About the areaBuyer TipsFriday Fun FactsInvestmentReal Estate December 4, 2020

14 Times

For the 14th time this year, 30-year mortgage rates set a record and hit an all-time low.

Based on data just released by Freddie Mac, rates are now at 2.71%.  Their weekly survey of the 30-year mortgage rate dates back to 1971.

Just one year ago rates were at 3.68%.

So, what does this mean for buyers?

Based on a $400,000 loan, current rates result in a monthly payment that would be $212 less than one year ago.

 

At Windermere Real Estate we are taking Safer at Home and Social Distancing very seriously.  Our people are following our Safe Showings protocol, staying connected to their clients, and providing help wherever needed.

About the areaBuyer TipsFriday Fun FactsHomes for SaleReal Estate November 13, 2020

A Little Perspective

A Little Perspective

Here’s a little perspective on the inventory of homes for sale in today’s market…

First we’ll look at Metro Denver:

• The average number of residential listings for sale at this time of year is 15,577
• The highest-ever for this time of year is 29,722 which occurred in 2006
• The number of listings right now is 4,821
• So, inventory in Metro Denver is roughly one-third of the average and 25,000 fewer than the highest-ever.
• DMAR is the source of the stats listed above

Now, Northern Colorado:
• Larimer County has 802 active listings today
• Based on 10 years of data, this is the lowest it has ever been
• The high in Larimer County occurred in 2010 with 2608 listings so today’s inventory is one-third of what it was 10 years ago.
• Inventory today in Weld County is 727 which isn’t the lowest-ever.
• The lowest during the last 10 years was 2017.
• The highest was 2010 with 1791 properties so today there are roughly 1,000 fewer properties to choose from.

About the areaBuyer TipsFriday Fun FactsReal EstateSeller Tips November 6, 2020

The Votes are In

Real estate buyers made their voices heard last month and made a clear choice for… higher-end properties!

One of the interesting dynamics of our current market is the significantly- increased activity in higher price ranges.

The combination of high equity and low interest rates is clearly causing people to move up. They are able to purchase the home that has the features they have always wanted whether it be size, finishes, or location.

The considerable equity growth that has occurred for homeowners over the last 7 years is allowing them to have sizable down payments on their ‘move up’ property plus today’s rates keep their monthly payments lower than expected.

Here are the numbers we researched which demonstrate this trend.

Compared to October of 2019, sales of properties priced over $750,000 last month were up:

• 176% in Larimer County
• 375% in Weld County
• 96% in Metro Denver

Properties in the $550,000 to $750,000 range also saw a large jump:
• 57% in Larimer County
• 63% in Weld County
• 83% in Metro Denver

This is a unique time in history for people to move up and own a home they have always dreamed about.

About the areaBlogBuyer TipsFriday Fun FactsHomes for SaleReal EstateSeller Tips October 9, 2020

Re Bubble

The activity in the Front Range market is causing us to hear the bubble question again.

People are curious to know, based on recent growth in price appreciation, if we are in a housing bubble.

This questions seems to crop up when prices go up.

While we do not believe that the current double-digit price appreciation is sustainable, we firmly believe we will not see prices crash or see any kind of a bubble bursting.

Here’s why we think that…

This past Tuesday we hosted a private online event for our clients which featured our Chief Economist Matthew Gardner.

Matthew is well-known and well-respected in the industry.  He is often quoted in leading real estate publications.

He sees four reasons why there is no real estate bubble that is about to pop in Colorado.

  1. Inventory is (incredibly) low. The number of homes for sale is down over 40% compared to last year. The market is drastically under-supplied.  Based on simple economic principles of supply and demand, inventory would need to grow significantly for prices to drop.
  2. Buyers’ credit scores are very high. The average credit score for buyers last month, for example was 759. So, by definition, average buyers today have excellent credit which means there is low risk of them walking away from their mortgage and causing a foreclosure crisis.
  3. Buyers have high down payments. On average, buyers are putting 18% down on their purchases. This means that prices would need to fall by a considerable amount in order for the average buyer to be ‘upside down’ on their mortgage.
  4. Owners are equity rich. Well over a third of property owners along the Front Range have more than 50% equity in their homes. This means that a severe economic downturn causing a slew of distressed properties to hit the market is highly unlikely.

Bottom line, as Matthew Gardner reminded us, what we are experiencing in the economy today is a health crisis not a housing crisis.

If you would like a recording of the private webinar, we would be happy to send it to you.  Just reach out and let us know.

About the areaFriday Fun FactsReal EstateUncategorized September 4, 2020

New Home Surge

Sales of new homes have jumped to their highest levels in 14 years.

The annualized rate of single-family new construction homes is now at 901,000 according to the new Census Bureau report.

This means that across the U.S., at the current pace of sales, there will be almost 1,000,000 new homes built and sold over the next 12 months.

This pace is 36% higher than one year ago and the highest it has been since the end of 2006.

Given the low inventory levels of previously-owned homes that most of the Country is experiencing, this uptick in new home activity is welcome news.

About the areaBlogBuyer TipsFriday Fun FactsReal Estate August 21, 2020

Start it UP!

Start it Up

As further evidence that the housing market is more than alive and well, new home starts have recently jumped across the U.S.

Building of residential properties is up 23.4% compared to last year and up 22.6% from last month.

Pre-pandemic demand for new homes was very high. Now, record-low interest rates are fueling the market to new highs.

Buyer TipsFriday Fun FactsHomes for SaleReal EstateSeller Tips August 14, 2020

At Least List

Periodically we track a stat which we find to be quite interesting.

It answers this question – how many properties are selling for at least list price (asking price or higher)?

This stat tells us how active the market is and helps our buyers to realize that, in some cases, they will be in a competitive situation.

When we look at single-family home sales so far this month, this is what we find:

57% of properties in Larimer County sell for at least list price

62% of properties in Weld County sell for at least list price

So, in well over half of the transactions, buyers need to offer list price or higher to acquire the property.

The data gets even more interesting when this information is broken out by price range.

To no one’s surprise, the percentage increases for properties priced under $400,000:

81% in Larimer County

70% in Weld County

We find that for properties over $400,000 the percentages still tell a story of a very active market:

47% in Larimer County

56% in Weld County

Bottom line, in most locations and price ranges we see a strong sellers’ market where buyers need to be prepared to make a strong offer and to also compete.

 

About the areaBuyer TipsFriday Fun FactsHomes for SaleReal EstateSeller Tips July 31, 2020

Spring in Summer

This year the Spring market is occurring in the Summer.

Typically the busiest months for real estate along the Front Range are April, May and June.

This year, because showing activity was restricted in the Spring months, we are seeing robust activity this Summer.

Here’s an indicator.  Sales through July 2020 versus July 2019 are up:

12.6% in Metro Denver

13.7% in Northern Colorado

To see double-digit increases in sales despite was is occurring in the National economy, is nothing short of remarkable.

About the areaHomes for SaleReal Estate June 26, 2020

Caught Up

We’ve been waiting for June to catch up. It finally happened (almost).

Back in April, real estate activity was significantly limited and the showing of property was restricted which caused the number of closed properties in May and early June to be much lower than last year.

Bottom line, fewer properties going under contract in April caused fewer closings 30 to 45 days later.

Closed properties in May were down compared to 2019 by 44% in Northern Colorado and 43% in Metro Denver.

Then activity jumped significantly in May. The number of properties going under contract was way up compared to last year.

We’ve been wondering when we would see this sales activity reflected in the number of closed properties.

Well, it finally happened (almost).

The number of closings so far in June compared to the same time period through June of 2019 is only down 1.8% in Northern Colorado and 1.6% in Metro Denver.

In both markets, there are only a handful of closings separating activity in June 2020 versus June 2019.

By the end of the month, when all the transactions are tallied up, we expect that June of this year will out pace June of last year in terms of number of transactions.

This is significant not only because of COVID-19, but also because of the reduced inventory compared to last year. Quite simply, there are fewer homes to buy.
All of this speaks to the health and resiliency of the Front Range market.

At Windermere Real Estate we are taking Safer at Home and Social Distancing very seriously. Our people are following our Safe Showings protocol, staying connected to their clients, and providing help wherever needed.

About the areaBuyer TipsFriday Fun FactsHomes for SaleReal Estate June 19, 2020

Rate Meaning

Mortgage interest rates have hit another record low this week.

Mortgage applications for purchases just hit an 11-year high.

Rates are at a level that many people could never have imagined.

Here’s something that is surprising to many people…

Rates are 1.5% lower than they were just two years ago.

Here’s what that means for buyers…

Pretend someone is looking at a $500,000 home and they will have a 20% down payment.

The difference in monthly payment is $320 between two years ago and today.

Obviously that is a significant amount of money.

Imagine what a person could do with $320 per month.

The fact that rates are at record lows is one of many reasons that the market is so strong right now and prices continue to appreciate at healthy levels.