We’ve continued our articles focused on the real estate market’s woes since the reverse in direction in Q4 of 2018 when home values and sales activity dropped precipitously. In fact, the only thing that increased during that time was the number of price reductions and the time it took to sell a home.
In our last blog article on our local market, we wrote about our MSA posting declining numbers in the last four consecutive months. Since then February’s numbers were released (they lag real time by three months), and the result was an uptick in the housing values of 1.57 pts. over January. And while that’s better than a fifth month of dropping home values, to put that into perspective, the YOY figures from April 2018 as compared to this April showed a decline in values of 1.7%.
In Belmont, a similar market withdrawal occurred:
It’s fairly easy to see that the market isn’t what it once was. Every category except for the Months of Inventory is worse off than a year ago. Notice that while the size of homes selling in 2019 was larger, we associated a negative connotation to it because if larger homes are selling the median home price should be higher—not lower.
We like to think that we are considered to be trusted advisors in our community. Wherever the facts and statistics lead us, that’s what we report. On one had we were amused and on the other annoyed but never surprised to find the main-stream media hyping market signals without even understanding what they mean. Take this recent article from the San Francisco Chronicle. Note that admittedly Chu in this article has no idea why sales are down. Perhaps by delving into the statistics more, her own questions might have been answered.
And this is the headline use to lure unsuspecting readers to view the entire article:
“SF home sales drop, suggesting slowdown in market”—San Francisco Chronicle, April 25, 2019
Slowdown in the market, or a slowdown in sales? Because a slowdown in sales could mean home prices are increasing if inventory levels remain low.
Drew & Christine Morgan are REALTORS/NOTARY PUBLIC in Belmont, CA. with more than 25 years of experience in helping sellers and buyers in their community. As Diamond recipients, Drew and Christine are ranked in the top 50 RE/MAX agents nationwide and the top 3 in Northern California. They may be reached at (650) 508.1441 or emailed at info@morganhomes.com.
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The information contained in this article is educational and intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute real estate, tax, insurance or legal advice, nor does it substitute for advice specific to your situation. Always consult an appropriate professional familiar with your scenario.
