Sacramento Appraisal Blog | Real Estate Appraiser

Real estate appraisals for divorce, estate settlement, loans, property tax appeal, pre-listing and more. We cover Sacramento, Placer and Yolo County. We're professional, courteous and timely.

real estate trends

Fake real estate trends & rising rents

By 10 Comments

Let’s talk about fake news. No, not anything political. Let’s consider a couple of examples where it’s easy to misunderstand trends and then report fake real estate news. Then let’s look at how rent increases are fueling the 2-4 unit market. Anything to add? I’d love to hear your take.

Part I: This is Part I of my big monthly market update. Part II will come next week. If you need a few graphs now for marketing, send me an email. This post is long on purpose. Scroll or read in depth.

1) FAKE NEWS: The market is starting to turn because sales volume is down.

TRUTH: Sales volume declined by 21% last month in Sacramento County. That sounds dramatic, right? Should we be concerned? Is the market shifting? Nope. It’s actually normal to see volume drop like this between December and January. I circled January in red below as proof. This January was actually the strongest we’ve seen since 2013.

2) FAKE NEWS: The market is flat and didn’t have a price lull during the fall.

TRUTH: The median price has been flat in Sacramento County for six months, and normally it softens by about 5% during the fall, but that didn’t happen this year. So it’s easy to say that the market is so “hot” that prices didn’t dip, but that’s not true. Here’s the thing. Sometimes the median price ends up being a bit more flat despite the market showing a legitimate cooling. Besides, if we step back and look at the average sales price and average price per sq ft, both declined during the fall. Moreover, the median price in the region also declined. The moral of the story? Don’t put all your eggs in the median price basket.

3) *FAKE NEWS: Bay Area residents are buying EVERYTHING in Sacramento.

Truth: Bay Area folks are getting lots of attention and they should since there are over 20,000 new Bay Area residents migrating to Sacramento each year according to the Greater Sacramento Economic Council and Mercury News. That’s jaw-dropping to hear, but let’s pause and consider a few things.

* WHAT I AM NOT SAYING (update): I am not saying Bay Area buyers are not a factor in our market. They are. Bottom line. All I am saying is they are not buying everything. Thus it can be misleading news to perpetuate the idea that our market is being utterly gutted by Bay Area residents. As we have conversation about Bay Area buyers, let’s consider some of the points below. I find these fascinating for the sake of our conversation. Moreover, when we are talking about trends, let’s look to not only how the market feels, but actual stats too where possible.

A) Bay Area cash is not gutting Sacramento. Only 15% of all sales were cash in the region last year. Cash used to be about 30% during the “Blackstone” days.

B) Nearly 20% of sales in the region last year were FHA, which tells us first-time buyers are winning in this market – not just loaded Bay Area residents. 

C) There are 20,000 new residents every year from the Bay Area, but there are only about 28,000 single family detached home sales in Sacramento per year. This tells us not everyone who moves here is actually buying. Of course if Bay Area buyers are picking up the slack of locals not buying, then that’s another story. If anyone has data to suggest that is the case, do share. For now though let’s admit not everyone who moves here is getting a mortgage.

D) I might be more bullish on thinking the Bay Area is dominating the purchase market, but having more than twenty thousands residents migrate to live in Sacramento is definitely putting pressure on rents. According to Yardis Matrix, rents are up 8.5% this year, and that translates to renters paying an average of $105 more each month for rent (or $1,260 more over the course of the entire year). Yikes.

4) NOT FAKE NEWS: Rising rents are heating up the 2-4 unit market.

TRUTH: An investor told me the other day, “Sacramento’s hot rental market is now the worst kept secret in the nation”. Such a headline quote (thanks Eliot). He is 100% correct because news of rising rents has seemed to permeate the marketplace lately. For years after the housing collapse prices seemed more subdued, but lately it’s been eye-opening to see how much demand there is for the 2-4 unit market. Yet many units hitting the market actually have below-market rents because the rents have not been raised in many years. This is why most of the time it seems like I cannot fully trust rental data in MLS because it reflects older rental contracts from years ago rather than the market today.

What the? There are also some lofty sales that leave us asking, “What the? It sold for how much?” I thought this recently when seeing a triplex sell for 1.8M in Midtown and a 4-plex at $850,000 in Curtis Park. A “lone-ranger” outlier sale might reflect the “hot” market in some senses, though remember a high sale could also be a trophy property, have a subdividable lot, or maybe a buyer overpaid in light of needing to do a 1031-exchange.

I hope this was helpful or interesting.

Questions: What do you think of the “fake” real estate news above? How much of an impact are Bay Area buyers really making? What are you seeing in the rental market? Did I miss something?

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

Real estate trends to watch in 2018

By 32 Comments

What’s the real estate market going to do in 2018? Let’s talk about some of the big conversation pieces emerging in Sacramento and beyond. Any thoughts? What are you watching? I’d love to hear your take.

1) Affordability: This year we’re going to have more conversations on affordability – or lack thereof. This is a big issue that’s not only covered extensively by the media, but it’s something being felt by real people – both prospective buyers and renters. According to NAR’s Housing Affordability Index, affordability has been declining.

2) More Color: Lots of design magazines and articles are talking about seeing more color in the kitchen and other parts of the house. Some say totally white kitchens are on the way out. Others anticipate seeing more avocado green on walls (hello 1970s). And brass fixtures are back in style too (hello 1980s).

3) Marijuana: This is a big year for California because recreational or “adult use” marijuana is now fully legal. Whether you are personally for or against this, it’s something we need to watch because of the potential economic and real estate impact. I’m not writing as an advocate, but I am saying let’s pay attention to commercial rents, vacancy rates, job opportunities, cash purchases, changing zoning code, land value, advertising, public perception, etc… So far the City of Sacramento has been a lone wolf in allowing commercial cannabis cultivation since surrounding cities have basically said NO thus far. In 2018 I suspect we’ll see other cities also jump on the cannabis wagon.

4) Smart homes: We are seeing incredible advances in technology for homes. It’s not just the “Echo” or “Google Home” either, but “smart” products are showing up for thermostats, shades, color-changing light bulbs, appliances, door locks, security systems, etc… The market doesn’t fully expect these features yet in every home, but there may come a day when they are normative. I actually bought a Google Home for my office last week. Did anyone else?

5) Creative financing: There is still upward pressure on values in many prices ranges and locations in light of a housing shortage, but if interest rates rise too much it could soften values (duh). This is where lenders can artificially keep prices high by offering more creative loan products to help buyers “afford” the market. Sounds healthy, right? Keep in mind we are nowhere near 2005 when money was being given to anyone with a pulse, but if lenders loosen things up too much it’s probably a good thing to be concerned.

6) Appraisal waivers: About a year ago Fannie Mae rolled out an appraisal waiver program that would not require an appraisal on certain transactions. Fast forward to today. The narrative right now from quite a few voices in the real estate community is that we need to use more alternative valuation products (without a human appraiser) for the sake of quicker turn-times, a lower cost for consumers, and a more efficient mortgage process. I know, I sound like an angry human since robots are taking over the world, but there is a deeper issue here. Messing with a system of checks and balances can be dangerous for the market. Do me a favor and re-watch The Big Short and ask yourself if there is any reason to be concerned about loosening things up when it comes to real estate valuations. I may write more on this soon.

7) Rent control: Rents have risen dramatically in many parts of the country over the past few years, so let’s expect to see attempts this year to enact rent control. Remember, what rent control does is limit how much a landlord can increase rent by putting a price ceiling on rent. There are both staunch proponents and critics of rent control, so be ready for some heated conversation if you bring this topic up online. As an FYI, in Sacramento we’ve had near 10% rent increases for three years in a row without much wage growth.

8) Republican Tax Plan: Some say the new tax plan will create less incentive for home ownership and cut values drastically whereas others say there won’t be much impact in most of the country beyond some higher-dollar pockets. The truth is the future hasn’t happened yet, so in humility we must admit we don’t yet know the extent of any impact. This is why I like what Jonathan Miller wrote, “If there is one thing the housing market doesn’t like, it is uncertainty. As it relates to housing, this new law is an “uncertainty casserole” and homebuyers and sellers will take a while, probably 1-2 years to adapt to the new world order and sales will be tempered until there is equilibrium. Prices in high-cost housing markets will clearly slip, although I don’t anticipate a severity.”

9) Disappearance of the $150,000 market: Last year I put on my prophet hat and talked about the disappearance of the $100,000 market in Sacramento. It was a safe bet to make that prediction because there is so much upward pressure at the lowest prices. This year I think we’re poised to see few homes under $150,000 by the end of the year. Remember, it’s not just the lowest prices in the market that are experiencing upward price pressure. It’s really entry-level homes in most neighborhoods – regardless of the price. Yet the median price in Sacramento has been hovering around $350,000, which literally means half the market is shopping below that price point. This alone reminds us it can be much more competitive at lower price ranges since more buyers are shopping there.

10) Alternative housing: As values have risen for single family detached homes, buyers at the lowest prices may need to consider other options such as mobile homes, tiny homes, storage container units, and lower-priced condos. Some alternative housing can feel sexy because of the lower cost and the cool vibe, but let’s remember the most expensive thing in real estate is often the land and permits. Thus it’s not always easy to build that low-cost alternative structure.

11) Increase of real estate agents: When prices are hot everyone and their Mom gets into real estate, so let’s expect to see more new agents out there. I’ve talked to a number of former loan officers wanting to get back into action too (I wonder if they know how much the game has changed since 2005). I’ve also talked with a number of agents wanting to become appraisers.

12) Housing shortage: We’ve not had much new construction over the past decade, and we’re feeling it because there aren’t enough units to satisfy demand. The good news is builders seem to be busy at work, which will help add more units in 2018. But the bad news is it takes time to build, so sprinkling in some homes and apartments here and there is not a quick way to solve a housing shortage. Moreover, one of the struggles in Sacramento is many skilled laborers left the area when the previous real estate bubble burst, so having enough workers is an issue. If anything the housing shortage seems poised to persist, though it seems like there is some relief on the way too. Also, last year housing inventory was actually slightly higher during some months compared to the previous year (though still anemic).

13) Bubble conversations: With values creeping back to their previous peak (or beyond) in some neighborhoods, it’s only natural to have conversations about “bubbles”. If you don’t believe me, show this graph to 10 people and tell me how many mention the word “bubble”. See my open letter to buyers worried about a housing bubble because this is a loaded conversation. On a side note, one thing to keep in mind is some owners who sense the top of the market is near may choose to list this year, and that can create some inventory. Just today I spoke with someone who is planning to leave California (and probably move to Idaho or Texas). This guy’s idea is that he’ll list his home in a few months in order to cash out while values are high. Does this man represent all sellers? No. But does he represent some? Yes.

I hope that was helpful or interesting.

Questions: What else do you think will be important in 2018? Did I miss something? I’d love to hear your take.

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

Insane value increases (not really) and Facebook real estate trends

By 5 Comments

The market has been showing insane value increases. Well, on paper it looks that way, but in reality that’s not what we’re seeing right now. Let’s take a deep look at the market today and also consider real estate trends we can glean from Facebook statuses. This big monthly post is long on purpose. You can scan it quickly or pour a cup of coffee and spend some time here. If you aren’t in Sacramento, I hope you can still find some value. Do you see any parallels to your market? Any thoughts? 

Three real estate trends we can glean from Facebook:

1) Asking for inventory: I am seeing many posts from real estate agents saying, “I have buyers, but there aren’t any homes on the market”, or “Do you have any upcoming homes in XYZ city or neighborhood?”, or “There are only 11 listings in the entire zip code.” Even if we didn’t have actual numbers to show inventory is sparse, we could pick up on this reality by some of what we see on Facebook. This is a good reminder that data is not just about looking at sales. 

2) Asking for rentals: Many in the real estate community and the general public are asking for rental inventory on social media. There are so many posts from tenants needing to find a home or agents and loan officers asking on behalf of someone. A person I know recently posted about trying to rent a home in Roseville only to have to compete with 23 other contracts on one house.

3) Announcing price improvements: This market is “hot”, but buyers are not biting on absurdly overpriced listings. This is why we still see Facebook posts telling of price reductions or “price improvements” (a softer way of saying the same thing). You might think we wouldn’t see such a thing in a “crazy hot” market, but we do.

4) What is #4?

———————- big monthly market update below ———————-

DOWNLOAD 70 graphs HERE: Please download all graphs in this post (and more) here as a zip file (including a one-page quick stat sheet). See my sharing policy for 5 ways to share (please don’t copy verbatim). Thanks.

A MARKET SUMMARY:

Last month values increased no matter how we look at it. The median price, average sales price, and average price per sq ft all increased in Sacramento County, Placer County, and the region. This isn’t a surprise though because it’s what tends to happen in the spring. The mistake we can easily make though is to look at the median price rising nearly 5% last month and say things like, “Values increased by 5%.” Thus if we’re not careful we might claim values are increasing rapidly when in reality they simply got back to where they were at the height of summer before a lull in the fall.

While the market is said to be “hot” in the “Farm to Fork Capital of America”, let’s still remember the market is not doing the same thing at every price level. Inventory is incredibly sparse under $400,000, and that is putting tremendous pressure on values to increase, but in some higher price ranges and neighborhoods the market feels a bit flat. Yes, there are multiple offers on about anything that is priced right, but still we have to not confuse the aggressive feel of the market with rapid appreciation. In short, at the moment we are not seeing the type of rapid appreciation we had in 2013 at the height of the glory days of Blackstone. In all of this let’s remember too we’ve had value increases without much wage growth. Let’s keep rooting for wages and the economy to drive the market instead of anemic inventory and low interest rates. 

Lastly, let’s remember the bulk of listings in 2016 hit the market between April and August, so my advice to buyers is to keep waiting for inventory to come (many buyers are feeling hopeless). I would advise sellers to price according to other properties that are actually getting into contract too instead of sensational real estate headlines.

SACRAMENTO COUNTY:

  1. The median price increased to $323,500 (8.2% above February 2016).
  2. The median price rose 6% last month, but values were basically getting back to summer after a lull in the fall, so this doesn’t mean values increased by 6% in one month.
  3. Sales volume in February 2017 was just about 1% higher than last year.
  4. It took an average of 44 days to sell a home last month (one year ago in February 2016 it was taking 2 days longer to sell).
  5. It took two days longer to sell in February compared to January (next month we should see stats show less days on market as spring unfolds).
  6. FHA sales volume is down 6% this year compared to 2016 (but roughly 25% of all sales were FHA last month).
  7. Only 3.8% of all sales were bank-owned and 2.3% were short sales.
  8. The average price per sq ft was about $204 last month (about 2% higher than January, but 8% higher than last year).
  9. The average sales price increased about 2.5% last month and is currently $348,892. This is 7.7% higher than last year.
  10. Cash sales were 15% of all sales last month.

Some of my favorite images this month:

Median price since 2013 in sacramento county

price metrics since 2015 in sacramento county - look at all

inventory in sacramento county Since 2008 - by sacramento appraisal blog

inventory - February 2017 - by home appraiser blog

CDOM in Sacramento County - by Sacramento Regional Appraisal Blog

sales volume in Sacramento County since 2012

january seasonal market in sacramento - 2

SACRAMENTO REGIONAL MARKET:

  1. The median price increased to $355,600 (7.7% above February 2016).
  2. The median price rose 4.8% last month, but values were basically getting back to summer after a lull in the fall, so this doesn’t mean values increased by 4.8% in one month.
  3. Sales volume in February 2017 was about 2% higher than last year. Sales volume in the region is up nearly 3% this year so far.
  4. It took an average of 48 days to sell a home last month (one year ago in February 2016 it was taking 3 days longer to sell).
  5. It took one day longer to sell in February compared to January (next month we should see stats show less days on market as spring unfolds).
  6. FHA sales volume is down 6.7% this year compared to 2016 (but roughly 22% of all sales were FHA last month).
  7. Only 3.4% of all sales were bank-owned and 2.5% were short sales.
  8. The average price per sq ft was about $210 last month (about 1% higher than January, but 7% higher than last year).
  9. The average sales price increased about 2% last month and is currently $387,105. This is 4.3% higher than last year.
  10. Cash sales were 16% of all sales last month.

Some of my favorite images this month:

Regional Inventory - by Sacramento regional appraisal blog

inventory in sacramento regional market

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

sacramento region volume - FHA and conventional - by appraiser blog

median price and inventory in sacramento regional market 2014

Regional market median price - by home appraiser blog

PLACER COUNTY:

  1. The median price increased to $435,000 (4.8% above February 2016).
  2. The median price rose 2.5% last month, but values were basically getting back to summer after a lull in the fall, so this doesn’t mean values increased by 2.5% in one month.
  3. Sales volume in February 2017 was about 9% higher than last year.
  4. It took an average of 51 days to sell a home last month (one year ago in February 2016 it was taking 7 days longer to sell).
  5. It took 1 less day to sell in February compared to January.
  6. FHA sales volume is down 12.6% this year compared to 2016 (but roughly 17% of all sales were FHA last month).
  7. Only 2.5% of all sales were bank-owned and 3.1% were short sales.
  8. The average price per sq ft was about $219 last month (about 3.9% higher than January and 4.8% higher than last February).
  9. The average sales price increased about 2.4% last month and is currently $478,589. This is 3.5% higher than last year.
  10. Cash sales were 16.5% of all sales last month.

Some of my favorite images this month:

days on market in placer county by sacramento appraisal blog months of housing inventory in placer county by sacramento appraisal blog 2 Placer County price and inventory - by sacramento appraisal blog Placer County sales volume - by sacramento appraisal blog

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

DOWNLOAD 70 graphs HERE: Please download all graphs in this post (and more) here as a zip file (including a one-page quick stat sheet). See my sharing policy for 5 ways to share (please don’t copy verbatim). Thanks.

Questions: Did I miss anything? What are you seeing out there? How would you describe the market? I’d love to hear your take.

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

Sagging stats and increasing values (and a market update)

By 9 Comments

January stats are down, but the market feels up. That’s normal at this time of year, but it can be confusing. Let’s focus on three things to keep in mind about the beginning of the year in real estate, and then let’s unpack the market. This post is long on purpose. You can scan it quickly or pour a cup of coffee and spend some time here. If you aren’t in Sacramento, I hope you can still find some value. Do you see any parallels to your market? Any thoughts? 

39613867 - close up of weathered and textured boards on an old wooden farm door

3 things to keep in mind about the beginning of the year in real estate

1) Recent sales lag the real trend: At this time of year it’s important to remember that the most recent sales don’t necessarily tell us about the current market. It’s like a pregnancy test. You might be pregnant, but an over-the-counter test won’t tell you that for two weeks even though there has been a change in your body. Similarly, the market may have changed, but we may not see the price change in the stats for a month or two.

2) Insane appreciation: We are seeing multiple offers, but in many cases it seems the market is trying to get back to prices from the peak of summer rather than showing rapid value increases like we saw in 2013. I recently heard about a property getting into contract 5% above sales from December, but that doesn’t mean the market actually increased in value by 5% over the past month. It could simply be the market is pulling itself out of the fall seasonal lull and getting back to prices from the summer (where they were 5% higher).

3) We see the market in the pendings: If we want to see the current market we have to look at the pendings and listings. Let’s obviously give strong weight to properties that have actually sold, but we cannot ignore pendings to help us gauge the direction of prices for the current market. If we rely too heavily on sales from December and January alone, we might essentially undervalue properties because the market usually ticks up during the early part of the year (which we would see in the pendings). In other words, today’s higher pendings will close over the next 30-60 days and then show value increases on paper for March and April. But the truth is the value increases are actually happening right now. It just takes skill to be able to see the market before the change shows up in the stats. This is why have to give way more respect to pendings. I realize we don’t know the exact price of pending sales though, and that’s why we have to look at many examples of pendings rather than just one. In some markets pendings get into contract at ridiculous levels too, so we have to sift if the prices are realistic (that makes it even more tricky). If there are few listings in a neighborhood, we can look at competitive neighborhoods for more data because we don’t want to base the entire market on just one listing or pending. Let’s not forget to be in tune with where sales left off at the end of summer too.

Appraisal class: I’m teaching a 3-hour class next week on Feb 22 at SAR called How to Think Like an Appraiser. I’d love to have you come. Details here.

DOWNLOAD 77 graphs HERE: Please download all graphs in this post (and more) here as a zip file (including a one-page quick stat sheet). See my sharing policy for 5 ways to share (please don’t copy verbatim). Thanks.

A Market Summary: The market is always interesting in the early part of the year because we are in a place where values have changed, but we don’t see the change in the sales stats yet. So there is a disconnect between reporting slow January data and how the market feels right now. What I mean is the median price softened last month by 3%, sales volume declined by 27% from December, and it took 3 days longer to sell a house than the previous month. If we didn’t know any better we’d say the market was tanking. But let’s back up and think through this.

January sales stats aren’t often very sexy because they represent properties that went into contract in November and December. Do you remember Thanksgiving and Christmas? Yeah, you probably weren’t looking for a house, so it’s not a surprise to see sales stats sag from those months. At times the real estate community doesn’t like to admit the market shows a price lull during the fall, but a lull happens nearly every single year. So if we’re not careful we can focus on sales volume declining last month by 27% without realizing that’s normal to see every January (see graphs below). The irony is it’s easy to say we are in trouble because sales volume declined, but this January actually had its strongest month of volume in 4 years. We might also be concerned about sales showing a good 5% or so decline from the height of summer, but that’s not unusual (see graphs). Or we can freak out about sales taking longer to sell, but over the next month or two we are bound to see this stat change as it will begin to take less time to sell during the spring.

The truth is the market is beginning to heat up. Right now we have an atmosphere of multiple offers in many price ranges. Let’s remember though the market feels more aggressive than actual value increases at times. Moreover, it’s easy to let news of a “hot” real estate market or anemic housing inventory trump actual market data. Thus I would caution sellers to price according to the market instead of the headlines. Just because inventory is spare does not mean you can get whatever price you want too. I would also remind buyers that the bulk of listings don’t usually come on the market for a few months (April through August tends to be the peak).

Sacramento County:

  1. The median price softened to $305,000 (down 7% from summer).
  2. The median price is currently 8.9% above January 2016.
  3. Sales volume was stronger in January than it’s been in 4 years. We could focus on sales volume declining by 27% from December, but volume always declines from December. See the graphs below.
  4. Sales volume in January 2017 was 14% higher than last year.
  5. One year ago in January it was taking 4 days longer to sell.
  6. FHA sales volume is down 6% this year compared to 2016 (but 27% of all sales were FHA last month).
  7. Only 3% of all sales were bank-owned last month and 2.4% were short sales.
  8. The average price per sq ft was about $202 last month (about the same as December, but 8% higher than last year).
  9. The average sales price softened 1% last month and is currently $339,028. This is down 5% from the height of summer (but is 9% higher than last year).
  10. Cash sales were 15% of all sales last month.

Some of my favorite images this month:

Median price since 2013 in sacramento county

january and december

january seasonal market in sacramento

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

price metrics since 2015 in sacramento county - look at all

CDOM in Sacramento County - by Sacramento Regional Appraisal Blog

inventory - January 2017 - by home appraiser blog

SACRAMENTO REGIONAL MARKET:

  1. The median price softened to $339,000 (down 8% from summer).
  2. The median price is currently 5% above January 2016.
  3. Sales volume in the region is up about 2% over the past year.
  4. Sales volume in January 2017 was 7.6% higher than last year.
  5. One year ago in January it was taking 3 days longer to sell.
  6. It took an average of 47 days to sell a home last month.
  7. FHA sales volume is down almost 7% over the past year (but still 23% of all sales were FHA last month).
  8. The average price per sq ft was about $208 last month. This is down about 1.5% from summer, but 5.7% higher than last year.
  9. The average sales price softened 2% last month and is currently $380,151. This is down about 6.5% from summer (but is 5.9% higher than last year).
  10. Cash sales were 16% of all sales last month.

Some of my favorite images this month:

median price sacramento placer yolo el dorado county

Regional Inventory - by Sacramento regional appraisal blog

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

inventory in sacramento regional market

sacramento region volume - FHA and conventional - by appraiser blog

PLACER COUNTY:

  1. The median price is $424,500 (down 3% from the height of summer).
  2. The median price is currently 4.8% above January 2016.
  3. Sales volume in Placer County was down almost 13% this January compared to last January. 
  4. Sales volume in January was nearly identical in volume to January 2014 and January 2015.
  5. Housing supply is down 4% from last year.
  6. It took an avg of 52 days to sell a home last month (same as Jan 2016).
  7. The average price per sq ft was about $211 last month. This is down about 2.5% from summer, but about 5% higher than last year.
  8. The average sales price softened 1% last month and is currently $467,276. This is down about 3% from summer (but is 3% higher than last year).
  9. Bank-owned sales were 2.4% of all sales last month (short sales were 1.3%).
  10. Cash sales were 19.5% of all sales last month.

Some of my favorite images this month:

Placer County price and inventory - by sacramento appraisal blog

Placer County sales volume - by sacramento appraisal blog

months of housing inventory in placer county by sacramento appraisal blog 2

days on market in placer county by sacramento appraisal blog

Placer County housing inventory - by home appraiser blog

DOWNLOAD 77 graphs HERE: Please download all graphs in this post (and more) here as a zip file (including a one-page quick stat sheet). See my sharing policy for 5 ways to share (please don’t copy verbatim). Thanks.

Questions: Did I miss anything? What are you seeing out there? How would you describe the market? I’d love to hear your take.

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