The Silicon Valley Market Report for February 2010

February 8, 2010


So far 2010 is off to a roaring start, with multiple offers again becoming commonplace, and highly qualified buyers lining up in some cases to present strong offers for well-priced, desirable properties.

As a couple of data points, our listing for a three bedroom home at 842 Sycamore Drive in Palo Alto, an entry-level home priced at $949,000, received 14 offers and sold for over $1,100,000. A similar property nearby on Greer received 12 offers the same week and sold for just under $1,100,000 vs. a list price of $979,000.


842 Sycamore Drive, Palo Alto

842 Sycamore Drive, Palo Alto



This market imbalance of large demand chasing limited supply isn’t limited to the entry level, homes in Los Altos and Palo Alto listed between $1.5M and $2M are receiving multiple offers as well, and even our office listing at 75 Coronado in Los Altos priced at $3,995,000 has been getting more interest lately.


As we begin to see more homes coming on the market as we move through the spring, I expect to see the market cool as the supply of homes for sale catches up with demand, and buyers have more choices. In the meantime, the Sellers seem to have the advantage if they have homes that are attractive to mainstream buyers.


That $45,000,000 estate on Stonebrook Drive in Los Altos Hills is a great example, as it is now an $28,000,000 estate. Do I hear $15,000,000?


In summary our current market continues to be driven by the following conditions:


  • Low inventory of desirable homes for sale that are well priced
  • Buyers motivated & feeling like they will miss out with limited selection
  • Fears of rising interest rates are driving motivation to buy now
  • Realization by buyers that they can’t buy for 20% below list now. Most sales in $1M – $2M are 10% under to 10% over list.


Opportunities:

  • Interest rates are currently at historic lows
  • The government is buying down conforming rates under $729,750 through March 2010, which holds down jumbo rates as well
  • Consumer confidence is picking up – I’m seeing new cars more often, and new car sales are an indicator of increasing consumer confidence which leads to a strengthening economy, as consumer spending is the largest component of our economy


Threats:

  • Government buydowns of conforming loans are scheduled to end in March which will lead to rising interest rates on conforming and jumbo loans
  • Forecasted loan resets on commercial property in 2011. You can’t refi empty office buildings and vacancies are up
  • Lots of buyers rushed to purchase before the tax credit expired December 1,2009 – Will this leave a hole in demand in early 2010? Not so far . . .
  • Unemployment is 10% locally, and there is limited job growth forecasted for the next year.


In the threat department, I’ll refer again to this report from Bloomberg last month, which is especially relevant in our area:


Homeowners with mortgages of more than $1 million are defaulting at almost twice the U.S. rate. This brings the rate of default for these considerable loans up to a skyrocketing level of 12 percent as of September, compared with 6.3 percent on loans less than $250,000 and 7.4 percent on all U.S. mortgages. This is quite a jump from the year prior where the rate for default on the $1 million dollar plus mortgages as only 4.7 percent.



In contrast to these ominous reports and Threats, we are seeing strong upwards trends across our area in our Market Action Index, that catch all indicator based on prices, inventory, and time on the market. We are even seeing the MAI climb toward parity in the lower price ranges in markets like Palo Alto and Mountain View.



On to the numbers:


Atherton:


The Average Price of a Single Family Home in Atherton is $6,124,821 with a range of $1,150,000 to $14,900,000. 25% (versus 33% last month) of the homes in Atherton have had price reductions, and the average number of Days on Market is 270 days versus 272 last month. It remains a Strong Buyer’s Market in Atherton, although the Market Action Index has been trending upward over the last quarter.


Los Altos:


Currently, the Average Price of a Single Family Home in Los Altos is $2,165,536, with a range of $995,000 to $4,995,000. 25% (down from 39% last month) of the homes in Los Altos have had price reductions, and the average number of Days on Market has fallen to 165 days versus 172 last month.



Los Altos Hills:


In Los Altos Hills, the Average Price of a Single Family Home is $4,983,866, with a range of $944,900 to $28,500,000. 30% (down from 33% last month) of the homes in Los Altos Hills have had price reductions, as Sellers are learning that the market has shifted, and the average number of Days on Market has declined to 247 days from 261 days last month.




Menlo Park:


This month, the Average Price of a Single Family Home in Menlo Park is $1,491,797 with a range of $190,000 to $6,495,000 (The $225,225 is in East Menlo Park, the bottom of the Menlo Park market is about $800,000). 27% (up from 24% last month) of the homes in Menlo Park have had price reductions, and the average number of Days on Market has risen to 163 days versus 150 last month.


Palo Alto:


In Palo Alto the Average Price of a Single Family Home is $2,270,343, with a range of $750,000 to $23,950,000. 20% (versus 34% last month) of the homes in Palo Alto have had price reductions, and the average number of Days on Market has fallen to 158 from 179 last month.



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Thanks for reading . . .

Tales From the Front 1/31/2010 – The Return of the Tulips

January 31, 2010

I have been patting myself on the back over the results of my contrarian marketing of 842 Sycamore Drive in Palo Alto.

842 Sycamore Drive, Palo Alto

It sold in a week with 14 offers, when the average Days on Market for a home in that area and price range is about 100.

Part of my contrarian marketing was to put it on the market during January, before the “traditional” beginning of the spring market, which is the week after SuperBowl Sunday. With the recent sales activity, I’m expecting a number of homes to come on the market starting in mid-February, as most agent “hold” listings until then. I have confirmed this with a number of my colleagues who are big “listing agents” meaning they hang signs in front of a lot of houses. (Most of my work is with Buyers).

Another house on Greer in the same neighborhood on and price range (listed at $979,000), received 12 offers and sold for very near what Sycamore did. Both homes had over 100 visitors to the open houses and the offers landed in the same ranges.

One question that came up immediately was “These are so similar, I wonder how many buyers are writing offers on both homes?” I haven’t been able to confirm anything, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the same 12 – 15 people were writing offers on both of these homes.

If this is the case, then the entry level market in Palo Alto is like a game of musical chairs. The same 12 – 15 people are going around writing offers on homes, and with every sale one drops out. After 12 rounds or so, they all have homes and the market stops.

So, when the conventional wisdom listings hit the market in February, there will be a flood of inventory, and choices, so the number of offers per home will likely drop off as buyers have more choices and less of a feeling of scarcity. In the case of the homes mentioned above, that would have resulted in a loss of thousands of dollars in proceeds to the sellers, but great news for the buyers of those homes.

This is all speculation now, but worth keeping an eye on over the coming months as we wait to see if the market is returning, or if we are seeing a short-term blip driven by a very limited supply in shortage to a relatively limited demand.

Thanks for reading . . .

Economic Forecast, Extending the Tax Credit and the Golden Window for Buyers

October 20, 2009

On October 12, I attended a SILVAR sponsored economic update and forecasting presentation by CAR EVP Joel Singer, and I thought you might find the following summary and comments beneficial:

  • As we all know financing is the primary key to housing stability, and Singer is 100% confident that both tax credits and the $729,750 conforming limits will be extended into 2010—both of which are keys to continued recovery
  • The move-up market here is the most impacted, but will improve as financing does; as such, he feels as though there will be some level of government involvement to stimulate the secondary market for non-conforming loans
    • Right now, inventory levels for $750k-$1mm are at 6.1 months, which is healthy; inventory levels for $1mm+ are at 12.8 months, which signals a clear buyers’ market
    • With government support, non-conforming lending will ease, but not necessarily cause rates to be lower—current margins are already at all-time highs primarily due to risk—by stabilizing the system and improving liquidity, risk is reduced, savings rates increase and rates remain about the same
  • Futures point to a Fed funds rate rise of .500% to .750% and conforming 30-year fixed mortgages at 5.6% in Q2 2010
  • The overall number of homes/units sold next year will be down, but that’s only because we had a record number of units sell already this year—foreclosures will be DOWN relatively significantly
    • Activity will still be high and it’s likely the $1mm+ segment that will provide buyers with the best value
    • The “second wave” of foreclosures due to rate adjustments is a farce—many people, like myself, are looking forward to loans adjusting at lower rates, which is precisely what the majority of those loans will do
  • 2010 will be a growth year with GDP expected at about 1.9%
    • Great news for the economy, but growth causes higher prices and higher rates—
  • The population of CA will grow another 1.1%, so that’s about $370,000
    • We’ve added about 600k people per year since 2000, and about 500k babies are born in CA each year, so I guess that means there will be more demand on housing, which is also good news
  • Unemployment may be 12% in CA, but that number is tied mostly to construction-related industries. 
    • With High Tech, Finance, Exports and Travel all on the rise for the Bay Area, our property values and local economy should benefit significantly

The Latest on Rates and Activity

Even with the incredible rates that continue to drive the refinance market, over 50% of the transactions that we closed in September were purchase transactions.  Also of importance is the fact that of those purchase transactions, 35% were financed using “JUMBO” loans!   Jumbo 30-year fixed loans are running about 5.75% and that jumbo 5/1’s are around 4.50%.  And if you have a $417k conforming loan, 5/1’s are available at 3.75%!!

According to the MBAA, last week’s applications were down, but the four week moving average is up, along with interest rates (albeit slightly).  We’re seeing the opposite effect locally, but it’s likely due to the many move-up buyers looking to take advantage of the $1mm+ market through Winter.

Is it just me, or does it genuinely feel like the golden window of opportunity for buyers right now..?

A great success story for us lately included funding a loan for a borrower who had a 63% debt-to-income ratio.  We have also bridged three separate transactions that allowed buyers to move up without having to sell their current home first.  And finally, we improved a client’s credit score by 100 points and saved them over $8,000 by having an erroneous collection removed from their credit record.  So even with all the news headlining the challenges in the mortgage world, at least some great success stories continue to be made.

Right Along With the Grunge Look, the Housing Crisis is Over

May 28, 2008

Yes, for those of you gents who still may be holding on to the rather relaxed “grunge” look from the 1990’s, I’ve got a newsflash for you: grunge, along with the current housing crisis, is over.  

Articles about the housing crisis ending have been few and buried in their respective periodical, my favorite of which was in TIME magazine back in February titled, “Ignore the Headlines“.  But now we have the Wall Street Journal. claiming that the trough was reached in April with an article from May 6, “The Housing Crisis is Over“.

I agreed with Peter Lynch back in February.., and it’s becoming more an more apparent that the longer prospective home-buyers sit on the fence, the more expensive that home purchase will become.  And this is not just because I believe that home prices will rise, it’s also because I believe that both long and short term interest rates will rise.  The 10-year Treasury Note, for example, is up over 1/2% since the middle of March, and the 10-year Treasury Note is a decent barometer to use when you want to know what the trend in long term mortgage rates have been.

That written, if you really want to continue with the grunge look, might I suggest saving it for your next camping trip?

As always, kindly consult with your trusted real estate, tax and mortgage professional before seriously considering any home purchase.

Eliot Spitzer and Making Sense of the New Conforming Loan Limits

March 18, 2008

If you’re Eliot Spitzer, probably three feelings come to mind: panic, disorientation and regret.  But if you’re a potential home buyer in the Peninsula region of California, you have good reason to feel excited, encouraged and confident!  Why?  If you read my last post last month, you know that the conforming loan limits for many California Counties are going up and that means cheaper mortgage rates on loan amounts between $417,001 and $729,750.  Now that HUD has made it official that ALL bay Area counties qualify for the revised maximum conforming loan limit, that means potentially big savings on mortgages for qualified applicants looking to purchase single-unit properties up to $810,000 with as little as 10% down!

We’ve all heard the cliche, “the devil’s in the details”, so what are the latest requirements to obtain a conforming loans between $417,001 and $729, 750?  Since I’ll provide you with a link to Fannie Mae website and announcement , I’ll provide you with some highlights that I think are most relevant and let you read further at your leisure:

1. Single-unit properties only

2. Purchase and “limited cash out” transactions only (i.e. no greater than $2,000 going into your pocket upon settlement)

3. If primary residence purchase, up to 90% loan-to-value (”LTV”) allowed if fixed-rate program is selected–700 minimum FICO(R) required; 80% LTV if an adjustable-rate loan is selected–660 minimum FICO(R) required; if refinance

4. If second home or investment property purchase, maximum 60% LTV allowed with minimum 660 FICO(R) regardless of eligible loan program selected

5. If refinance, regardless of type of eligible mortgage program, up to 75% LTV allowed, plus subordinate financing allowed in addition up to 20% LTV–660 minimum FICO(R) required

     a. SPECIAL NOTE, consolidating existing first mortgage and subordinate mortgage into one loan NOT eligible AND six  months of “seasoning” (six payments made on existing mortgage) required to refinance!

6. Loans are eligible for origination NOW 

7. Eligible programs include 30-year fixed, 15-year fixed, LIBOR-based 5/1 ARM (amortized and interest-only payments allowed for this program)– more programs may become available

8. Sufficient employment, income and assets must be verified and each file will require manual underwriting– automated underwriting engines not allowed at this time

Again, I do encourage you to read the Fannie Mae announcement from the 6th of March for all the details, but the above are the top highlights.

So what will pricing look like on these “new” conforming mortgages?  Well, pricing has just recently been released by only a few institutions, but it looks like the 30-year fixed is running at about 6.375% and the 15-year fixed is running at about 6.25%.  The 5/1 ARM pricing is expected to be released next month.  What I do think is that pricing may actually get a little better in the short term as more institutions post pricing and auctions are successful with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. 

What’s right for you as a would be home buyer on the Peninsula?  That depends of course on your specific situation, and I do encourage you to consult with your trusted mortgage and financial consultant before placing an offer on a home or refinancing your mortgage.  What I can say is that the majority of our clients who are buying or refinancing today are selecting a jumbo 5-year ARM in the mid-5% range due to its balance of savings, security and flexibility.

Is now a good time to buy a home?

February 10, 2008

The Superbowl traditionally marks the beginning of the Spring real estate market here in Silicon Valley. True to form, we are seeing inventories climb from seasonal lows, and a lot more people visiting open houses on the weekends. As the media continues to run stories on increasing foreclosures, and an economic stimulus package that includes an increase in the limits for conforming loans wends its way through Congress, more and more people are asking me if this is a good time to buy a home.

 In our area (Palo Alto, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Menlo Park, Mountain View), prices have been stable in 2007 (except Palo Alto which is up significantly), and we aren’t seeing the big jumps in foreclosure activity that are widely reported in the media in other areas. As the Federal Reserve has cut interest rates to stave off a national recession, loans have become more affordable nationwide, with rates near historic lows.

The majority of short sales and foreclosures in the area have been in homes in the $600,000 price range, having the effect of making many of these homes more affordable as lenders want to get rid of them. In contrast to most economic downturns, the higher – end market is doing better than the lower end.

Fellow contributor and mortgage banker Eric Trailer at Absolute Mortgage Bank in Palo Alto had these thoughts on the local housing market for the next few months:

“The coil on the Spring market is winding tighter every day this year already.  Applications are up 100+% this month over December and January’s production is more than double December’s.  In addition, we continue to be flooded with refinance inquiries this month.  Many of the buyers that we had on the fence have been jumping off in an attempt to get into contract on a home prior to February 9.  Why Feb 9?  That’s the weekend following The Superbowl, and those fence-jumpers feel as though they can avoid the threat of multiple offers by securing their home now.  With many of the top agents that we do business with stating that they have multiple listings coming on the market the week of February 9, combined with the flurry of activity on the buyer’s side, combined further with the strength of our local economy, it’s looks like this Spring will produce transactions well beyond expectation.”

Well Eric, it’s February 10th, my open house for today sold without contingencies 3 days after going on the market, and the number of new listings in Palo Alto this week was double that of any week for about 3 months. It looks like we are off to a good start to 2008, and the local economic indicators are still favorable.

Homes are not liquid investments like stocks, so make sure you actually like the house you are buying, and plan to be there for 5 years or more. With those caveats, in this area, it’s almost always a good time to buy a home.

Thanks for reading.

Economic Forecast – Finally, you can believe what you read in the newspaper

January 21, 2008

I have long been a proponent of Bay Area real estate, and especially that rare piece of level ground on the Peninsula where the laws of Supply and Demand exert the greatest influence.

Amid tales of worldwide stock market tumbles (US markets were closed today in observance of Dr. King’s birthday), this little tidbit of sanity was embedded in an article in today’s online San Jose Mercury News:

Stock slides: Stocks sank around the world today, as U.S. markets remained closed for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

The most dramatic decline was in India. The bellwether Bombay Sensitive Index plunged 1408.35 points, or 7.4 percent – its largest ever single-day drop in points. The pan-European Dow Jones Stoxx 600 index continued its six week slide, falling 5.7 percent to 308.77 percent.

Yet among the spreading gloom, Silicon Valley is shining.

“Silicon Valley is in better shape than the overall U.S. economy,” said John B. Sloven, director of the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. “My overall assessment is the Silicon Valley economy is going to come through this pretty well unscathed.”

Some facts to consider: Prices in Silicon Valley’s wealthiest areas are holding up. Meanwhile, prices are dropping on low-end homes, increasing affordability. The region added jobs in December for the third consecutive month. Finally, the San Jose region is supposed to lead the state in personal income growth over the next few years.

(Read the full article here)

The interesting point is that the falling prices for lower end housing makes things more affordable for first-time homes buyers. My personal experience is currently supporting this, as I have a couple of clients shopping for their first homes in the $600,000 – $650,000 range, and are seeing personal benefit as homes that were recently listed tantilizingly close to their range, but just out of reach, at $700,000, are now being reduced to under $650,000.

The amazing thing about this area is that the economy continues to reinvent itself, the economic engine continues to churn through economic expansion and recession, and housing remains a scarce commodity because we have very little land to build new housing on.

Not to sound self-serving, but it is a great time to buy real estate here in Silicon Valley, especially if you can scrounge together a 20% down payment and have a history of actually paying your bills. Prices in some areas are down, flat in others, and interest rates continue to be near historic lows.

Donald Trump recently announced that he is seeking investors for a fund that will invest $100 million in California real estate in the next couple of years.

If California real estate is good enough for The Donald, isn’t it good enough for the rest of us?

Thanks for reading.

Why Lemmings Die – How “Conventional Wisdom” can cost you

December 18, 2007

With all of the media coverage about the implosion of the real estate market and the rising rate of foreclosures, every time I turn around someone is asking me about the health of the local real estate market in and around Palo Alto. They seem to expect me to echo what they are seeing on TV and reading in the newspaper. Nothing could be further from the truth, especially in Palo Alto, which is still enjoying a Seller’s Market with prices maintaining their stratospheric levels as hordes of well-qualified buyers patrol the city in hopes of seeing something new to look at. Last week there were a whopping three (that’s 3) new homes coming on the market in Palo Alto.

When hearing this unexpected good news on the health of the largest investment and asset that most non-Google employees have, a few folks have asked me if I think this market will continue (I do – subject of another posting), and that they are considering selling their homes in the Spring.

Spring, like April 2008? I ask

Yes.

Why then?

Well, that is when all the houses seem to come on the market, so that must be the best time to sell . . .

I have gotten better at controlling my reaction (giggling is a great way to start off on the wrong foot). But I then usually explain things in economic terms of Supply and Demand.

If you are a lemming seller and put your home on the market when everyone else does, how do you make it stand out from the competition? You can spend more on preparation (fresh remodel, landscaping, staging, etc.), more on marketing (more advertising, open houses, etc), or you can price it below the competition, or a combination of all three.

These approaches all result in less of a return for the homeowner at the end of the day, much like the price of oil usually drops in May because demand for heating oil has dropped off and the summer driving season hasn’t started yet. Alternatively, when oil is scarce like during a particularly cold winter, or if oil producers reduce production, prices go up.

What if you could make a house scarce? Would that increase the relative interest level and selling price?

Generally, we see the number of homes in Palo Alto for sale increase in mid-February and be high until around Memorial Day, then there is another seasonal increase after Labor Day until late October. Seasonal lows in inventory run from mid-November to mid-February, and then there is another drought in late Summer. Selling prices tend to run inverse of these seasonal inventory fluctuations, as greater scarcity creates greater perceived value for Buyers.

In Summary, an easy way to get your property to stand out is to put it on the market during one of the low inventory times. Serious buyers are always looking, and who would you rather have trooping through your home, serious, qualified Buyers, or people who like to look at houses on a pleasant weekend afternoon?

If you are considering selling, don’t be a lemming and wait until Spring, contact your real estate professional and have him or her show you market data and discuss how to get your home on the market during one of the “off-times”.

Skeptical? Don’t believe me? You can see objective market data for your area, courtesy of Altos Research here, or sign up for a customized report on the market in your area here.

Thanks for reading.

Mortgage Mania Part 16 – The Hits Just Keep On Coming

December 11, 2007

Ben And The Boys (aka the FOMC) cut short-term interests rates by .25% earlier today in an attempt to:

1) Soften the mortgage industry landing from a smoking hole in the ground, to more of a smoldering skid mark. Don’t tell Washington Mutual who announced 3000 employees were getting pink slips in their stockings, and the bank is setting aside up to $1.6 Billion for losses in the 4th quarter.

2) Generate some consumer confidence this Holiday Shopping Season, since 2/3 of our economy is driven by consumer spending. Uncle Sam wants you to buy a Ford and / or Chevy.

3) Address concerns that “information suggests that economic growth is slowing,”

4) Give me somethnig to rant about (Thanks, guys!)

Interestingly, Wall Street, which has been on the rise over the last two weeks, had apparently priced in a bigger cut, so it responded by pummeling the Dow, lwhich lost 294 points on the day. Ouch! Maybe some retail therapy is in order . . .

Mortgage rates weren’t significantly affected by the rate cut. The Fed Funds rate is a short-term rate, and mortgage rates are long term. Mortgage rates are still at two-year lows, and it’s a Neutral or Buyer’s Market everywhere but Palo Alto.

Apparently, Palo Altans stayed awake in Econ 101 during the lecture on how relative Supply and Demand affects Prices. Although Demand in Palo Alto has dropped in recent months, Supply has dropped equally or more, maintaining or increasing Prices. Adam Smith would be proud.

Bueller, Bueller . . .

For an actual news article on today’s rate cut by an actual journalist, as opposed to a caffeineated Realtor, click here.

 Thanks for reading.

Mortgage Mania – Part 9 The Capital Markets Strike Back

July 31, 2007

This whole subprime / mortgage industry meltdown hullaballoo is getting a little surreal, so forgive the Star Wars reference. This article in today’s New York Times reports that trading in shares of American Home Mortgage never opened yesterday, after the company announced following the market close on Friday that “it would suspend its dividend and was facing “significant margin calls” from its banks. “. I’ll bet that made for a fun-filled weekend for AHM execs . . .

This comes hot on the heels of last week’s announcement by the nation’s largest mortgage lender, Countrywide Financial, that it was seeing rising incidences of default on second mortgages to prime borrowers. Second mortgages to prime borrowers?!? Hey, isn’t that how we buy houses here in Silicon Valley if we didn’t get a job as a janitor at Google a few years ago? Uh oh . . .

So I rang up Andy Block at OPES Advisors, and asked him for some thoughts on all this, specifically how it is going to affect the purchasing power of my client Patrick. I mention Patrick because he is a “typical buyer” these days. He and his wife both have six-figure income jobs, and will net around $250K from the sale of their current home. They want to move from their current home in San Jose to Los Altos or Mountain View to get their kids into better schools, while getting a bit larger house. Andy had reviewed their income, credit, investment and retirement plans, debt, etc. etc. and came up with a range of $1.3M to $1.5M as a purchase price for their next house. They did the analysis about 3 months ago, because they are planners. Does this sound familiar?

It looks like the current changes in lending guidelines and interest rates are going to cost these folks about $100K or so in buying power, all other things being equal. Bummer.

I also chatted with Eric Trailer at Absolute Mortgage, and he agreed that we are seeing a period of adjustment, and that things should stabilize in 6 months or so once the regulatory reaction and new lending guidelines have had a chance to “work their way through the system”.

Both of these resources reminded me that mortgage interest rates are still 7% or less for borrowers with good credit, which are historically low, so don’t panic if you are in the market, and stay in touch with your lender if you have a pre-approval that is more than 30 days old.

Thanks for reading.

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