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April Showers Brought More Real Estate Sales on Seattle’s Eastside
Seattle Eastside real estate sales keep climbing! Home sales have increased by 35% since January of this year.
Buyers don't despair. We're starting to see a significant increase in the number of homes for sale, which is good for buyers. Sellers still have the advantage in the marketplace, though, because the supply is still low when compared to previous years when 3000-4000 homes were for sale each month on Seattle's Eastside.
Will the market ease up for buyers if more homes come up for sale? More than likely if the supply increases, the market will still perform well for sellers, but it may not be as frenetic. It still will be a matter of time before there are any big changes to the marketplace, but it will be interesting to see how the rest of the year plays out. We believe more homes will come up for sale as typically happens each summer as the school year comes to a close. Will this change the marketplace dynamics between buyers and sellers? Probably not much at this point, because we're still on the low side of supply.
Here are the specifics for April, 2013 as compared to April, 2012:
- 80% of the available homes sold this past April, 41% sold in April, 2012.
- Homes sold in 48 days, down from 101 days in April, 2012.
- In 2012 median pricing in April was $485,000. In 2013, April's median pricing was $565,000. Wow, that's a huge jump in median pricing. We're still expecting median pricing to continue to work its way back up to the higher $500+ range, but much will depend on how many homes come on the market.
If you'd like to know more about the value of your home, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Free Shredding Event at Windermere/Yarrow Bay in Kirkland on Sunday, May 5th
Many Homes on Seattle’s Eastside Are Selling For Over Full Price!
In the third quarter of 2012, almost 30% of the homes that sold in the cities of Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Sammamish, Woodinville, Issaquah sold for over full price! The demand by buyers for homes and the lack of inventory is creating this huge uptick in competition for a home. When more buyers are competing for the same house, the offers often have to be for more than full price to stand out from the competition. Many homes are now getting multiple offers and many, almost a third, are now selling for more than the asking price.
We've recently sold several listings in which the selling price was over $20,000 more than the asking price! In one instance, the home had come on the market only hours before. The buyers didn't want to take the risk that another offer would be written before the seller had time to respond, so they offered over full price. Another home sold within 48 hours. Three buyers made offers for that home.
As you can see in the above chart, the homes that sell for more than full price, sell for about 3% above the asking price, with the range from just a hair over asking price all the way to 22.5% above the asking price!
Twenty-one percent of the homes sold for full price. This means 51% of the homes on the eastside sold for full price or more!
The homes that sold above full price only lasted on the market, on average,16 days. Homes that sold for full price were on the market for about a month.
But what about the other 49%? (Not to be confused with the 47% that was talked about in the election)
Why did half the homes sell for less than full price if the market is so hot? More than likely, one of these reasons was the cause:
- Location
- Pricing
- Condition
- Marketing
- Competition
You can't change the location or the fact that there is competition for a particular home. But when selling a home, you need to maximize your buyer attraction by pricing your home well, having it in stellar condition, and presenting it well to the buyers through fabulous marketing.
If you have questions about how to have your home be one of the 51% that sells for full price or more, feel free to contact us!
Did July’s Real Estate Prices Really Go Up By 7% on Seattle’s Eastside?
The Seattle media had screaming headlines recently about the 7% increase in King County real estate prices this July when compared to last July. Were the newspaper headlines right? As I've mentioned before, yes and no.
What did the media get correct when they said prices had gone up from July, 2011 to 2012?
They were only comparing the sales from July, 2011 to July, 2012. The median price was based on the sales that happened only in those two months. This could mean more expensive homes sold in 2012 than in 2011 or it could mean prices were higher. It is hard to know based on this one month. A snapshot of one month's real estate sales does not make a trend. It only shows how sales compared for those two months, so the Seattle Times was correct in stating the prices had gone up in from July, 2011 to 2012 by 7%. However, this is not the full picture.
How can you more accurately tell if real estate prices are going up, down or staying the same?
It's important to look at a pattern for a period of time, such as you can see in the chart above.
What does the chart show?
The chart is a compilation of all the home sales on the eastside, including such cities as Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Woodinville, Sammamish, Issaquah and more. The NWMLS (Northwest Multiple Listing Areas) for these eastside cities are represented by area numbers 500-600 displayed at the top of the chart.
Windermere Real Estate compiled the data from each month and developed this chart to show median pricing for the past 5 years. If you look at the bottom of the chart, you'll see the years 2008-2012. Each blue bar above the years represents a month during each of the years. The red line going across the chart shows the median price point for each year. It was highest in 2008, when the median pricing for the year stood at $623,733 and had gone down consistently through the end of 2011, when the median pricing for the eastside stood at $502,784.
This year the chart shows the median pricing is creeping up, but here on the eastside and in other parts of King County, it's not up by 7%, but by about 3% so far for the year. The median for this year is at $518,309.
This is a much more accurate picture of real estate values on the eastside, not just a measure of one month's sales. Are you seeing similar trends in your area?
If you have questions about the value of your home, please feel free to contact us and we can take a closer look at the data for your home.
Strong Signs Continue for a Positive Real Estate Market on Seattle’s Eastside
How hot was the Seattle Eastside real estate market in June? In May I mentioned the market stats over the next few months would dictate whether Seattle-eastside real estate will remain a hot seller's market. In May I asked the following questions about Seattle eastside real estate. Now I'm asking those same questions about June's real estate market.
How did the real estate market do in June?
Did the number of homes for sale increase? Yes, by 85 homes, which is not a huge increase, but an increase just the same.
Did the number of buyers decrease? Sales decreased by 52 homes, which, truthfully, is not a big decline.
Did prices continue to increase? Yes, they have continued to increase, but only slightly.
The Seattle Times stated that prices increased by 10% from June, 2011 to June, 2012. Truthfully, prices have not increased by 10% on Seattle's Eastside, which encompasses the cities of Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, Issaquah, Woodinville, Sammamish. If that were the case we would be heading towards a market similar to what existed before the market crash. We really aren't seeing that right now. Prices have gone up, but on the eastside it really closer to a 2% increase from last year. Remember, to get an accurate read on price increases or decreases, it's important to track the prices over the year.
With a 40% chance of getting a home sold in June, Seattle eastside home sellers had great odds of getting their home sold. The odds have dropped slightly over the last few months from March's high. But since March, the odds of selling a home on the eastside have been consistently over 40%.
How did this past June compare to June of 2011?
- 40% of the available homes sold this past June, 20% sold in June, 2011.
- Homes sold in 70 days, which is down from 94 days in June, 2011.
- Median pricing remained almost the same. Last year median pricing was at $514,000. This year, median pricing was $513,000.
- Homes sold within 4% of the original asking price. Last year homes sold within 7% of the asking price.
- 10% more homes sold this year.
All these statistics point to the positive. Homes are selling in a shorter amount of time, with less of a price reduction and prices have stayed fairly stable when compared to June of 2011.
If you'd like more information specific to your home, don't hesitate to contact us.
Were June Condo Sales on Seattle’s Eastside Still Hot?
What an amazing condo market on Seattle's Eastside! Since June of 2011, the number of condos for sale has continued to drop, and drop by alot. Last June there were 1139 condos for sale and this June there are less than 500! What a huge difference!
Not only are there fewer condos for sale, but the sales have been very strong, especially since February. The condo market has been even stronger over the past two months. Approximately 42% of the available condos sold in June. If the supply of condos stays on the low side, expect this positive market to continue in Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, and the other cities east of Seattle.
Median pricing was $235,000 this past month, whereas last year the median pricing for the month stood at $250,000. Don't worry too much about pricing for one month's worth of sales. As we always say, you must follow the trend over a period of months to measure any true increases or decreases in value. One month's real estate prices are only a reflection of the sales that happened that particular month.
Time on the market has also dropped to an average of 90 days to sell vs. 118 days in June of 2011.
So get our there and find a great home, but do your homework before getting in the car to look at properties. Check out the commute, the neighborhood, schools and anything else that is of importance to you before you start looking for a home. If you do that, you can target the right location to look for a home. You can then look for a home that works for you in a the right location.
Remember location, location, location is the primary rule of real estate. In today's world, location can mean many different things to people based on job location, commutes, and area amenities. Determine what it means to you and then go for the condos in that particular location.
If you have any questions about the condo market, please feel free to contact us.
How Was The Real Estate Market In Your Seattle-Eastside City in December 2011?
- The December Real Estate Map Showing a Balanced Market Between Buyers and Sellers
The cities below are grouped together to follow our MLS areas (multiple listing service). This is how our statistics are reported.
How was real estate market in your Seattle-Eastside city in December, 2011?
1. Redmond/East Bellevue
The odds of selling a home were 36%*
Median sales price increased (y-o-y)**from $420,000 to $455,000
125 homes were for sale
A total of 42 homes sold
Days on the market: 104
2. Kirkland
The odds of selling a home were 19%
Median sales price increased from $498,000 to $510,000
167 homes were for sale
A total of 57 homes sold
Days on Market: 101
2. (TIE) South Bellevue/Issaquah
The odds of selling a home were 19%
Median price decreased from $560,000 to $505,000
242 homes were for sale
A total of 58 homes sold
Days on market: 123
3. The plateau: Sammamish, Issaquah, North Bend, and Fall City
The odds of selling a home were 17%
Median sales price increased from $440,000 to $463,000
There were 527 homes for sale
A total of 116 homes sold
Days on the market: 103
4. Redmond/Education Hill/ Carnation
The odds of selling a home were 16%
Median sales price decreased from $530,000 to $515,000
207 homes were for sale
A total of 66 homes sold
Days on Market: 115
4. (TIE) Woodinville/Bothell/Kenmore/Duvall/North Kirkland
The odds of selling a home were 16%
Median sales price decreased from $393,000 to $339,000
421 homes were for sale
A total of 96 homes sold
Days on Market: 127
5. West Bellevue
The odds of selling a home were 10%.
Median sales price increased from $950,000 to $998,000
127 homes were for sale
A total of 15 homes sold
Days on Market: 95
If you’d like more specific information about your neighborhood or home, feel free to contact either Brooks or me.
*(The odds of selling a home in each area is a result of the number of homes for sale divided by the actual number of home sales, so if 10 out of 100 homes sold, the odds of selling would be 10/100 or 10%)
** (y-o-y) median pricing is comparing year over year numbers.
You Snooze, You Lose, in This Seattle Eastside Real Estate Market
Brooks and I just sold a home in Redmond which had multiple offers. A contract was in hand, when the very next day I received phone calls from both an agent and a prospective buyer who wanted to see the home. They were a day late. It was gone. It was sold.
Here on the eastside, the market is doing well for the good homes, but not for all homes. These are the homes that are the best of the competition in terms of price, condition, style, floor plan and location.
One reason why the good homes are selling with multiple offers:
Less than 9000 properties are for sale in King County, for the first time in years. Supply is dwindling fast. If you compare the number of homes for sale with this time last year, 3000 fewer homes are on the market. As the year heads to a close, more sellers will take their homes off the market.
I expect to see December and January be good markets for sellers because of the decrease in competition. Quality homes will go fast, and possibly with multiple offers.
Does this mean it’s a bad market for buyers? No, there are still a lot of good homes for sale. Plus, it’s the most affordable market we’ve had in the Seattle area 17 years. With the lower interest rates, a mortgage is starting to rival rental costs.
So if you snooze, you can lose. Do you homework. Determine what’s most important to you. Is it the location, is it the good floor plan or a combination of many factors? Know the prices of homes in the area. Learn what’s selling and for what price. Know your wants and needs, study the market by visiting homes, and learn what sells well in the area.
If you do all these things. You won’t snooze and lose. You’ll know which homes work best for you and which are the best values. You can then jump in and buy a good home and not lose.
Is Now a Good time to Sell Your Seattle Eastside Home?
Is this a good time to sell your Seattle eastside home? If you’re a seller on Seattle’s eastside, the numbers are on your side. This is the second week in a row with less than 10,000 homes on the market in King County, a first for this year! The competition has pulled up the “for sale” sign, is battening down the hatches for the winter and planning for the holidays .
So plan your Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Don’t give the holidays up and don’t give up the idea of selling your home now if that’s what you want to do. With fewer homes on the market, your competition for buyers is far less. Plus, the buyers who are out during the holiday season are buyers who are serious about buying a home. They don’t have time to waste. They’re not casually looking for a home. They’re in a buying mode.
- How Low Can The Number Of King County Homes For Sale Go?
Real Estate Sales Continued to be Strong on Seattle's Eastside in July, 2011
Seattle Eastside Real Estate Sales Through July, 2011
The chart above speaks for itself. July real estate sales were going strong on Seattle’s eastside. More homes sold in July than in any month since May, 2010.
Will this surge in real estate sales continue? Since the news regarding the stock market from last week, it remains to be seen if August will hold up to the sales growth we’ve seen since December of last year.
The number of properties for sale in King County still remains low compared to the last few summers when King County had over 14,000 properties for sale. As of August 8th, there were 11,091 properties for sale in King County. Here on the eastside, there were 2863 available properties. If you compare the number of homes for sale on the Eastside this July to last July, there were 17% less homes and condos on the market this year.
In July there were 2863 homes for sale and 646 of these homes received offers and sold. The absorption rate, the number of homes that sold during a month compared to the number for sale, was 22%.
But what’s also important to note is 12% of the sales from June failed. I had reported 661 sales in June, but this month I see only 587 of them stayed together.
The bottom line is more homes are selling than previously, but it’s also hard to keep the sales together. Failed sales can be the result of poor inspections, trouble with the buyer’s financing, an appraisal that does not agree with the sales price or a buyer getting cold feet and backing out.
How is the real estate market doing in your area? Do you see similar trends?
