Yolo County

Seven years of price increases & my blue kitchen island

December 3, 2018 By Ryan Lundquist 16 Comments

Let me get straight to it. I’m excited to share some new visuals. I’m geeking out because these new images help tell a compelling story of seven years of price increases. Whether you’re local or not, I hope you can dig these.

A FEW QUICK THINGS THIS WEEK:

1) Loan Limits: You probably heard conforming loan limits were raised for the third year in a row. This basically helps buyers continue to afford higher prices. I’m not saying that’s bad, but it would be nice if wage growth more than anything was helping people afford the market.

2) Sign the Petition for Appraisers: Last week I wrote about a move to start getting rid of appraisers. This is a big deal with huge implications for the housing market and future escrows. I co-wrote a petition through change.org and I want to ask you to please sign it. SIGN HERE.

3) Cool Graphing Link: On a lighter note, Freddie Mac launched a new graphing tool where you can make quick visuals and even compare different markets throughout the United States. Not every city is listed, but it’s worth checking out and getting lost for a few minutes.

4) My Blue Kitchen: I talked about blue being the rage in kitchens, and I guess my post inspired me. During Thanksgiving break I built a new kitchen island and we painted it blue. Woodworking is definitely a passion and it’s something I do to help keep my sanity. Anyway, this was a fun project and I wanted to share.

SEVEN YEARS ON ONE GRAPH (NEW VISUALS):

Here’s some images for four counties (Sacramento, Placer, Yolo, & El Dorado). What I like is we see price trends for seven years on one graph. It may take a moment to figure out how to digest these images, but look for changes in price and volume over time. So far people who have seen these have noted rising prices and definitely vanishing affordability. Keep in mind they don’t include most of December for 2018, and that could change the look slightly by next month.

What do you see?

SACRAMENTO COUNTY:

SACRAMENTO REGION:

PLACER COUNTY:

EL DORADO COUNTY:

YOLO COUNTY:

SHARE THESE IMAGES: You are welcome to share any of these images in your newsletter, on social media, or on your blog, etc… See my sharing policy for details and 5 ways to share (please don’t copy my post verbatim).

I hope that was interesting or helpful.

Questions: What do think of these images? Which ones do you like best? Any suggestions for improvement? I’d love to hear your take.

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Talking real estate cycles at the dinner table

November 19, 2018 By Ryan Lundquist 29 Comments

Let’s talk about real estate cycles. Are we at the top of the market? Lots of people are wondering, so I figured I’d throw out some charts to help fuel conversation. My goal here isn’t to say YES or NO, but to focus on stats for the sake of discussion. Well, and if you need something to talk about at Thanksgiving dinner besides politics…

CYCLE CHARTS: Here’s some charts to show the annual median price in various local counties. What do you see? Look at price changes and cycle lengths. If you’re not local, what would charts like this look like in your market?

NOTE: The market started increasing in the late 90s, but stats from then are limited. Just know the first cycle above would have been a couple of years longer.

What about the ’70s and ’80s though?

Someone in the comments wanted to see price trends in previous decades, so here’s the 70s and 80s for context from the Freddie Mac Price Index. I’d love to expand my charts above, but I don’t have quick access to mass stats to make that happen. I’ll keep my eyes open though.

THOUGHTS ON REAL ESTATE CYCLES:

1) Up and down: Sometimes we get stuck talking about real estate like it only increases in value, but that’s fiction. The reality is markets go up and down – just like relationships, the stock market, or my pants size. The truth is we see longer periods where prices increase, decline, or persist in stability.

2) The seven-year cycle: Some say the market changes every seven years, which is a nice idea, but there’s no universal rule that says the market has to behave a certain way after a specific period of time. I definitely buy into the idea of market cycles, but I’m not dogmatic about a fixed number of years.

3) Momentum change: Right now as charts show we’re seeing momentum slowing in the market. What I mean is we’re typically seeing more subdued appreciation rates over the past few years. That’s not really a surprise though as affordability is becoming more of an issue with today’s prices.

4) Other: What is point #4?

I hope that was interesting or helpful.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING: From my family to yours I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving. I’m glad we’re in this together and I appreciate our weekly conversations. Over coming days I hope you get some time off and find refreshment. I honestly hope you don’t bring up real estate cycles at the dinner table. But then again if you do, let me know how it goes….

Questions: What do you see in the charts above? What stands out to you most? I’d love to hear your take.

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Slumping volume & rising inventory

October 11, 2018 By Ryan Lundquist 12 Comments

Volume is down and inventory is up. Is that a problem? It sounds like a question for a high school Economics class, but here we are talking. Today I want to kick around two quick thoughts and then dive deeply into trends. I hope this helps – whether you’re local or not. Anything to add?

Here are the two big ideas to talk through right now.

This could be a problem: If sales volume continues to slump and inventory rises without buyers absorbing new listings, it could be a sign the market is changing in a big way. No matter how we look at it sales volume has been down lately in Sacramento. This was the weakest September since 2007 as volume was 14% lower than last year, and quarterly volume was down about 6% too. But keep in mind overall the year as a whole has actually seen strong volume, so it’s not like sales have fallen off the face of the earth (but it’s a concern we’re seeing the numbers change over the past few months). Housing inventory is also up and we haven’t seen it this high since 2014.

This could also be a dull fall: Despite the numbers seeming gloomy right now, they’re actually really consistent with what the market showed in 2014 when we had an extremely dull fall season. In fact, quarterly volume that year was down 6% and September volume was weak too. Does that sound familiar? Also, we have a nearly identical level of inventory right now compared to then too. I don’t say this to sugar coat any red flags in the market, but only to give pause and say what we’re seeing right now could simply be a very dull fall season.

We need more time: The truth is we need time to see how the market will pan out. For now we live in the tension of not knowing the future and interpreting trends for the present. My advice? Watch closely, be careful of hyped headlines, and be sure to take a wider view of the market too (let’s not forget 2014).

I hope that was helpful.

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

Prices actually went up last month. What the? Yes, the market is softening, but prices saw an uptick from August to September. That might seem confusing since we’re talking about the market cooling, but it highlights exactly what I’ve been talking about lately in that you don’t often see a market changing by looking at prices. You see change first in the listings and sales volume – and then prices eventually. This is exactly what’s happening right now.

Normal fall stuff: Last month it took longer to sell, the number of listings increased, and we saw a dip in sales volume. This is what we’d expect to see at this time of year, though the dip in volume was definitely sharp, which is something we’ll watch over time to see if it’s a byproduct of a dull fall or the start of a bigger trend. Beyond volume being down 6% this quarter, all the metrics look fairly normal for the fall. Well, they look normal for a dull fall season, that is.

Momentum slowing: Beyond a seasonal slowing we’re also seeing momentum slowing. I explain it here in a presentation I gave yesterday.

Interest rates rising: One of the reasons why we’re seeing volume slough could be due to interest rates rising. Earlier in the year it seemed buyers ran to the market in light of news of rising rates, but right now it doesn’t seem like buyers have their running shoes on any longer.

Buyers have more power, but not all power: The market is shifting to favor buyers, though sellers still have lots of power. Some buyers hear about a softening market and think they can make lowball offers, but that’s just not realistic. For instance, last month 40% of all sales had multiple offers in the region. That tells us the market isn’t dead despite softening. Buyers, did you hear that? Enjoy your newfound power, but you still have to bring strong reasonable offers.

Listings may have peaked: Overall housing inventory is up as I mentioned above, but it looks like the number of listings is starting to crest for the year. I’ve been watching listings closely over the past few weeks and it seems like they maybe peaked. We’ll know for sure in a month or so. This is exactly what we’d expect to see happen around this time of year, but it maybe seems like more welcome news right now. Let’s keep watching to know for sure.

Being technical about weak volume and inventory: Here’s the thing, we saw a very weak sales volume in September, and it ended up really impacting inventory levels. In fact, when looking at graphs the trend line shot up dramatically last month (see below). But technically what happened was the sales that normally would’ve sold were basically piled on to the number of listings instead, and that’s making the housing supply figure look much more dramatic. Ultimately the number of listings isn’t all that abnormal for the time of year, though if sales continue to dry up over time, then it becomes a much bigger deal to have even this number of “normal” listings.

Pricing lower this fall: Right now at the least it looks like we’re poised to have a dull fall like we had in 2014. These past couple of fall seasons the market simply felt a little more flat, but this year I expect we’ll see a more pronounced price difference between sales in the spring and the fall. Remember, if listings aren’t attracting offers, it’s because the market is no longer biting at that level. What is similar and getting into contract? That’s the big question, and when a fall season is more dull it’s important to be realistic about the need to potentially price lower. In other words, it’s probably not going to be enough to price a property 1% below the height of spring and expect a flood of buyers. Remember, it doesn’t matter what other listings are priced at if they’re not selling. The only thing that matters is what is actually getting into contract. That’s where we see the market.

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

DOWNLOAD 63 graphs HERE: Please download all graphs here as a zip file. See my sharing policy for 5 ways to share (please don’t copy verbatim).

BIG QUESTIONS:

1) How did the market change from last year?

2) How did the market change from August to September?

3) What’s happening with inventory?

4) What’s happening with sales volume?

SACRAMENTO COUNTY VOLUME:

Key Stats:

September volume down 14%
2018 volume down 1% (January to September)
Annual volume down 2% (past 12 months)
Volume has been strong this year, but it’s definitely down lately.

SACRAMENTO REGION VOLUME:

Key Stats:

September volume down 16%
2018 volume down 1.4% (January to September)
Annual volume down 1.8% (past 12 months)
Volume has been strong this year, but it’s definitely down lately.

PLACER COUNTY VOLUME:

Key Stats:

September volume down 19%
2018 volume down 3% (January to September)
Annual volume down 3% (past 12 months)
Volume has been strong this year, but it’s definitely down lately.

SACRAMENTO COUNTY (more graphs here):

SACRAMENTO REGION (more graphs here):

PLACER COUNTY (more graphs here):

I hope that was helpful.

DOWNLOAD 63 graphs HERE: 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 do you see happening with volume and inventory right now? What are you hearing from buyers and sellers? I’d love to hear your take.

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Seeing the market while driving, crunching numbers, & eating tacos

April 13, 2018 By Ryan Lundquist 13 Comments

It’s not just about numbers. Look, I geek out over stats, but sometimes all we need to do is drive around town or have a few conversations to see the market. Today I wanted to share some trends I’m seeing by sharing photos I’ve taken recently. Then for those interested we’ll get into the numbers in my big monthly market update below. Anyway, let’s take a drive.

The rage of modern homes: Modern units like this are popping up in Sacramento in places that are typically close to Downtown. This small development is located in Midtown.

Flipping seminars: I’ve seen this guy on late-night TV promising to teach people how to flip homes. The problem? The market isn’t actually that great for flipping in Sacramento right now. Read about celebrity flipping seminars here.

The Prince tree: A local artist in Citrus Heights paid tribute to Prince in her front yard. I know something like this would not fly in an HOA community, but it reminds us there is maybe some room for creative expression in real estate.

Marijuana homes getting busted: There was a big raid last week where federal agents targeted 75 homes in the Sacramento region that were suspected to be “grow houses”. Remember, recreational cannabis is legal in California, but it’s never legal to have a commercial grow operation in a residential property. Anyway, I came across a different article in the SacBee that listed nine addresses of previous grow houses (golden data for appraisers).

Tearing down the neighborhood: A ranch house in Arden Park was purchased for $462,000 and torn down to build a custom home (currently pending close to $1.3M). This doesn’t happen in every neighborhood, so I’m always asking questions: What is being built? Who is buying? What is being flipped? Where is the bottom of the price market? Where is the top?

Neighborhoods that are changing: This is a colorful six-unit modern project in Oak Park off 2nd Avenue. Modern units like this are starting to pop up – especially around The Broadway Triangle.

Here’s a modern project under construction on 1st Avenue in Oak Park.

The word on the street (while eating tacos): Every few months or so I get together with a group of real estate friends to eat at Chandos (my fav taco joint). It’s not like we gather to have exclusive rigid market talk, but I always leave with some insight because our taco club has investors, a loan officer, and a Realtor / flipper. I find understanding a market is about crunching numbers, but it’s also about the word on the street. This is why I regularly ask people, “What are you seeing out there?”

I hope that was interesting or helpful. Anything to add?

And now for anyone interested in the numbers….

–——-——- Big monthly market update (it’s long on purpose) ———–——-

Spring is definitely here. Well, the market has been alive for a couple of months, but we’re now really starting to see it in the stats. The median price rose about 4% in the region last month and it’s up 9% from last year. Overall we’re seeing all the normal signs of a spring market in that it took 7 less days to sell last month, more listings are hitting the market, and sales volume is increasing for the season. Housing inventory is up slightly in the region from where it was last year and so is sales volume (though volume is down 1.5% in Sacramento County).

New recap images: I spend so much time putting together graphs, but I’ve struggled to figure out a way to quickly sum things up. Anyway, here’s a stab at a summary. Do you like these? Anything you’d change? Feedback is welcome.

A few quick things:

Not much cash actually: It’s easy to believe cash is dominating – especially from the Bay Area, but it’s really not (did you hear that sellers?). Cash sales were 15% of all sales last month in the region and in Sacramento County we actually have about 3% less cash this year so far.

Oh dang… the median price: If you didn’t know, the median price is now 6.9% lower than when the “bubble” burst in Sacramento County in 2005. I tend to see jaws drop when sharing this stat, but here are some things to keep in mind about bubble conversations. Remember, there is no formula that says our market will “pop” if we go 6.9% higher, so it’s important to not get too stuck on the previous peak. Today’s market certainly has an inflated feel, but it’s also being driven by different factors than 2005 too, so it’s not a perfect comparison to always look back to 2005. Anyway, let’s not get too side tracked, but navigating this conversation will be key in coming time for real estate professionals, and I’ve heard some sellers wanting to list too in light of how high prices are.

Zillow is going to sell homes: Yesterday HousingWire reported Zillow is going to be selling homes. There was suspicion this would happen, but The Big Z always denied it. Well, the cat’s out of the bag and I’m wondering how this will unfold. I’m also wondering if they’re going to try to chop agent fees. Let’s talk about this more as things develop. On a side note, will we have to watch listings and sales on Zillow in addition to MLS?

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

DOWNLOAD 61 graphs HERE: Please download all graphs here as a zip file. See my sharing policy for 5 ways to share (please don’t copy verbatim).

SACRAMENTO COUNTY (more graphs here):