Phoenix Home Sales News for April 2008
May 13th, 2008 categories: Market Trends, Phoenix real estate
April 2008 Phoenix Home Sales News from PhoenixMarketTrends.com
The buzz is out. ASU Polytechnic has put our their April numbers for Greater Phoenix real estate sales and all the blogsites are shaking with activity, some just putting out numbers while other are commenting about those putting out number and then putting them out themselves, then others are…So what’s the break down.
In April 5,585 homes sold compared to 4,855 last year. That’s quite an increase. From what the report shows the pick up in sales is for lower priced homes. There is a lot of short sale, foreclosed and distressed properties being sold for very low prices, especially on the outskirts of Phoenix metro. Its the higher end homes that are stagnating now with high inventory and lower sales. This is probably the reason that year on year median home price for the Phoenix valley declined to $210,000 from last years $265,000.
Affordability is up, loans are available and buyers as well as inventory now see the opportunity and can act on it. Getting rid of the starter home stock should help with sales up the food chain but this may not happen because many of the homes sold are vacant anyways so there is no one to move up.
The increased activity is good but, is it a sign of a return? Probably not. The market is simply stabilizing at the bottom which may last a while and fluctuate both down and up.
A Coutrywide economist seems to think we are in for additional turmoil after a bit of peace this year.
“Home prices will stabilize for the remainder of this year with many forecasting a permanent bottom. The next leg down for this economic and credit cycle will begin next year with another government stimulus package to follow. Patience will be rewarded to those that don’t chase the first bounce off a temporary bottom. Those with debt should liquidate into strength and build savings for the opportunities that lie ahead in 2010 and beyond.”
Is this relevant for Greater Phoenix? Probably, but each neighborhood and segment moves differently.
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Nice Bottom
May 9th, 2008 categories: Market Trends
Has the Phoenix real estate market entered the bottom of the real estate cycle? There seems to be more chatter that in fact it has. This chatter extends to printed material as well as online and in the streets. Personal Real Estate Investor publisher “…is going on the record as calling the first quarter of 2008 the bottom of the U.S residential real estate market.” and Cyril Moulle-Berteaux has an article titled, The Housing Crisis if Over, coming to a similar conclusion, that indeed it may be over.
The numbers indicate a similar conclusion and April resale numbers look very good indeed.The bottom is good. It means stability if nothing else and stability breeds confidence. Home prices are more affordable and though we may be at the bottom for quite a while as we go through the inventory.
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What’s going on with the Phoenix real estate market?
April 23rd, 2008 categories: Market Trends
That questions is loaded as is every answer to it! The only real answer is, is that it’s at best an educated guess, but there are some things that make things clearer. We’ll get to those later.
Take a look at the chart or homes sold in Phoenix for the last 3 years. Note that in the last 2 years, 2006 and 2007, sales of homes dropped or stayed pretty flat from January to February except in 2008 the sales from January to February increased followed by an increase in March. What does it mean?
It means that April will be a critical month for determining the what trend the current Phoenix market is following and where we may be in the real estate cycle. My take on it is that we are at or near the bottom especially if you take into consideration the price per square foot. It looks and feels, in the gut, like were at the bottom.
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