OC Housing Report

By Buying, Selling March 22, 2022

Out of Control

March 22, 2022

With the number of available homes to purchase at extremely low levels, there simply are too many buyers competing against each other.

An Insane Market

When the Expected Market Time drops below 40-days, the Seller’s Market shifts from “hot” to “insane,” and today it is at 20 days.

Last year’s 23 day Expected Market Time was very similar to today’s ridiculous 20-day mark. In 2013, the Expected Market Time was at 33 days, the only year prior to COVID that reached the white-hot level for housing. The six-year average from 2014 to 2019 for this time of year was 69 days, much different than the current insane pace. With patience, buyers were able to isolate a home within a reasonable amount of time and were not competing against so many buyers writing offers on the same home.

The simple economic principle of supply and demand does not adequately capture today’s dilemma. There just is nothing available for buyers to purchase right now. Anything that does hit the market is greeted with a deluge of showings and plenty of offers. There really is nothing spectacular about the number of buyers looking to purchase today. That is not the issue. The issue is that there are only 1,556 homes available today in the middle of March, when there are typically around 5,400 (the six-year average between 2014 to 2019). Even with a similar number of buyers searching for a home today compared to past years, there are far fewer choices. This lack of FOR-SALE signs is precisely why the housing market is out of control.

As long as the inventory remains at catastrophically low levels, expect more of the same.

About the Author
Tim Morissette, REALTOR®

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.