit 0f a cruise ship, just before the last of the stacks of the old Power Plant came down. These acts followed the opening of the new train station garage late in 2014, and all help contribute to the development of Salem as an exciting and dynamic town which continues to attract new residents.
* One way I measure prices is by the ratio (ASR) of Assessed Value (AV) to Sales Price (SP). The ASR is the AV divided by the SP: if the SP is rising (prices going up), the ASR will fall.
Properties selling above their AV will have an ASR below 100%. What this means is that in a period of rising prices the ASR is likely to be falling. So what we, as homeowners, want is an ASR below 100% and falling.
Remember that AVs are a lagging indicator: the tax bills that have just been sent out for FY2016 are based on actual sales in 2014. Thus the 2015 sales data, reported in this review, will be the basis for FY2017 assessments.
If you – or somebody you know – are considering buying or selling a home and have questions about the market and/or current home prices, feel free to contact me on 617.834.8205 or [email protected].
Read http://wp.me/p2SYWq-1sj
Andrew Oliver is a Realtor with Harborside Sotheby’s International Realty. Each Office Is Independently Owned and Operated
You can REGISTER to receive email alerts of new posts on the right hand side of the home page at www.OliverReports.com.
@OliverReports
5 Non-Halloween facts about Salem
Boston.com’s Living in Salem article highlights 5 non-Halloween facts about Salem:
1. The historic features of Salem
2. Property prices are much lower than in Greater Boston
3. Salem is on the water and offers plenty of water-based activities
4. Salem has a low student to teacher ratio in its schools
5. The Derby Street waterfront area, which offers just about everything (more…)
Salem welcomes Cruise Ship
When I first heard Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll talk of cruise ships coming in to the old Salem power plant wharf I was surprised and frankly sceptical. But this week Salem welcomed its second cruise ship, the Fred Olsen line’s Balmoral, a 750 ft vessel carrying 1,300 passengers.
Essex County Median Home Prices Town by Town
This report shows Single Family Home (SFH) median prices for each city and town in Essex County for 2015 compared with 2014. Several towns have a very small number of sales, especially in the first quarter, so I have used the half-year prices to calculate the change from 2014.
The second table shows the towns with the largest increase and decrease year over year. Overall, the message is that prices in both Essex County and Massachusetts have edged up 1% in 2015. As always, there are variations from town to town. (more…)
New Salem power plant:Construction underway
As this Old Salem power plant falls as new one rises Marblehead Reporter article points out, construction is well underway on the new, quick and clean, gas-fired Salem power plant, which will occupy just 24 of the 65 acre site.
Two of the three smokestacks of the old coal plant are already down and the last – and highest at 480 feet – will be coming down shortly. (more…)
Salem MA Condo Open House bonanza
There are currently 103 condos for sale in Salem and 36 of them have Open Houses today in the following price ranges: (more…)
Salem condo supply jumps
Salem is a hot city with lots of good things happening there, especially for young people who are buying condos. So far this year the median condo price has increased by more than 10%. This trend has naturally attracted developers and others resulting in a sharp increase in the supply of condos for sale in the last couple or months, as shown in this chart (1 – Jan 1, 2 = Feb 1, etc, 7 = Jun 27): (more…)
Housing Inventory still down heading to July 4
As we head towards July 4th, often the target date for home buyers wanting to be in their new homes for the start of the school year, housing inventory remains well down from a year ago. (more…)
What’s happening – or not – in the Marblehead market?
I am always cautious about reading too much into short-term trends, especially in a market like Marblehead with a small number of sales, but at the same time I do try to report on current market conditions.
And I am puzzled by what has been happening over the last 2-3 weeks – or rather by what has not been happening. And that is houses receiving accepted offers. (more…)
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