Why, what’s the matter,
That you have such a February face,
So full of frost, of storm and cloudiness?
– – – William Shakespeare “Much Ado About Nothing”
Do not have a February face! Get out and enjoy all the great happenings and with this months newsletter on events, tips and eye on the market how could you not!
KIRKLAND, Washington (Jan. 5, 2017) – Like many other months of 2016, December was frustrating for buyers across Washington state as they encountered depleted inventory and rising prices. Post-election hikes in interest rates – with more on the horizon — added to would-be homeowners’ worries.
Northwest Multiple Listing Service statistics for December show year-over-year drops in new listings, but gains in pending sales, closed sales and prices. Pending sales (mutually accepted offers) in the four-county Puget Sound region reached their highest level since 2005.
“The data just keep telling the same story – low inventory and increasing prices,” remarked Mike Grady, president and COO of Coldwell Banker Bain. “As one of our brokers put it, ‘Sellers received an awesome Christmas gift in December, but buyers, only a lump of coal.'”
Brokers added 4,217 new listings to the inventory during December to bring the supply up to 10,571 listings. The volume of new listings surpassed the year-ago figure of 4,041, but supply still fell, dropping to only 1.4 months for the Northwest MLS market area covering 23 counties. Both King and Snohomish counties reported less than a month of inventory.
Robert Wasser, owner/broker at Prospera Real Estate in Seattle, said his analysis of the MLS data indicates the supply of single family homes for sale in King County just hit a post-recession low. “The only other time supply fell below one month was around this same time a year ago,” noted Wasser, a member of the Northwest MLS board of directors.
At month end, MLS figures show inventory (10,571 listings) was nearly 15.6 percent below year-ago levels (12,522 listings), with about 90 percent of the selection being single family homes.
Seventeen of the 23 counties in the MLS report had double-digit drops in active listings at the end of last month compared to December 2015.
Northwest MLS members reported 6,401 pending sales during December, up from 5,970 for the same month a year ago for a year-over-year gain of 7.2 percent.
“The housing market remains frenzy hot on a seasonal basis,” exclaimed J. Lennox Scott. Noting sales activity was substantially higher than the number of new listings, he said such conditions “continue to foster a competitive market where homebuyers are just waiting for the next new listing to come on the market.”
Commenting on strong sales in the Central Puget Sound region, Scott noted King County recorded the biggest year-over-year jump in pending sales of single family homes, surging nearly 11.3 percent, well ahead of Kitsap (up 4.5 percent), Pierce (up 4 percent) and Snohomish (up 3.2 percent).
“Buyers pursued homes aggressively all through November and December with little to no slowdown amid fears of rising interest rates and worsening inventory levels,” said MLS director George Moorhead. “Inventory levels have dropped to their lowest level, which makes buyer frenzy even more intense as prices approach double-digit appreciation,” he added. Moorhead, the designated broker at Bentley Properties, calculates buyers have lost $37,000 in buying power due to interest rate increases. He likens the situation to having two cars, “one going forward, and one going in reverse. The gap is widening too fast for some buyers.”
Closed sales also finished on a strong note with brokers reporting 7,575 completed transactions during December. That’s up more than 6.8 percent from a year ago when members notched 7,091 closed sales.
Prices area-wide also continued trending upward, rising nearly 9.2 percent from a year ago. The overall median price for single family homes and condominiums that sold during December was $343,950; a year ago it was $315,000.
King County prices jumped 12.2 percent, from $450,000 in December 2015 to $505,000 for last month’s sales. For single family homes (excluding condominiums) the median price for December’s sales was $550,000, unchanged from October and November. Prices peaked this year in King County in June, reaching $573,522.
Condo sales slowed compared to a year ago, due at least in part to a sharp drop in inventory (down more than 19 percent). Pending sales were essentially flat (up 0.73 percent). Closed sales for December slipped nearly 6 percent, while prices on last month’s completed sales of condos rose 9.8 percent. The median price on last month’s closed sales of condos was $280,000. Condo prices in King County jumped more than 12 percent, from $279,975 a year ago to last month’s sales price of $314,000.
“Looking ahead to 2017, the Seattle market will continue to perform well, even with the expected interest rate increase,” stated OB Jacobi, president of Windermere Real Estate. The regional economy is in full stride, he noted, adding, “This will continue to create increased demand for housing across the board. Price growth should start to cool a little as inventory levels rise modestly, but overall, 2017 should be another banner year for the housing market.”
Consumers should expect prices to continue edging upward, suggested Moorhead. “NAR indicates we are 70,000 units short of meeting the housing needs in the Puget Sound area. Builders are just flat out running out of urban land to work with,” he said. Moorhead believes rising costs for construction labor are the driving force for price increases. Builder confidence continues to grow, reaching its highest levels since 2005, he noted, but added, “Naturally, some trepidation is heard as some feel this level of growth in the market is completely unsustainable.”
Grady believes the pattern of low inventory and increasing prices will continue. “We believe it is a predictor for what to expect throughout 2017,” he commented. “There’s simply not enough new construction to fill the needs of new employees being hired both locally and new to the state. The key is employment,” Grady continued, saying “There’s no reason to think that a new administration will cause employment to slow down; rather, it’s more likely we’ll see it increase in the Puget Sound region so we’re off to another strong start in 2017,” he stated.
Scott, the chairman and CEO of John L. Scott, expects a higher number of new listings will start to show up in mid-February – “just in time for the spring housing market rush.”
Northwest Multiple Listing Service, owned by its member real estate firms, is the largest full-service MLS in the Northwest. Its membership of nearly 2,100 member offices includes more than 25,000 real estate professionals. The organization, based in Kirkland, Wash., currently serves 23 counties in the state.
I am privileged to announce that I have officially joined the Homes for Heroes organization in their mission to help heroes across the country save thousands of dollars in the process of buying or selling their home.
What is Home for Heroes?
Homes for Heroes is an organization that was formed after the tragic events of 9/11 as a way to say “Thank You” to the heroes of our nation. The Homes for Heroes organization is composed of a network of real estate professionals who are prepared to give real savings to those who serve their communities when they buy, sell, or refinance a home. This program is our way to say, “Thank you!”
Who qualifies as a hero?
Our core group of local heroes includes but is not limited to: Military personnel, Police Officers, Firefighters, First Responders, Educators, and Health Care Workers. If you think you might qualify, please contact me and tell me about what you do for your community. When you are buying, selling or refinancing a home, let us say thank you for all that you do!
How much will I save?
The total amount you save will depend on the final selling or buying price of your home. Homes for Heroes Affiliate Realtors agree to rebate equal to 25% of the gross commission they receive on your transaction. Discounted lender fees are also offered on purchases and refinances with a Homes for Heroes lender. The savings can be thousands of dollars!
Are there a lot of extra applications, forms, and paperwork?
No! Homes for Heroes promises no extra forms, no red tape, no fine print, no hidden fees, and no catch!
Homes for Heroes offers me the chance to help our local community heroes achieve their dreams of home ownership. If you are interested in taking advantage of this opportunity, please contact me for more info or you can register now at www.snohomishcountyheroes.com to get started.
Ready or not here we come roaring into 2017! Some great and exciting things coming soon to Real Estate and to help serve my clients in a better, faster and more economic way. Stay tuned but in the meantime enjoy the monthly newsletter full of events, tips and tricks for this month. Stay warm and safe!
Snohomish County Statistics as of November 2016
November is known for being on the cold side and normally signs of a slowing Real Estate market as everyone starts to buckle in for the winter and holidays. Not this year however! November was smoking hot with only 1.4 month of inventory and buyers were snatching up everything they could. I saw multiple offers skyrocketing and bidding wars with some homes being bid up 100K. The picture to the left is a Bothell home that had 32 offers and was bid up 95k! Crazy!!
Here are your local inventory stats.
Active Inventory
+17% November 2016 vs. November 2015
1111 available homes currently on market -800 vs. last month.
Pending Transactions
Up 1% November 2016 vs. November 2015
1528 units -88 vs. last month
Sold Transactions
+27%!!! November 2016 vs. 2015
1452 units -182 than last month
Days on Market
Snohomish County Active to pending 33 days vs. 47 a year ago up 7 days from last month.
Median home price in Snohomish County 399,000 +14% last year. Up $7,000 from last month.
Area price % based on last Quarter
All percentages are up and also include new construction
Bothell + 16%, Edmonds/Lynnwood +17%. Everett/Mukilteo +12%
Snohomish/Monroe+ 11%. Lake Stevens/Granite Falls + 17%.
Marysville +14%
King County Median home prices are $523,000 + 16% over last year and up $6k from last month.
Woodinville area Median price is $550!!
You’re not alone.
As a Realtor, one of the questions I hear most frequently is, “When is the best time to buy a house?”
The answer is simple – the best time to buy a house is the right time for you.
That being said, the housing market does experience some seasonal patterns. Traditionally, folks don’t want to move during the holidays and they desperately want to get into a better school district prior to school starting.
This means inventory is typically low during the winter and demand is often high during the summer. While inventory has a tendency to peak during August, buyers who have been on the hunt for a substantial amount of time begin to experience fatigue.
By the time fall rolls around, many house hunters have given up and signed a lease or decided to stay in their current home for another year. In fact, the Seattle area housing market has gone like gangbusters from January through July of this year. Homes were flying off the market. Bidding wars were common. Buyers were waiving inspection and guaranteeing earnest money.
There was a tapering off in August. Bidding wars became less frequent and listed homes received fewer offers. Now that we have hit fall, the competition has dropped even further. Yet, interest rates still remain at record lows.
As a potential buyer, this is great news. With low rates and less competition, you have more choices. Doesn’t fall sound like a good time to buy a home?
Ready to find a home? I can guide you to great lenders, programs that fit your budget and of, course, find you a home. Contact me today!
New home sales hit highest level in 9 years!
Millennials still believe in the homeownership dream even if they can’t afford to buy
Housing market across the U.S. finally starting to look healthy
Salary needed to buy a home in 19 major U.S. cities
Tips for staying out of debt
Calculate how much house you can afford
King County’s eco-remodeling tool provide tips for going green for your next home renovation
Four colors that may hurt a home’s sales price
7 percent of Puget Sound homes are underwater, compared with 12 percent nationally
A teardown a day: Bulldozing the way for bigger homes in Seattle, suburbs
BLS stats show Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue is #7 Metro area for fastest job growth
What does Vancouver’s housing market implosion mean for Seattle?
Seattle home-sale market provides small hint of slowdown
You need an annual salary of $83K to afford a home in Seattle
Everett welcomes the film industry, an important economic driver for local businesses
I hope your week is a great one!
Jen Murrweiss | Remax Elite | 425-422-7243
Active Inventory
Prices are up 5% over last year same time July 2016 vs. July 2015
2141 brand new listings in July that is up 53 from last month. 2141 total active at the end of the month.
Pending Transactions
Up +3% July 2016 vs. July 2015
2079 units went pending last month that is 62 less however than June.
Sold Transactions
+9% July 2016 vs. July 2015.
1673 units +11 more than last month
Days on Market
Snohomish County Active to pending 25 days vs. 36 a year ago. Incredible!
Median home price in Snohomish County $387,000!!
Median home price in King County $523,000. Snohomish county is gaining however the gap between King and Snohomish is growing.
Months of inventory
If no additional homes would be put on the market, there would be no inventory left after 1.25 months in Snohomish County. In King County that figure is 1.2 months. A balanced “normal” market is 3-6 months. Buyers’ market more than 6 and Sellers less than 3 months.
Area price % growth based on last Quarter
Bothell + 14%, Edmonds/Lynnwood +5%. Everett/Mukilteo +11%
Snohomish/Monroe + 11%. Lake Stevens/Granite Falls/Arlington/Darrington +7 %. Marysville +7%
New Construction is included in these percentages.
July 2016 Market Characteristics:
KIRKLAND, Washington (June 6, 2016) – Just as expected, the month of May had an uptick in new listings (12,272), but just as many buyers (12,275) made offers on homes during the month to keep inventory depleted, according to the latest figures from Northwest Multiple Listing Service.
“Inventory is being squeezed from all directions,” reported Frank Wilson, branch managing broker at John L. Scott in Poulsbo. He said the pool of house-hunters includes young first-time buyers, renters whose rents are escalating, buyers who are returning to the market after recovering from a foreclosure or short sale, investors, and baby boomers who are purchasing for their retirement needs. Additionally, in Kitsap County where his office is located, there are military families who are transferring to a base there and want to buy.
By month end, member brokers reported 15,198 active listings in the Northwest MLS database. That’s down more than 22 percent from a year ago when buyers could choose from an inventory of 19,515 listings across the 23 counties served by the listing service.
“The May housing market was not just hot, it was frenzy hot,” commented J. Lennox Scott, chairman and CEO of John L. Scott Real Estate. “Brokers are working like bees in a hive as the housing market creates a buzz of sales activity in the Seattle-Central Puget Sound area.” By his analysis, 80 percent of the homes coming on the market in King and Snohomish counties are selling within the first 30 days. “Many sell within the first week,” Scott reported, adding, “A healthy/normal market would have 30 percent selling in the first 30 days.”
MLS figures show there is only 1.76 months of supply system-wide. In both King and Snohomish counties, there is barely more than one month of supply – well below the 4-to-6 months that many experts use as an indicator of a balanced market.
“With less than two months of inventory, every new listing seems to draw multiple offers,” Wilson remarked. He also said homeowners who want to move up in this same market know they face a conundrum: “If we sell today, will we be able to buy tomorrow?”
Buyers are becoming more and more aggressive with offers and pricing, and that concerns some brokers, said Northwest MLS director George Moorhead. As the gap between pricing and value widens, some would-be buyers may overextend themselves. Also, appraisers are struggling with a lack of comparable sales versus multiple offers that escalate well beyond the listing price, said Moorhead, the designated broker at Bentley Properties. Since lenders base loans on appraised values, buyers will likely need to make up the shortfall.
Even though brokers say paltry inventory is limiting sales, the year-over-year volume of pending sales rose more than 7.4 percent last month. Members reported 12,275 mutually accepted offers, up from the year-ago total of 11,425. MLS data going back to 2004 shows that one-month total is the highest on record.
Prices also rose. The median price area-wide for last month’s 8,630 closed sales of single family homes and condominiums (combined) was $339,950. That’s up more than 7.2 percent from twelve months ago when purchasers paid $317,000 for the median-priced home. Ten counties reported double-digit price hikes.
In King County, the median price jumped more than 11.7 percent, from $434,000 to $485,000. Prices on single family homes surged nearly 16.5 percent, rising from $480,942 to $560,000. Condo prices were up 9 percent, but finding one proved challenging as inventory dropped 29 percent in King County.
Former MLS board member Ken Anderson, the president/owner of Coldwell Banker Evergreen Olympic Realty in Olympia, said last month set records for both pending and closed sales. “Low inventory coupled with the huge number of buyers has our market moving at a record pace,” according to his calculations. “Well-priced homes are selling in an average of just 12 days – a full month faster than the peak of the market in 2006,” he commented.
Brokers offer various suggestions to prospective buyers as they vie for scarce inventory:
Wilson and other brokers do not see an easing in the inventory crunch “for some time to come.” Even if the Fed raises interest rates, he believes shortages will persist because of the backlog of buyers.
Moorhead noted new home construction is also seeing prices soar as many of the defunct projects from 2008 to 2012 are being completed and built out. “Finding land for new home plats is forcing more teardowns and pushing builders/developers farther out where services are not as prevalent. He said first-time buyers tend to be hardest hit since they’re priced out of many close-in areas and must look at commute times of 45 minutes or more.
“There’s good news for luxury homebuyers,” Scott suggests. It’s prime time to showcase such properties, he explains, and “this is the season when more luxury inventory hits the market. The good selection in King County is easing the pressure for homebuyers in the luxury ($1 million and above) market. A search of the MLS database shows there are currently more than 900 listings in King County with asking prices of $1 million or more.
Northwest Multiple Listing Service, owned by its member real estate firms, is the largest full-service MLS in the Northwest. Its membership of nearly 2,100 member offices includes more than 25,000 real estate professionals. The organization, based in Kirkland, Wash., currently serves 23 counties in Washington state.
Welcome to May and your eye on the market
