Housing News
Housing inventory shortages continue, could soon ease
Housing inventory levels remain tight in America, but two real estate media companies assert that the shortage could ease this year as prices continue rising, which could entice more homeowners to sell.
Housing inventory continues to tighten
According to the February Trulia Price Monitor, asking prices for homes listed on their site rose 3.2 percent, and the company says that inventory is unlikely to rise this year, aside from regular seasonal fluctuations. Trulia notes, “Although inventory remains tight, it is now falling less sharply than it had been. Inventory declined fastest in the six months just after prices bottomed in February 2012.”
Likewise, Zillow reports that the number of homes for sale on their site fell 17 percent in February compared to February 2012, which they state indicates an “ongoing, nationwide inventory shortage.” Although the inventory shortage continues, inventory levels are evening out and are no longer plummeting.
Housing inventory levels across America
Zillow reports that nationally, the greatest annual decreases in inventory were among the most expensive homes. Inventory levels of top-tier homes fell 20.5 percent year-over-year, while middle-tier homes fell 17.2 percent and bottom-tier homes fell 9.1 percent year-over-year.
Asking prices rose 1.4 percent in February, according to Trulia, marking the largest monthly gain since the home-price recovery began, with the largest annual price gains seen in Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Oakland. The company asserts that since Phoenix, Miami, Detroit, Houston, and Oklahoma City were the first to see housing prices bottom out, they will likely be the first markets where inventory levels will expand.
As Zillow reports a 17.0 percent drop in the number of homes for sale, the study reveals that the annual drop was less severe than in January which could indicate some easing of the tight housing inventory levels. Rising home values are expected to enable more owners to list homes in the future, further easing the inventory squeeze.
“It’s important to be patient”
“The supply of for-sale listings continues to dry up, driven in part by potential sellers trapped in negative equity and homeowners that won’t sell out of fear they won’t be able to find a suitable home to buy later,” said Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Stan Humphries. “But the impact of constrained inventory will create the solution to the problem. Over the past year, inventory tightness has contributed to increases in home values in many markets.”
Dr. Humphries continued, “As home values rise, some homeowners will be freed from negative equity and able to list their homes, which will contribute to an easing of the inventory crunch. While this inventory is coming, it may still be a frustrating spring for buyers vying for what inventory is available. It’s important to be patient and not commit to paying beyond one’s comfort level in the heat of negotiations.”
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Housing News
Average age of houses on the rise, so is it now better or worse to buy new?
With aging housing in America, are first-time buyers better off buying new or existing homes? The average age of a home is rising, as is the price of new housing, so a shift could be upon us.
The average home age is higher than ever
(REALUOSO.COM) – In a survey from the Department of Housing and Urban Development American Housing Survey (AHS), the median age of homes in the United States was 35 years old. In Texas, homes are a bit younger with the median age between 19 – 29 years. The northeast has the oldest homes, with the median age between 50 – 61 years. In 1985, the median age of a home was only 23 years.
With more houses around 40 years old, the National Association of Realtors asserts that homeowners will have to undertake remodeling and renovation projects before selling unless the home is sold as-is, in which case the buyer will be responsible to update their new residence. Even homeowners who aren’t selling will need to consider remodeling for structural and aesthetic reasons.
Prices of new homes on the rise
Newer homes cost more than they used to. The price differential between new homes and older homes has increased from 10 percent traditionally to around 37 percent in 2014. This is due to rising construction costs, scarcity of lots, and a low inventory of new homes that doesn’t meet the demand.
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Housing News
Are Realtors the real loser in the fight between Zillow Group and Move, Inc.?
The last year has been one of dramatic and rapid change in the real estate tech sector, but Realtors are vulnerable, and we’re worried.
Why Realtors are vulnerable to these rapid changes
(REALUOSO.COM) – Corporate warfare demands headlines in every industry, but in the real estate tech sector, a storm has been brewing for years, which in the last year has come to a head. Zillow Group and Move, Inc. (which is owned by News Corp. and operates ListHub, Realtor.com, TopProducer, and other brands) have been competing for a decade now, and the race has appeared to be an aggressive yet polite boxing match. Last year, the gloves came off, and now, they’ve drawn swords and appear to want blood.
Note: We’ll let you decide which company plays which role in the image above.
So how then, does any of this make Realtors the victims of this sword fight? Let’s get everyone up to speed, and then we’ll discuss.
1. Zillow poaches top talent, Move/NAR sues
It all started last year when the gloves came off – Move’s Chief Strategy Officer (who was also Realtor.com’s President), Errol Samuelson jumped ship and joined Zillow on the same day he phoned in his resignation without notice. He left under questionable circumstances, which has led to a lengthy legal battle (wherein Move and NAR have sued Zillow and Samuelson over allegations of breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and misappropriation of trade secrets), with the most recent motion being for contempt, which a judge granted to Move/NAR after the mysterious “Samuelson Memo” surfaced.
Salt was added to the wound when Move awarded Samuelson’s job to Move veteran, Curt Beardsley, who days after Samuelson left, also defected to Zillow. This too led to a lawsuit, with allegations including breach of contract, violation of corporations code, illegal dumping of stocks, and Move has sought restitution. These charges are extremely serious, but demanded slightly less attention than the ongoing lawsuit against Samuelson.
2. Two major media brands emerge
Last fall, the News Corp. acquisition of Move, Inc. was given the green light by the feds, and this month, Zillow finalized their acquisition of Trulia.
…Click here to continue reading this story…
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