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low interest rates

Solar panels & a normalish spring market

May 15, 2019 By Ryan Lundquist 17 Comments

Every week I get asked about solar panels. Do they add value? Should I price my listing higher? Will buyers pay for it? These are big questions and there’s no quick answer. But here are some things I think through and bring up when people call. This is just over ten minutes. Then for those interested, I have a huge market update to talk through the kinda sorta normal spring market.

Solar Video: Watch the video by clicking the image above (or here).

A Podcast I did with Norm: If solar isn’t your thing and you need a podcast to listen to, I just talked with Norm Shriever about appraisals, owning islands, Zillow, my Dad bod, etc… Listen directly on YouTube if you wish.

As always, thanks for being here.

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

Spring is feeling fairly normal so far. What a difference from the doom we felt in the latter half of 2018. Let’s talk about it.

THE SHORT VERSION:

  • Prices are up from the fall
  • Prices aren’t up much from last year
  • There’s lots of competition if priced right
  • Sales volume has slumped for 11 months
  • There are 2,500 less sales this year
  • So far the spring has felt fairly normal
  • This post is long on purpose. Skim or pour a cup of coffee.

DOWNLOAD 80+ 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 LONGER VERSION:

Here are some of the bigger topics right now:

It feels flat around here: Prices are definitely up from the big lull we had during the fall season, but they’re not up by much compared to last year. This is why I’ve been describing the market as flat. Most price metrics in the region are up only 2-3% over the year. In the region we’re seeing prices about level with the height of last year, though in Sacramento County we’re slightly above. This could obviously vary by neighborhood.

A more normal spring: I was talking to a real estate agent today and she said, “You know, it just feels like a normal spring.” I tend to agree. Stats are showing normalcy and we’re seeing what we’d expect to see at this time of year. Prices are up, inventory is down, sales volume has ticked up from the fall, it’s taking less time to sell, and pending sales have been strong. This doesn’t mean the market is perfectly healthy, but from a stats perspective it’s been fairly normal.

2,500 less sales this year: On one hand sales volume has recovered this spring to almost normal levels, but over the past year volume is actually down 8.5% in the region. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but think about it this way. There were 2,500 less sales this year in the region compared to last year. While this isn’t the sign of a market meltdown, it’s definitely something we have to watch. At best I would say this is an off year, and at worst it’s a symptom of the market starting to change in more significant ways (which we will only know as time unfolds). In short, don’t write home over this yet, but keep an eye on it.

Zillow: Last week Zillow announced they’ll be entering the Sacramento market by the end of the year. This is huge news, but it’s really what we expected. These days there are a handful of tech companies trying to challenge the traditional real estate model by buying privately from sellers and then re-listing on the open market. There’s lots to say about this and I’ll have some posts in the future. For now I just wanted to say I find it ironic that as much as Zillow loves to tout their accuracy rate, they won’t be buying properties based on the Zestimate. Otherwise I imagine lots of overvalued owners would jump at the opportunity, right?

Low rates are the x-factor: At the end of 2018 it seemed like the market was ready to take a dive, but lower rates this year have helped bring buyers back into the market and sustain higher prices.

Real estate is like the stock market: When I say the market is slower I get a little pushback at times. The idea is, “Dude, I just had 14 offers on my house. How dare you say the market is slow!!!” Look, it’s impossible to describe every neighborhood and price range with just one statement. This is why I say the real estate market is like the stock market. While the market as a whole might be doing one thing, not every stock is experiencing that same exact trend. In the same way, not every neighborhood, price range, or property type can be explained the same way.

Do cannabis dispensaries increase residential value? I did an interview last week with CBS 13 to talk about a study that claims cannabis dispensaries increase the value of surrounding residential properties. You can click the link to hear my take. In short, it’s true that vibrant commercial sectors can help increase value. But I’ve never met a buyer who said, “I’ll pay more because of a dispensary down the street.” In my experience locally at least, many people don’t even know dispensaries are there unless they’re cannabis connoisseurs. In short, I tend to be skeptical of studies like this.

Hey girl, let’s have bubble talk: Prices are just about back to where they were fourteen years ago when the market collapsed in 2005. In fact, most price metrics in Sacramento are within 1-3% of the peak. This means with just a little more modest price growth we might be having “Hey girl, we’re back” (yes, that was a Ryan Gosling reference (sorry)).

Keep in mind the market in 2005 was much different than today and there is no such thing as a formula where the market “pops” if we reach 2005 levels. Technically speaking, current values aren’t actually anywhere near 2005 when we consider inflation. But you know, very few buyers actually think about inflation like this – unless they’re economists, grad students, real estate geeks, etc…. In case it helps, here’s a post I wrote about buyers worried about another housing bubble.

Appraisals coming in lower: I’m hearing from some contacts of appraisals coming in lower than the contract price. As the market slows, this is something we’ll likely see more frequently if properties are getting into contract at prices that cannot be supported by market data. Of course some appraisals may legitimately come in too low, and I’m not naive about that. Whatever the case, I’d advise sellers to price realistically and in some cases pick the strongest offer instead of the highest one.

Price sensitivity: Literally half of all homes last month had multiple offers in the Sacramento Region. This reminds us buyers need to bring strong offers. But sellers ought to price correctly too. Buyers are not desperate and willing to pay unrealistic prices, so I advise aiming for the market instead of that one mythical buyer who will overpay for some reason. Remember, the market is very competitive, but that doesn’t mean prices are going crazy. 

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

FOUR BIG ISSUES TO WATCH:

1) SPRING GETTING HOT: The market is heating up for 2019. We’re seeing price changes, lower inventory, and increased sales volume. So prices are up from the dull fall, but they’re also flat as you can see under #4.

2) SLOWING MOMENTUM: Despite the heating, stats show the market is slowing down when we look at the rate of change by year. Looking at monthly, quarterly, and annual numbers helps give a balanced view of things.

3) SALES VOLUME SLUMP for 11 months: It’s important to look at sales volume in a few ways to get the bigger picture. Here it is by month and year.

SACRAMENTO REGION:

Key Stats:

  • April volume down 8.2%
  • Volume is down 8.5% over the past 12 months

SACRAMENTO COUNTY:

Key Stats:

  • April volume down 6.8%
  • Volume is down 7.2% over the past 12 months

PLACER COUNTY:

Key Stats:

  • April volume down 4.3%
  • Volume is down 8.9% over the past 12 months

EL DORADO COUNTY:

Key Stats:

  • April volume down 2.4%
  • Volume is down 12.5% over the past 12 months

4) LAST YEAR VS THIS YEAR: Check out the price metrics below. Can you see why I’m saying prices seem flat lately? This may not be true in every single price range or neighborhood of course, but this shows us price momentum is slowing. With that being said, it’s still okay to say the market is “hot”. It is. But I’d say competition is hotter than price appreciation.

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

Quick note on how NOT to use my content: Please don’t copy my post verbatim or alter the images in any way. I will always show respect for your original work and give you full credit, so I ask for that same courtesy. Here are 5 ways to share my content.

Now here are a bunch of images. Please enjoy.

SACRAMENTO COUNTY (more graphs here):

SACRAMENTO REGION (more graphs here):

PLACER COUNTY (more graphs here):

EL DORADO COUNTY (more graphs here):

DOWNLOAD 80+ 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?

If you liked this post, subscribe by email (or RSS). Thanks for being here.

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Filed Under: Market Trends Tagged With: appraisals in Sacramento, El Dorado County, housing stats in Sacramento, low interest rates, momentum slowing, Norm Shriever, normal spring season, Placer County, prices, Sacramento County, Sacramento Reginal Appraisal Blog, sacramento regional housing market, sales volume, Solar panels, trend graphs, Zillow buying in Sacramento

Advice for an increasing real estate market (and Sacramento trends)

May 9, 2016 By Ryan Lundquist 12 Comments

When the market is flat, it’s easy to impress clients and look like a guru because of how accurate your values are. But when inventory shrinks, demand is off-the-hook, and the market shifts, it’s not always easy to nail value because things can change quickly in a short period of time. In light of the market increasing in value lately in many areas of the country, I thought it would be useful to offer some quick advice for dealing with increases. Then at the bottom of the post I have my ridiculously long Sacramento market update. I’d love to hear your take. Any thoughts?

increasing market advice for agents and appraisers - sacramento regional appraisal blog

Advice for Agents: When values are increasing, it’s crucial to pay careful attention when pulling comps before a listing. The tricky part in a “hot” market is it can be possible to get into contract at much higher levels than what is reasonable, so in a sense the agent has to really spend time weighing what a realistic value looks like before the listing hits the market. Keep in mind a lender’s appraiser is going to need to come up with a value that is supported by market data, reasonable for the neighborhood, and representative of the market. It’s easy to say, “The market is ‘hot’ and inventory is low, so I priced it higher,” but there really has to be support for the higher value. I recommend asking yourself the following questions and then talking clients through the answers.

  1. Is there support for value at the list price? (sales, pendings, listings, data)
  2. Is the list price reasonable? Does it make sense for the neighborhood?
  3. Would the market pay this price or would only one buyer pay this amount?

Advice for Appraisers: In an increasing market appraisers need to spend time figuring out how much the market has changed in recent time. In other words, if there has been upward value movement since the most recent sales got into contract, it could be very reasonable to give upward market adjustments to the comps. I suggest paying careful attention to competitive pendings, making market graphs in each report to help see the market, and keep an eye on competitive neighborhoods too in case data is sparse in the subject neighborhood. Lastly, let’s remember value increases might look more aggressive in some areas than others, so adjustments won’t look the same in every neighborhood or price range. Moreover, a typical canned market adjustment might be 1% per month (because that’s what a mentor taught us to do), but that might not be legit at all (like most canned adjustments). What does the market say? Let’s do our best to listen and then adjust if needed.

Questions: Any thoughts? What other advice would you give?

—————– For those interested, here is my big market update  —————–

Big monthly market update post - sacramento appraisal blog - image purchased from 123rfTwo ways to read the BIG POST:

  1. Scan the talking points and graphs quickly.
  2. Grab a cup of coffee and spend time digesting what is here.

DOWNLOAD 77 graphs HERE: Please download all graphs in this post (and more) here as a zip file (or send me an email). Use them for study, for your newsletter, or some on your blog. See my sharing policy for 5 ways to share (please don’t copy verbatim). Thanks.

Quick Market Summary: The market has been showing value increases. Whether looking at the median price, average price, or average price per sq ft, all the numbers sound “hot” so to speak. This isn’t a surprise though because it’s what normally happens in April. It’s worth noting it took 8 less days to sell last month compared to the same time last year, and the median price is up in the region by nearly 8% from last April. FHA sales were roughly 25% of all sales last month in Sacramento County, though they are down slightly from 27-28% of the market in past quarters (this is a stat worth watching over time). Sales volume for the entire year is down slightly, but not by much. In short, the stats are glowing overall because there has been upward growth with most metrics. However, buyers are still exhibiting price sensitivity. If properties are not priced correctly they are sitting instead of selling. Moreover, under the umbrella of a “hot market”, some sellers are simply pricing WAY too high for the market. They hear the word “hot”, but that doesn’t mean you can sell for anything. Lastly, just because the market has increased in value in some neighborhoods and the entire county doesn’t mean values are increasing for every property type or in every price range.

Sacramento County:

  1. It took an average of 31 days to sell a home last month.
  2. It took 6 less days to sell last month that the previous month.
  3. It took 11 less days to sell this April compared to last April.
  4. Sales volume is down slightly from last year by 3%.
  5. There is only 1.3 months of housing supply in Sacramento County.
  6. Housing inventory is 15% lower than it was last year at the same time.
  7. The median price increased by 1% last month.
  8. The median price is 10% higher than the same time last year.
  9. The avg price per sq ft increased by 2.8% last month.
  10. The avg price per sq ft is 8.8% higher than the same time last year.

Some of my Favorite Graphs this Month:

inventory - April 2016 - by home appraiser blog

CDOM in Sacramento County - by Sacramento Regional Appraisal Blog

Median price since 2013 in sacramento county

price metrics since 2015 in sacramento county - look at all

median price and inventory since 2005 - by sacramento appraisal blog

inventory in sacramento county Since 2013 - part 2 - by sacramento appraisal blog

fha and cash in sac county - sacramento appraisal blog

seasonal market in sacramento county sales volume 2

SACRAMENTO REGIONAL MARKET:

  1. It took 6 less days to sell last month compared to the previous month.
  2. It took 8 less days to sell this April compared to last April.
  3. Sales volume was 4.6% lower in April 2016 compared to last April.
  4. Short sales were 3% and REOs were 3% of sales last month.
  5. There is 1.6 months of housing supply in the region right now.
  6. Housing inventory is 9.5% lower than it was last year at the same time.
  7. The median price increased 3% last month from the previous month.
  8. The median price is 7.7% higher than the same time last year.
  9. The avg price per sq ft increased 2.5% last month.
  10. The avg price per sq ft is 6% higher than the same time last year.

Some of my Favorite Regional Graphs:

median price sacramento placer yolo el dorado county

sales volume 2015 vs 2016 in sacramento placer yolo el dorado county

sacramento region volume - FHA and conventional - by appraiser blog

Regional Inventory - by Sacramento regional appraisal blog

days on market in placer sac el dorado yolo county by sacramento appraisal blog

median price and inventory in sacramento regional market

PLACER COUNTY:

  1. It took 6 less days to sell a house last month than March.
  2. It took 2 less days to sell this April compared to last April.
  3. Sales volume was 6% lower in April 2016 compared to last April.
  4. FHA sales were 17% of all sales last month.
  5. Cash sales were 21% of all sales last month.
  6. There is 1.8 months of housing supply in Placer County right now.
  7. Housing inventory is 6.7% lower than it was last year at the same time.
  8. The median price increased 5.6% last month (take with a grain of salt).
  9. The median price is up 9.2% from April 2015.
  10. Short sales were 2.7% and REOs were 1% of sales last month.

Some of my Favorite Placer County Graphs:

days on market in placer county by sacramento appraisal blog

Placer County housing inventory - by home appraiser blog

months of housing inventory in placer county by sacramento appraisal blog

number of listings in PLACER county - 2016

Placer County price and inventory - by sacramento appraisal blog

Placer County sales volume - by sacramento appraisal blog

I hope this was helpful and interesting.

DOWNLOAD 77 graphs HERE: Please download all graphs in this post (and more) here as a zip file (or send me an email). Use them for study, for your newsletter, or some on your blog. See my sharing policy for 5 ways to share (please don’t copy verbatim). Thanks.

SacBee: By the way, the second article I wrote for the SacBee real estate section went live. It’s called “One size does not fit all when talking about the housing market.”

Questions: Any advice you’d give to clients right now about pricing? Is there any other market insight you’d like to add? I’d love to hear your take.

If you liked this post, subscribe by email (or RSS). Thanks for being here.

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Filed Under: Market Trends Tagged With: cash investors, FHA buyers, house appraiser sacramento region, increasing market, low housing invetory, low housing supply, low interest rates, market graphs, Placer County, regional housing market, Sacramento County, Sacramento Home Appraiser, Sacramento Real Estate Market, sacramento regional appraisal blog, trend graphs

Big demand and the force of FHA in Sacramento’s housing market

June 16, 2015 By Ryan Lundquist 6 Comments

Big demand. Big FHA. Let’s talk the latest housing trends in Sacramento. If you’re local, my goal is to give you 10 quick talking points to share with clients. If you’re not local, what are you seeing in your area?

Two ways to read my big monthly market post:

  1. Scan the talking points and graphs quickly.
  2. Grab a cup of coffee and spend a few minutes digesting what is here.

star-wars-real-estate-photo-by-sacramento-appraisal-blog-530

One Paragraph to Describe the Sacramento Market: This year the market feels much stronger than it did last year at the same time. Values have not skyrocketed like they did a few years ago, but there has been somewhat of a desperation among buyers to get into contract before interest rates and/or values rise much more. This has made for an environment where multiple offers have been commonplace (at least for properties that are priced correctly and in average condition). Housing inventory did increase slightly last month, and we are starting to see slightly more price reductions, but demand is still “off the charts” in that pendings are a good 20% higher than one year ago. Regional prices have seen an uptick these past few months, and sales volume is 7% higher so far this year compared to last year. We all know low interest rates and sparse inventory have been driving the market, but having such a huge percentage of escrows going FHA has also boosted sales figures. Remember that many FHA buyers are not putting much “skin in the game” so to speak, and at times they tend to offer more than anyone else to get a contract accepted. Being that 25% of all sales in the Sacramento region were FHA last month (and 29% in Sacramento County), this definitely creates more competition at certain price ranges and makes housing stats look more impressive. As housing inventory presumably begins to increase over the next few months (as it did last year), watch out for price reductions, unrealistic expectations from sellers, and buyers gaining more power.

DOWNLOAD 51 graphs HERE (zip file): Please download all graphs in this post (and more) here as a zip file (or send me an email). Use them for study, for your newsletter, or some on your blog. See my sharing policy for 5 ways to share.

Sacramento Regional Trends for May 2015 (Sac, Placer, Yolo, El Dorado):

  1. The median price in the Sacramento Region is $333,250.
  2. The median price is 7.5% higher than one year ago (May 2014).
  3. Sales volume is up 7.3% so far in 2015 compared to the beginning of 2014 (January through May).
  4. It took an average of 38 days to sell a house last month (44 days in April).
  5. Cash sales were 15.6% of all sales last month.
  6. FHA sales were 25.4% of all sales in the region last month.
  7. Sales volume was 7% higher this May compared to last May.
  8. There is 1.9 months of housing inventory (2.2 months in May 2014).
  9. The average sales price is $368,525 (7.5% higher than last year).
  10. It took 14 less days to sell a house this May compared to May 2014.

median price and inventory in sacramento placer yolo el dorado county

fha and other sales in sacramento placer yolo el dorado county

volume cash and conventional in region by sacramento appraisal blog

months of housing inventory in region by sacramento appraisal blog

days on market in placer sac el dorado yolo county by sacramento appraisal blog

Sacramento County Market Trends for May 2015:

  1. The median price in Sacramento County is $289,950.
  2. The median price is 7% higher than one year ago (May 2014).
  3. It took an average of 35 days to sell a house last month (42 in April).
  4. Cash sales were only 15% of all sales last month.
  5. FHA sales were 29% of all sales in Sacramento County last month.
  6. Sales volume is 5.7% higher this May compared to last May.
  7. There is 1.7 months of housing inventory (2.0 months last May).
  8. The average price per sq ft is 183 (13% higher than last May).
  9. The average sales price is $317,000 (7.5% higher than last year).
  10. It took 12 days shorter to sell a house this May compared to May 2014.

Median price and inventory since 2011 by sacramento appraisal blog - with median figures

price metrics since 2014 in sacramento county

months of housing inventory by sacramento appraisal blog

CDOM in Sacramento County - by Sacramento Appraisal Blog

sales volume in May in Sacramento County since 2008 Interest Rates Since 2008

Placer County Market Trends for May 2015:

  1. The median price in Placer County is $400,000.
  2. The median price is 5.3% higher than one year ago (May 2014).
  3. It took 38 days on average to sell a house last month.
  4. Cash sales were 15.8% of all sales last month.
  5. FHA sales were 21.5% of all sales in Placer County last month.
  6. Sales volume was 9.8% higher this May compared to last May.
  7. There is 2.1 months of housing inventory (2.5 months last May).
  8. The average price per sq ft is 201.
  9. The average sales price is $445,218 (5.7% higher than May 2014).
  10. It took 16 days shorter to sell a house this May compared to last.

Placer County median price since 2012 - by home appraiser blog

months of housing inventory in placer county by sacramento appraisal blog

days on market in placer county by sacramento appraisal blog

number of listings in PLACER county - May 2015 - by home appraiser blog

Placer County sales volume - by sacramento appraisal blog

interest rates inventory median price in placer county by sacramento appraisal blog

I hope this was helpful. Thank you so much for being here.

DOWNLOAD 51 graphs HERE (zip file): Please download all graphs in this post (and more) here as a zip file (or send me an email). Use them for study, for your newsletter, or some on your blog. See my sharing policy for 5 ways to share.

My New Office & the Desk I Built: By the way, I wanted to share some exciting news. I’m in the process of building a new home office since I recently moved to Carmichael. By this time next week my office should theoretically be finished, but for now here is a desk I built out of reclaimed wood last week. It’s a beastly 12′ long, and it’s designed for two work stations.

The desk I built

Questions: How do you think sellers and buyers are feeling about the market right now? What are you seeing out there?

If you liked this post, subscribe by email (or RSS). Thanks for being here.

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Filed Under: Market Trends Tagged With: appraisal blog, FHA, Home Appraiser, house appraisers, housing inventory, low interest rates, market trend graphs, real estate graphs, real estate trends, sacramento housing market, Sacramento Real Estate Market, sales volume

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