Sacramento Appraisal Blog

Rates are low, but buyers aren’t going nuts

July 11, 2019 By Ryan Lundquist 19 Comments

Rates and inventory are really low, so on paper it seems like the market should be booming. But it’s not. The truth is sales numbers are down despite rates doing the limbo below four percent again. It’s like the market looks hot on paper, but it’s also a bit lackluster in some ways.

Affordability: A big issue today is buyers are struggling with affordability. After seven years of price increases, we’re seeing the market become too expensive for many prospective buyers since wage growth has not kept pace with price growth. Some buyers feel uncertain about the future also, which is causing hesitancy about whether to purchase.

Hot couple analogy: The market is like a super hot couple that looks great on paper. They’re rich, attractive, successful, and they get a ton of “likes” on Instagram. Everything looks perfect, but then out of nowhere they break up because it turns out their relationship wasn’t as good as everyone thought. In a similar way, the real estate market looks stellar on paper. Rates are low, inventory is sparse, and it’s actually really competitive out there. But we’re also seeing weaker sales volume which shows us buyers aren’t as enthusiastic as we’d assume them to be.

Any thoughts?

—–——– Big local monthly market update (long on purpose) —–——–

Now for those interested, let’s talk about Sacramento trends. If I had to pick a few phrases to describe the market it would be competitive if priced right, modest price growth, slumping volume, and fairly normal stats for the spring.

DOWNLOAD 70+ visuals: Please download all graphs here as a zip file. See my sharing policy for 5 ways to share (please don’t copy verbatim).

THE SHORT VERSION:

Prices are up, volume is down
It kinda feels normal right now
Price growth has been modest
46% of sales had multiple offers last month
Sales volume is down for the 14th month in a row
Low rates have helped change the feel of the market this year
Inventory is thin, but slightly higher than last year
The post is long on purpose. Skim or pour a cup of coffee

THE LONGER VERSION:

Here are some of the bigger topics right now:

Normal: The market felt really dull last year, but it’s been a somewhat normal year so far in 2019. There are certainly concerns about affordability, but from a stats perspective it’s been a pretty standard first half of the year. Pendings continue to be strong also, so buyers still clearly have a strong appetite for the market.

14 months in a row of slumping volume: Despite mortgage rates being low we’re seeing somewhat sluggish sales volume. In fact, sales volume was down 11.6% in the region last month and it’s down 8.6% so far in 2019. Moreover, we’ve had fourteen months in a row with lower sales volume compared to the previous year. In my mind it’s still best to say we’re having a slower year instead of a volume meltdown because levels aren’t alarmingly low by any stretch. Let’s watch this carefully.

Dude, rates will never get below 4% again: It’s been a little surprising to see how low rates have gone again, right? The narrative for a while was, “Dude, they’ll never go below 4% again. We’ve bottomed out.” Yet here we are. My sense is if rates keep going down it’ll only increase competition and artificially inflate prices. That would be temporarily nice for buyers, but an unfortunate byproduct is low rates in a wider picture tend to create less incentive for sellers to move. Why sell if you’re sitting on a 3.5% mortgage rate?

Purplebricks & the tech invasion: Last week it was announced that Purplebricks will be exiting the United States housing market after a 75% loss in shares. This company is going to the grave in the U.S., but the reality is we’re still in a market where tech companies are trying to disrupt the traditional real estate model. Next up? Zillow is said to be coming to Sacramento by the end of the year.

Joe Montana’s $49M overpriced listing: Former Quarterback Joe Montana listed his property for $49M and it didn’t sell because it was profoundly overpriced. In fact, the price has now been reduced to $28M. Many sellers are like Joe in trying to attract mythical unicorn buyers who will mysteriously overpay for some reason. My advice? Be aware that today’s buyers are incredibly picky about paying the right price.

The dream of selling at the top: I met a guy who wants to sell because he says the market might top out soon. His concern is a friend sold two years ago thinking the market was at its peak, but it wasn’t. The truth is it’s not so easy to time a market perfectly. We talk about how simple it is to do this, but most people pull it off from dumb luck more than anything. The reality is the bulk of buyers don’t buy based on price metrics, but rather lifestyle and affordability.

This is a fascinating chart, right? It shows a few price cycles over the past twenty years in Sacramento County. I don’t share this to say prices are about to change directions, but at some point that’s probably what we ought to expect because that’s what markets do. They go up and down. For now price momentum has been slowing and we’ll continue to watch this closely to see how it plays out. Let’s remember the collapse we saw in 2005 was not a normal trend that’s now the formula for the next price cycle. That was a market built on fraud and rampant speculation.

The coming recession: There are lots of predictions about a coming recession, and at some point one will happen. But predicting recession specifics is a bit like predicting housing market specifics. At the end of the day we might have ideas, but we don’t know the future if we’re honest. Moreover, the last “great” recession isn’t now the template or formula for all future recessions.

Eyeballs vs offers: Over two years ago I wrote about a $250M listing in Bel-Air. At the time it was the highest-priced property in the United States, and it was called “record breaking”. But today it’s still on the market and priced at $150M. Despite going viral and having global attention this listing did not sell. This reminds us it’s nice to have eyeballs on a listing, but the only thing that matters is offers. Sellers, if you aren’t getting offers, it may be time to adjust your pricing until the market bites.

Preparing for a slower season: At this time of year we typically see the market begin to slow down. The sales stats don’t show it yet, but when July stats come out we usually see it starts to take slightly longer to sell in July compared to June. This is a clue into a slowing market, and eventually we see more slowness in actual prices (but it often takes a few months to see the slow trend show up in actual sales stats). This is a good reminder to pay close attention to pendings today because that’s where we see what the current market is doing. What is similar and actually getting into contract? That is THE question.

I could write more, but let’s get visual instead.

FOUR BIG ISSUES TO WATCH:

1) SLOWER GROWTH: The market has moved forward this year, but it’s been at a slower pace. In other words, the market has felt competitive this year, but price momentum has continued to slow. Remember, “slower” and “slow” are not dirty words in real estate. They are market realities.

2) A QUICK RECAP: All year prices have shown a modest uptick. What I mean is prices are up from last year, but not by much. Keep in mind the lowest prices are likely the “hottest” market in town too.

3) VOLUME SLUMP: The number of sales has slumped in the region for 14 months (and 13 months in Sacramento County). Overall volume is noticeably lower this year, but it’s still not outside of normal low ranges though either (see 2014 and 2015).

SACRAMENTO REGION:

Key Stats:

June volume down 11.6%
Volume is down 9.9% over the past 12 months

SACRAMENTO COUNTY:

Key Stats:

June volume down 13.4%
Volume is down 9.3% over the past 12 months

PLACER COUNTY:

Key Stats:

June volume is down 10%
Volume is down 9.2% over the past 12 months

EL DORADO COUNTY:

Key Stats:

June volume down 6.3%
Volume is down 12.4% over the past 12 months

4) PRICES TICKED UP IN JUNE: The market generally showed price increases last month, though they were pretty subtle.

NOTE: Take El Dorado County data with a grain of salt. Stats change significantly month by month.

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Please enjoy more images now.

SACRAMENTO REGION (more graphs here):

SACRAMENTO COUNTY (more graphs here):

PLACER COUNTY (more graphs here):

EL DORADO COUNTY (more graphs here):

DOWNLOAD 70+ visuals: Please download all graphs here as a zip file. See my sharing policy for 5 ways to share (please don’t copy verbatim).

Questions: What are you seeing out there? What do you think prices are doing? What are you hearing from buyers and sellers lately?

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Cost vs value, Johnny Cash, & an explosion of murals

July 2, 2019 By Ryan Lundquist 13 Comments

Last week was a heavy post, so this week I have something quick and light. I wanted to share a perfect cost vs value example and then look at a few murals – particularly the Johnny Cash mural in Downtown Sacramento.

Record price: This contemporary home in Sierra Oaks Vista just sold for $5M, which is the highest residential sale ever in Sacramento County. I know it surprises some that we haven’t seen loftier sales, but let’s remember Sacramento isn’t the Bay Area despite being close.

Cost vs value: This house cost ten million dollars to build, but the market only paid half that. This is a striking example that just because an owner spent money doesn’t mean buyers will. Keep in mind there were two previous listings below six million for nearly two years of market exposure, so this home wasn’t given away.

Big takeaway: Just because you spend a dollar doesn’t mean you’ll get a dollar back in value. Cost doesn’t always translate to value, and this is the perfect example. More on the myth of dollar for dollar here.

EXPLOSION OF MURALS

Many cities across the country are seeing an explosion of murals lately. In Sacramento there’s been a concerted effort to paint the town with an emphasis called Wide Open Walls. This isn’t just Midtown or Downtown either as art is starting to spread to other portions of the region. If you want to see local murals, here’s the most exhaustive mural map out there.

Johnny Cash: Artist Shepard Fairey unveiled a 15-story Johnny Cash mural last year. This mural commemorates the 50th anniversary of the At Folsom Prison album (which I have on vinyl), but it also highlights the need for prison reform. Thank you to local photographers Dan & Vicky for letting me use these images.

Johnny Cash mentions in MLS: If you didn’t know, Folsom is a city in Sacramento County, which means Johnny Cash recorded his album locally. As a side note, “Johnny Cash” is mentioned seventeen times in MLS listings. It would be cool if the mentions were due to Mr. Cash making the real estate market move, but that’s just not the case. In every instance the mentions have been associated with the Johnny Cash Walking Trail. Yes, there’s a walking trail on the outskirts of the prison property.

A few other cool murals: Thanks to John Adair and Vicky for letting me use some of your mural pictures.

One more. This isn’t in Sacramento, but it’s one of my favorite murals. I snapped this photo in Downtown Los Angeles a couple years ago. It’s called Our Lady of DTLA. I like how it canvases the housing units instead of being located on some random alley like many murals.

I hope you enjoyed this. Have a wonderful 4th of July!

Questions: What do you think about all the murals? Do they add value or make any difference for a neighborhood?

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Appraisers don’t use race when valuing homes

June 22, 2019 By Ryan Lundquist 48 Comments

Last week in a congressional hearing on the future of the appraisal profession, some research was used to suggest appraisers are showing racial bias and essentially undervaluing black neighborhoods. I was not expecting the conversation to go that way during the hearing and I’ll admit I’m deeply concerned about the emerging narrative of appraisers being racists.

I know race is a polarizing topic, but I wanted to approach this today with humility to clarify a few things. Please join me in respectful conversation.

THREE THINGS:

1) Appraisers don’t use race: Appraisers cannot and do not use race as a factor when coming up with a value. This is 100% off limits – not to mention highly unethical and immoral. Race has absolutely nothing to do with value. Comps are never selected based on race or racial boundaries of any kind. Let me say that again. Race is NEVER considered during a valuation.

2) Have appraisers “devalued” neighborhoods by $48,000? In the congressional hearing a panelist talked about a study that shows black neighborhoods are devalued by $48,000 compared to otherwise similar white neighborhoods. That’s alarming and society needs to have some serious discussion about this, but this study has NOTHING to do with appraisers actually devaluing properties (read it here). When we hear the word “devaluation” it sounds like we’re talking about something appraisers are doing, but the $48,000 price disparity comes from the author studying price trends from Zillow rather than analyzing the actions of appraisers. In other words, appraisers are NOT devaluing homes by $48,000. Yet when congress members heard “devaluation” and the speaker saying appraisers are part of the problem, the impression is that appraisers are clearly showing bias by devaluing properties based on race. This impression has certainly been passed on via social media too. You can watch the hearing here.

3) Appraisers reflect the market: One of my takeaways from the hearing is there’s a deep misunderstanding of what appraisers actually do, which is why it’s easy to place blame for this $48,000 price disparity on appraisers.

a) Not magicians: Appraisers aren’t magicians able to cause value to rise or fall. We certainly don’t have the power to make prices $48,000 higher or lower in one neighborhood compared to another.

b) The only role: An appraiser’s only role is to ensure the value of a home is measured accurately without bias. What would buyers reasonably pay for a specific home in a specific location? That’s always the question, and the best reflection of value is likely going to come from competitive sales in the neighborhood itself.

c) Locations aren’t the same: The market isn’t doing the same thing everywhere and buyers are not willing to pay the same prices everywhere either. This is why the appraised value can vary so widely – even if homes are identical in different neighborhoods. The speaker’s $48,000 price disparity between black and white neighborhoods is truly shocking, but frankly that’s not an appraisal issue. The appraiser’s job isn’t to ensure values are the same everywhere. Appraisers use neighborhood sales data to come up with value and it would be unethical to borrow “comps” from a higher-priced area to jack up prices in a lower-priced community (or vice versa).

d) Helping is not an option: Even if appraisers wanted to see certain areas emerge in glory after the ugly reality of redlining, it’s still not an appraiser’s professional role to make that happen. This might sound callous, but appraisers don’t make markets move. They only measure the market rather than act as a gas pedal or brake pedal for prices. This is exactly why the $48,000 example is so flawed. This price difference isn’t caused by appraisers doing their job. There are much bigger issues at the root.

As an appraiser I will NOT:

– Show bias against race
– Value a property any differently because of race
– Discuss race in any appraisal report
– Work with people who are known racists
– Treat any clients differently due to race
– Base any opinions in my appraisal on race
– Tolerate racism in real estate if I’m aware of it
– Use subjective language to say one neighborhood is better or worse

As an appraiser I will:

– Strive to be professional and kind to everyone
– Be unbiased in my approach to value
– Respect owners and renters of all backgrounds
– Let market data tell the story of value
– Have friendships with diverse members in the real estate community
– Say yes to speaking engagements with diverse groups
– Listen when people talk about racism in real estate
– Be open to findings in studies on racial bias in valuation
– Speak up when narratives like this emerge
– Clarify the role of appraisers

Why I wrote this: After watching the hearing last week I was deeply concerned that the neutral role appraisers play is being sorely misunderstood. I’m dismayed too that colleagues are being perceived as racists.

In Closing: We have a systemic problem of racial discrimination in our country and there is an ugly history of racism in real estate too. In fact, here’s a sobering presentation talking about redlining in Sacramento. This is exactly why we need to have conversation about the study showing price differences between black and white neighborhoods. This is real. But before running with the headline that appraisers are “devaluing” neighborhoods by race, let’s hit the pause button. The study quoted doesn’t support this claim. Is racism real though? Of course.

Want to comment? Please know I will not approve any inflammatory or racial comments, so I ask that you choose your words accordingly. Likewise, if you don’t want to work with me because I won’t tolerate racism in my life and business, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

Questions: What is your reaction to the information above? What did I leave out? What are your concerns about racism in real estate? Let’s chat.

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Dude, my house is worth more now, right? Because of that one thing.

June 19, 2019 By Ryan Lundquist 12 Comments

My house is worth more now, right? Or maybe it’s worth less because of that one thing? I get questions like this all the time, so here’s some thoughts swirling through my mind. Skim the headings or dig in. Anything to add?

Questions I’ve heard recently:

Will prices rise because a nearby restaurant got a Michelin Star?
Did my value go up because of the new arena in Downtown Sacramento?
My house is worth more because Lady Bird was filmed here, right?
Is my house worth more because of that $5M record sale?
Would values decline if a new hotel is constructed 1.5 miles away?
A new Starbucks down the street makes value go up, right?
Will it damage neighborhood values if there’s a cannabis facility nearby?
Will a new gas station impact neighborhood prices?
Will the Golden State Killer’s house affect my value?
Are values going to decline if the school district is taken over by the state?
How will adding a casino nearby affect value?
Will prices go down if that new teaching hospital happens?

Not a dissertation: Many of these questions are truly complex and they could be research papers. At the same time we read some of these and think, “C’mon man, there’s no way that impacts value.”

Quick truth: We can get so trigger-happy about thinking everything makes a difference for value, but that’s just not the case. It’s like when a home owner says, “Yo, I got a new faucet in the bathroom. How much does this add to value?” Probably nothing. The market just isn’t that sensitive.

My Michelin Star poll: I ran a poll on Twitter after getting a fantastic question about whether Sacramento’s first Michelin Star would be a positive for the surrounding residential neighborhood.

This wasn’t a scientific survey, but it’s interesting to hear what people think. I tend to agree with the majority too. My sense is the Michelin Star will give bragging rights to neighbors, but I’m not sure buyers would truly pay more in an entry-level area to be closer to a top-tier restaurant. Keep in mind if this restaurant did begin to help the commercial market thrive, then maybe that could spill over into the residential market. Otherwise let’s not overthink this.

Generally speaking: If something has little impact on an area, it’s probably not going to affect value much. Let’s remember that when making value claims and thinking through issues. But if something persuades or dissuades buyers, then it could be a big deal for the market. In other words, will people buy or rent for more or less because of the thing? This is the type of market-based thinking we need to consider.

The arena: As an example, the new arena in Downtown Sacramento has been a game-changer because it’s drawn people and other businesses into the city. It’s been a catalyst for development in the immediate market. But that doesn’t mean a buyer ten miles away would pay more for a house because of the new arena. I say fat chance.

Lady Bird: Would someone pay more for a house because the movie Lady Bird was filmed in the neighborhood? I’m not saying the answer is NO, but I just haven’t met a buyer yet who said, “I totally paid more because of Greta Gerwig’s cinematic masterpiece.” Objectively speaking, I can only find four listings that mention the movie too, and that may be telling.

Two takeaways:

1) One thing: Let’s be cautious about looking for value under every rock. What I mean is it would be wise to remember not everything we encounter is going to sway buyers to pay more or less.

2) Support: Let’s think critically and be sure to look to data to support our value conclusions. At the end of the day we can make claims about how a certain something impacts the market, but what do stats and data actually show? That’s what matters most.

“Beyond the Bubble” article: I wrote a piece for Comstock’s Magazine this month called Beyond the Bubble. These are things on my mind lately with so much talk about whether we’re in a bubble or not.

Questions: What questions have you been asked lately? Have you seen one type of business or something else impact an entire area? What do you think of any of the questions above? Let’s chat.

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