Orange County Housing Report

A Powerful Market

With a low supply and extremely strong demand, the Expected Market Time is at its lowest level to start October since tracking began in 2004.

Lighthouses are built to withstand the unrelenting pounding of the ocean’s surge.  They stand tall, strong, and resilient as they warn boats of perilously rocky coasts, stretching their bright beacons across the sea regardless of the weather.  Their power and strength persevere as they continue to serve their purpose through the years.

The lighthouse is the perfect metaphor for something that is powerful, strong, and resilient.  It is a great metaphor for the current Orange County housing market.  It too is extremely strong, and is at a powerful level that will endure for quite some time.  The momentum and force of housing will push through the current pandemic and economic turbulence.

At the root of housing’s strength is simple supply and demand. The active listing inventory is currently at 4,153 homes, its lowest level for a start to October since tracking began in 2004. Only 2012 came close with 4,400 homes. All other years had at least an additional 1,200 homes. In fact, there were 6,616 homes to start October in 2019, an extra 2,463 or 59% more.

The record low interest rate environment is fueling unprecedented demand. Rates have reached 9 record lows so far this year. With mortgage rates below 3%, current demand is off the charts. Demand, the number of pending sales over the prior 30-days, is at 3,254. The last time it was this high was in 2012 when it reached 3,255 at the start of October, yet there were 1,167 short sales and foreclosures embedded in those numbers, 36% of demand. Since short sales required lenders agreeing to take less, many of those short sales never closed. Today there are only 13 short sales and foreclosures included in demand, 0.4%. Last year demand was at 2,311 pending sales, 943 fewer or 29% less.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This excerpt is taken from an article by Steven Thomas

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.