But if you do leave New England…..
Last week I posted Why we don’t all move to San Francisco.
But if you do move here’s movoto.com’s 30 Things they don’t tell you about Leaving New England.
I experienced 12 in TN this winter. The evening news had a map showing snowfall amounts for the area: 0.1 inch and 0.3 inch. On a map. Seriously. (more…)
Beverly, Salem and Swampscott Housing Market Reports
In the world of small numbers it is necessary to be cautious about drawing too many conclusions. That is why, for example, I am not including percentage changes for the tables below. The message I take from these numbers is that, in general, the market continues to progress in an orderly manner. (more…)
Marblehead First Quarter Housing Market
It’s over. We survived. Hallelujah!
So how was the housing market in Marblehead? First Single family Homes (SFHs):
Source: MLS, Oliver Reports
Wait a minute. The median price dropped almost $50,000? What’s going on? (more…)
Why we don’t all move to San Francisco
After this winter we’re all planning to move to a warmer climate right? Like San Francisco.
But no, we will stay here, at least most of us will. Buy why? (more…)
$30 million to repair potholes
Both my Republican and Democrat friends think Charlie Baker is off to a good start as Governor. And it’s not just because there are no stories about the money spent on new curtains for his office.
Today the Baker Administration announced a $30 million WRAP (Winter Recovery Assistance Program) to patch up potholes and other repairs. (more…)
Housing inventory: how low can it go?
A recent Boston Globe article Snow delays spring market highlighted the lack of inventory in the, you know, “important” markets such as Cambridge and Somerville.
We know inventory is down from last year, when if you remember we had the polar vortex, but where do we stand, here in Essex County and indeed throughout Massachusetts, compared with the last several years? (more…)
The snow may disappear sooner than you think
On this morning of extreme cold, when we may fear that this winter will never end, there is good news from Boston.com’s excellent meteorologist David Epstein (@growingwisdom) in this When will we see bare ground? article. (more…)
Marblehead housing market: “there’s nothing to buy”
If only the snow would shrink as quickly as Marblehead’s housing inventory.
Buyers are surprising active given the weather:
Source: MLS, Oliver Reports
While sellers appear to have hibernated: there are just 19 houses for sale currently under $1 million. (more…)
Million Dollar sales jump in Essex County
Sales of Million Dollar homes in Essex County in 2014 jumped by 40% and are within 10% of peak levels of 2005/2006.
Of the 34 cities and towns in Essex County, 30 recorded at least one sale over $1 million in the last 15 years; 20 saw a sale over $2 million; and 18 notched up a sale above $3 million.
Source: MLS, Oliver Reports
For those wanting a town by town break down, here is a spreadsheet with all the details: Essex_County_Million_Sales_2000_14_town (more…)
Record Marblehead Million Dollar Sales
In line with my forecasts during the year, sales of Million Dollar houses in Marblehead reached a new record level in 2014.
Source:MLS, Oliver Reports
Over the last 2-3 years we have seen the normal trend in a recovering market. The improvement started at the lower end has since spread upwards, reaching the upper end in 2014.
At the highest level, however, there are substantial variations. On the one hand are modernized, well-protected houses that are selling at good prices. But houses that need substantial work or need completely redoing, or which have weather-related exposures which are better understood with all the publicity given to flood insurance in the last few years, are selling at what can appear to be bargain levels.
Truly at the top end, buyers need to be aware of what they are getting – and they seem to be. (more…)
What does $27 million buy in Nantucket?
Answer: a 5,000 sf, 5 bedroom home on 1.5 acres, but….. it is on a cliff overlooking Nantucket Sound.
8 homes in total sold for over $10 million in 2014.
It may not be Nantucket but the North Shore offers great value in oceanfront property and I expect a strong market for such properties in 2015.
Read this Nantucket mansion sales through the roof article from boston.com.
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
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. 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 Housing Market 2014 Review
Here are the highlights for the Salem market for 2014. Note the difference between the SFH and condo markets when compared with the prior peak.
Single Family Homes (SFH)
– the median SFH price increased 7% to $346,750, less than 1% below the 2005 peak of $349,000.
– sales dropped 7% to 210, still the 3rd highest year this century
– the ASR* fell sharply from 92.5% to 82.9%, an indication of rising prices
Condos
– the median condo price also increased 7% to $247,000, but is still more than 11% below the peak of $279,000 in 2005
– sales were down slightly and are still well below the levels seen in the 2003-06 period
– the ASR* fell from 92.3% to 86.2%, an indication of rising prices
Tax rate
– the FY2015 tax rate is $16.41, a decrease from $16.73 in FY2014, but the average tax bill will increase nearly 5% or by $227 for SFHs.
I will publish a fuller market report in the near future.
* The ASR is the Assessed Value (AV) divided by the Sales Price (SP).If the ASR is below 100% it means that properties are selling for more than their AV. Conversely, properties selling below their AV will have an ASR above 100%.
– As we all hope our properties are worth more than the AV we look for an ASR below 100% as a positive sign. 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 just announced for FY2015 are based on actual sales in 2013. Thus the 2014 sales data, reported in this review, will be the basis for FY2016 assessments. And remember, also, that falling tax rates rarely translate into falling tax bills!
– I will be publishing a report in the near future on the average tax bill per city and town in Essex County to go with my recent Essex County 2015 property tax rates report.
If you – or somebody you know – are considering buying or selling a home, or 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
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. 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
Essex County Housing Market 2014 Review
Here are the highlights for the Essex County market for 2014. Note the difference between the SFH and condo markets when compared with the prior peak.
Single Family Homes (SFH)
– the median SFH price increased 3% to $380,000, which is 4% below the 2005 peak of $394,000.
– sales dipped very slightly, while non-distressed sales increased modestly
Condos
– the median condo price increased nearly 5% to $252,000, beating the prior peak of $246,000 in 2005
– sales were down slightly and are still well below the levels seen in the 2003-06 period
Tax rates
– for FY2015 23 cities and towns have announced a reduction in the tax rate while in 11 towns the rate has been increased. Note that a reduction in the tax rate does not imply a reduction in the tax bill. I will be publishing a report in the near future on the average tax bill per city and town in Essex County to go with my recent Essex County 2015 property tax rates report.
I will also publish a fuller market report in the near future.
If you – or somebody you know – are considering buying or selling a home, or 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
Sotheby’s International Realty® is a registered trademark licensed to Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. 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
Do Real Estate Agents Work over New Year?
Well it seems that some do and some don’t.
The starting point of all my data is MLS and so the timing of my reports depends on when real estate agents update their pending listings to actual closed sales, or change the anticipated sale date. Agents in Beverly , Marblehead and Swampscott are clearly hard workers and I have published reports on those markets. There are, of course, other markets where I am sure the same applies but I do not publish individual stats on all 351 cities and towns! (more…)
Beverly 2014 housing market: steady progress
Here are the highlights for the Beverly market for 2014.
Single Family Homes (SFH)
– the median SFH price increased 3.3% to $380,000, which is 5% below the peak of $400,000 in 2004
– sales increased to 329, the best year since 2004
– the ASR* fell sharply from 92.5% to 82.9%, an indication of rising prices
Condos
– the median condo price increased 4.2% to $237,500, which is 7% below the peak of $255,000 in 2005
– sales were down slightly and are still well below the levels seen in the 2004-07 period
– the ASR* fell from 94.9% to 87.5%, an indication of rising prices
Tax rate
– the FY2015 tax rate is $14.11, a slight decrease from $14.16 in FY2014. (more…)
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