It's starting to sound like a broken record but we keep getting more and more positive news about the housing market.
The National Association of Realtors reported that sales of previously owned homes increased at a faster-than-expected annual pace. Existing home sales increased at a 3.6% rate and had its third straight monthly gain.
This is the first time since early 2004 that we have had three straight months of increasing sales and points to the housing market continuing to heat up. They also reported that inventories of existing homes were down 0.7%. With inventories declining and home sales increasing, now is the time to jump into the market before these low home prices are history.
Which leads to another topic that has been making the rounds: that there is a "shadow" inventory held by banks which when released onto the market, will bring prices down even further. Not so fast, say some mortgage brokers I've talked to. It's very unlikely that large amounts of such inventory will be released simultaneously by banks. For one thing, major lenders are in the process of negotiating many loan modifications and would probably not release major inventory onto the market in any one area which could then depress prices, and their existing mortgage loans, even further. It could also depress equity sellers' values causing some of those to go into short sales if prices declined due to a flood of REO inventory.
The fact is, the $300,000 price range is and has been very competitive for investor buyers, and almost impossible for first-time owner occupant buyers for months now.
As the sales activity has indicated, what we need are more reasonably priced listings on the market. Sellers, are you listening?
See www.juliahuntsman.com for more real estate information.
7/10/2009
How Many Condos are Listed in Long Beach Under $250,000?
About 4 years ago, someone left a comment/question on one of my blog posts asking where in Long Beach a condo could be found for $250,000. I don't know where that person is now, perhaps they have already taken the plunge into homeownership, but if not, now is a much better time for looking for that condo.
A search in all of Long Beach on the MLS shows 185 active listings for studios, 1, 2 and 3 bedroom condominiums at $250,000 or less. Typical of today's market, many are short sales, however opportunity knocks for the buyer who has the ability and patience to wait.
The Marina Pacifica complex shown above has several listings in the lower price range. and this photo features a listing (CLW-09378967) for a studio at $199,000 with HOA fees of $379/month.
When getting pre-approved for a condominium purchase, a buyer should be aware of items such as the HOA dues amount, number of parking spaces and their location, whether or not the building is FHA approved, building amenities, and association documents as spelled out in the contract.
In other associations, monthly fees may range from under $100/month to several hundred dollars a month, so it's important to find which associations will work for you.
Condo living is usually a closer community living than a house in a neighborhood may be. Condos are a great doorway to homeownership, and may offer an opportunity to live in a desired area that the buyer may not otherwise be able to afford.
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