Like a marathon finish before the New Year, Belmont’s home sales hung in there for at least one more month as October’s home sale statistics showed little signs of distress.

It’s actually amazing for us to see just how strong the market is going into what is typically a seasonal slowdown period.

In order to make any sense of Belmont’s housing statistics, we look at year-over-year numbers rather than month-to-month changes which are often influenced by seasonal factors.

Belmont Home Sale Activity-October 2013

SALES

The sales for October were virtually unchanged from last year when 23 homes sold in 2012 and 24 in 2013.

How’s the Inventory?

That’s all the buzz with agents complaining daily about no housing inventory.

 

There are three factors to look at when thinking about the inventory level.

  • The number of new listings
  • The number of sales
  • And the overall inventory level

The number of new listings this October went from 14 in 2012 to 17, the number of sales were up this year by one, yet the overall inventory dropped from 32 to 24 this October.

In October of 2013 the number of available homes for sale was 32, while this year that number dropped to only 24. That brought down the “Months of Inventory” statistic which measure the time (in months) that it would take to sell all of the existing homes on the market at the current rate of sales. Nationwide, that number is still around five months of inventory.

Belmont dropped from 1.39 months last October to 1.04 this year.

With sales staying relatively static, and new listings increasing in 2013, why then does the months of inventory counterintuitively shrink rather than grow?

The answer lies in the number of leftover homes from the previous month which linger on the market. Last year the market was strong, but not as hot as this year, so some of the September homes for sale last year managed to spill over into October causing the overall inventory to increase.

MEDIAN PRICE

The median price this October recorded at $1,135,000 which may have been a seasonal drop from August 2013 when it stood at a record high of $1,239,000, but an increase year-over-year of 16.1% when last October the median price was only $977,500. In both periods the size homes which sold were relatively unchanged at 2,037 Sq. in 2012 to 2,060 Sq. in 2013.

PERCENT RECEIVED—THE SIZZLE FACTOR Hot Pepper 25

So how hot is the market? Just last month we were seeing some signs of a cool fall market but October’s number appear to have staved off the winter housing chill for at least one more month. Could it be the warmer than usual fall we are enjoying? Perhaps. In any case, this October 20 of the homes or 83% sold over the seller’s asking price, while one home sold at asking and only two sold for less.

Last October only 35% of the homes sold over the asking price, two sold at asking and 22% sold for less.

The percent sellers received of their asking price were 100.3 vs. 108.5 in 2013. Hotter than last year, and hotter than last month when the sellers received 106% of asking.

 

Disclaimer:

Drew & Christine Morgan are REALTORS/NOTARY PUBLIC in Belmont, CA. with more than 20 years experience in helping sellers and buyers in their community. They may be reached at (650) 508.1441.

The information contained in this article is educational and intended for informational purposes only. It does not constitute real estate, tax or legal advice, nor does it substitute for advice specific to your situation. Always consult an appropriate professional familiar with your scenario.

Drew & Christine Morgan did not necessarily participate in these sales.

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