OC Housing Report | Luxury Returns

After grinding to a complete halt, the luxury market is pumping on all cylinders.

Luxury Strength: The upper end of the housing market is strong with plenty of demand.

In Batman v Superman, in order for Superman to kill Doomsday, a gigantic monster that is also from the planet Krypton, he sacrifices himself by taking a krypton spear (his only weakness) and launches it into Doomsday. Both Superman and Doomsday die. Many moviegoers left the movie theater in disbelief, the ultimate superhero had perished. Yet, in Justice League (2017), through the power of the Mother Box and a giant electric spark from The Flash, Superman was revived to help save Earth from the evil Apokoliptian general Steppenwolf and his army of Parademons. Superman returned, was unstoppable, and helped defeat the villain. The luxury housing market in Orange County came to screeching halt in mid-April. It appeared as if luxury housing had perished in 2020 and would not be revived until 2021 at the earliest. The Expected Market Time (the amount of time between hammering in the FOR-SALE sign to opening escrow) increased to 322 days for all homes priced above $1.25 million. Fear and uncertainty shrouded the upper end amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and California’s “stay at home” order. It left many luxury sellers in disbelief, wondering if they would ever be able to sell their homes without major price cuts. Yet, the market began to improve after bottoming in April. Slowly but surely demand picked up in every price range. Luxury was revived on the backs of increased confidence in Wall Street, a low mortgage rate environment, and the realization of the importance of “home” in the middle of a pandemic. Everybody is acutely aware of the significance of the home office, additional living space, a larger yard, and the many amenities that make life at home more enjoyable. In taking a closer look at luxury, today’s Expected Market Time is at its lowest point in years, 111 days. That sounds high compared to the overall Orange County housing market at 47 days, but it is extremely strong for the upper end, and quite an improvement from the 322 day mark reached in mid-April, the middle of the Spring Market.

 

 

 

About the Author

Tim Morissette, also known in the community as Mr. Foothill Ranch, offers over 46 years of real estate experience which has given him an established reputation and unmatched market knowledge. He is joined by his wife, Michele and sons Matt and Jeff, as they continue to offer personal service with an emphasis on achieving his clients’ real estate goals.  This unique combination of traits has led to his proven track record of referral and repeat business. This can be witnessed by the trust of homeowners in Foothill Ranch where he has sold twice as many homes and represented three times more buyers than the next-leading real estate agent for the last 26 years.

As residents of Foothill Ranch since 1994, Tim and Michele are actively involved in the community by fundraising for Foothill Ranch Library, Make-a-Wish Foundation, Cancer Society, Homes for Habitat, Relay for Life, South County Outreach, and the local church and schools. Tim enjoys sponsoring community-wide garage sales, paper shredding and e-waste recycling event, an Easter egg hunt, & a Meet Santa Event.

Tim and Michele are dedicated to their family of four sons, daughter-in-laws, and grandchildren. As a family, they enjoy many outdoor activities which include camping, spearfishing, mountain climbing and exploring the miles of hiking and equestrian trails in Foothill Ranch and the Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park. Tim and his sons are also avid snowboarders and enjoy mountain biking and lobster diving. Family is a top priority in the Morissette household. They look forward to helping more families achieve their dreams of homeownership.