Mortgage Watch | August 13, 2018

Sellers Look to Turn Hefty Profits in High Demand Areas

In-demand areas of the U.S. are seeing a sizable inventory jump, with sellers looking to turn profits, according to a realtor.com® report released Wednesday.

California’s San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro area, where the median listing price reached $1.205 million in July, is seeing homes taking on the average of 26 days to sell, while the number of listings rose 44% year-over-year, representing the largest increase in the country, according to the report.

The Pacific Northwest is seeing Seattle and its surrounding suburbs offering 29% more homes on the market in July, compared to the same period last year, with the median home price now at $569,000, taking an average of 30 days to sell.

Looking big picture, across the U.S., the median listing price remained at a record high of $299,000 in July — flat from June, but an increase of 9% on an annual basis. Meanwhile, U.S. homes sold in an average of 59 days in July, 5 days faster than last year.

Overall housing inventory fell 4% year-over-year in July, but listings above $350,000 were up 5.7%.

“July inventory growth is in high-priced, competitive markets, and often at the pricier end of these markets,” Danielle Hale, chief economist for realtor.com, said in the report. “It’s not just California markets that have seen an increase in inventory, markets on both coasts and in the South reported inventory increases in July,” she said in the report. “Although signs of an inventory turnaround are encouraging, whether they mean good news for buyers remains to be seen. These areas are seeing more new listings and some construction growth, but high prices and fast-selling homes are causing some buyer hesitation which is reflected in fewer home sales.”

The 45 largest metros saw prices significantly higher in markets where inventory is rising, and where the median home price averaged $494,000 in July, compared to an average price of $302,000 in markets where inventory is falling, according to the report.

Rates Currently Trending: Neutral

Mortgage rates are trending sideways this morning. Last week the MBS market improved by +1bps. This was not enough to move rates. There was very little mortgage rate volatility last week.

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.