Market Review of 2009

Well the numbers are not yet in for December, and they won’t be for a couple of weeks.  I have access to great statistics, they compile the numbers daily, weekly and monthly, and I get to share the details with you.

I started by checking out many, many different charts to look for what I believe is the best representation of our market currently and over this past year.  This chart, shows the annual appreciation based on monthly sales price per square foot.  I have 2002 and 2003 on this chart to show what a ‘normal’ year appreciation looked like.  In 2004, and 2005 we saw huge appreciation that is not typical of a normal market and then in 2006, 2007, and 2008 we saw the bubble pop.

Back in about April we started to see changes, the number of homes being purchased increased, the inventory started reducing, and the plummeting price drops slowed.  In a ‘normal’ market there is around a 6% increase to value each year.   In April we hit the low of 44% loss and as I write this we are sitting on average across the entire valley 12% loss.

OK so when your looking at losses, none are going to be good news.  But the dramatic change from earlier this year indicates to me, that we are moving toward  a normalized market.

Let me say again, that this is an over view of the entire Valley of the Sun, each smaller area may tell a different story and usually does

Part of the story that needs to be told is the market by price.  A look at inventory broken down by price tells a great story.  In a ‘normal’ market there is about 6 months (180 days) worth of inventory.  Less and you have sellers market, more and you have a buyers market.

What is interesting is we have all 3 happening at the same time.  A price point of  $300-400k is our ‘normal’ market with about 6 months of inventory.  Prices higher are in the buyers market and lower are in a sellers market.

So depending on the price point you are purchasing in, you may find yourself in a bidding war, and some sales prices over asking.

Inventory is down, pending closing up, all improvements

Here in the greater Phoenix area there is a lot of talk about the changing market.  Our outlying areas have seen the greatest recovery.  Well, let me rephrase that.  Those outer areas, prices have dropped to such a level that people are jumping in to purchase.

This chart is the current inventory, the number of homes currently on the market actively listed, divided by the number of homes that are closing.  Giving us an idea how long it would take at the current level to sell all of the homes available.  Back in April of 2008 there was a 420 day supply of homes.  That is a lot of homes, and not many people purchasing.

Move forward a little more than a year, and we have 209 day supply of homes.  Currently we have people buying homes, and fewer on the market.

The first chart must be looked at comparing it to active listings.  Together they tell a better picture.  This is the chart of active listings.   I included the 2002 and 2003 data because they show a ‘normal’ market.

You can see the inventory levels rose and reached their highest point in late 2007, and remained high all through 2008.  The first part of 2009 we see the number of listings is reducing, currently at 41,197 active listings.

The last chart to compare is the pending listings.  Is this a fluke or going to last.  This chart is jagged, due to many closing at the end of the month.  You can see the current pending listings is high.  Due in part to lenders taking longer to approve buyers.

From this information we know there are lots of people purchasing homes.  The inventory levels are dropping,  and there are lots of homes pending and about to close.  At least for the next few months, the Phoenix market is moving!

State of the Phoenix Housing Market

The worst month for home sales in Maricopa County (the greater Phoenix area) was January 2008. There were a total of 2,912 homes that closed and sold. The lowest number in 8 years or more. From there the number of homes sold each month improved with our banner month in June. In June, 2008 (5,748 homes sold) we had more homes sold than June 2007 (5,438). That started a trend where month over month we have had more homes sold than in 2007. It has continued thru the rest of the year.

What does this mean? It means we have hit the lowest spot in our market and are starting to see recovery. Does this mean housing prices are headed up again? Not necessarily. We still have an inventory of 47,396 homes on the market, and 6,139 listings waiting to close. That is still a lot of competition.

There are currently 34,846 listings under 350k. This is important because it is the FHA loan limit. And the price point of most of the home sales. Of those properties priced under 350k, 10,231 are foreclosure properties. Just under 1/3. Foreclosures are driving the market and will continue to do so for a while.

The good news is our market is showing signs of recovery for the past 6 months.