2011 Housing Inventory Ends At 5 Year Low
Source: “Housing Inventory Ends Year Down 22 Percent,” Wall Street Journal (01/19/12) Related News for the Naples Real Estate Scene:
Daily Real Estate News | Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Which cities are seeing median list prices increase the most? Nationally, median list prices have risen 1.60 percent to $190,000, according to year-over-year listing data from September 2011 by Realtor.com, based on 146 markets.
Yet, in some cities, median list prices in that time frame have risen more than 20 percent. Florida cities, in particular, are continuing to see some of the largest rebounds in list prices.
Here are the 10 cities that have seen the largest percentage increases in median list prices based on year-over-year data from September:
1. Fort Myers-Cape Coral, Fla.
Year-over-year median list price increase: 34.46%
Median list price: $215,000
2. Miami, Fla.
Year-over-year median list price increase: 25.63%
Median list price: $250,000
3. Naples, Fla.
Year-over-year median list price increase: 23.41%
Median list price: $369,000
4. Sarasota-Bradenton, Fla.
Year-over-year median list price increase: 16.53%
Median list price: $233,000
5. Punta Gorda, Fla.
Year-over-year median list price increase: 14.07%
Median list price: $169,000
6. Shreveport-Bossier City, La.
Year-over-year median list price increase: 12.22%
Median list price: $176,750
7. Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla.
Year-over-year median list price increase: 11.93%
Median list price: $129,500
8. Fort Wayne, Ind.
Year-over-year median list price increase: 11.77%
Median list price: $112,000
9. Daytona Beach, Fla.
Year-over-year median list price increase: 11.32%
Median list price: $178,000
10. Boise City, Idaho
Year-over-year median list price increase: 10.58%
Median list price: $150,000
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine Daily News
How to Wreck Your Credit Score by Karen Blumenthal
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Don't underestimate the harm that even one missed mortgage payment can do to your credit score -- especially if you had good credit to begin with.
The severe consequences underscore that you shouldn't shrug off even an accidentally missed payment. Instead, you should pay it and call the lender right away, begging for forgiveness before it mars your credit record.
In an unusually specific commentary to lenders, Fair Isaac (NYSE: FICO - News), the creator of the FICO score, recently spelled out the severe consequences to the credit scores of borrowers who are 30 days late on their mortgages -- as well as the long-term impact of failing to repay the whole mortgage.
It isn't a pretty picture.
Being 30 days late on a house payment -- even if it is an accident -- can knock 100 points off a pristine 780 credit score, moving you from qualifying for the very best interest rates to the edge of subprime territory.
The actual numerical drop is less severe if your starting credit score is 720 or 680, but the impact is greater, since your new score is likely to sink to a level where new credit is hard to get and very expensive.
The FICO score ranges from a low of 300 to 850, with scores of about 750 or higher generally qualifying for the best loan terms.
The details provide a warning for anyone whose home is way underwater and is tempted to simply walk away, or considering a "short sale." That is when the sale price is less than the amount you owe and the borrower doesn't make up the difference. More than 350,000 homes have been sold this way since 2008, according to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.
FICO officials usually dodge questions about the specific impact of actions on scores. But Joanne Gaskin, director of FICO mortgage markets, compiled the data partly to counter incorrect information, such as recommendations that people stop paying their mortgages so they can negotiate with a lender, she says.
FICO says a foreclosure or short sale where the size of the unpaid balance is reported are equally devastating to a good or excellent credit score, reducing it by as much as 150 points, to the high 500s or low 600s. A rarer "deed in lieu of foreclosure" -- in which the borrower voluntarily transfers ownership of the home to the lender -- may have less impact on an excellent score.
Recovering your original score takes about seven years. That also is how long the information stays on your credit report, where insurers and potential employers can see it. Returning to a mediocre 680 score may take only three years.
Here are some other lessons from the data:
• Your past behavior counts, but your current behavior matters more.
Credit scores are intended to measure the risk that you won't repay a current or future debt. So your careful payments over many years translate into a higher starting score.
But your score takes the biggest hit of all when you are 30 days late on a payment, falling 70 to 100 points in the FICO example. It drops less when you are 90 days late and if you default. The reason? The first missed payment "captures a good deal of the risk of the consumer," Ms. Gaskin says.
• The best way to rebuild a damaged credit score, ironically, is to use credit.
Avoiding borrowing altogether means "you've frozen your credit history in a negative state," says Maxine Sweet, vice president of public education for credit bureau Experian. You will be better off using a credit card judiciously and paying it off promptly, adding good-behavior points to your record.
• A rotten score hurts more than you think.
A person with a 620 score would pay almost 12% interest on a four-year $25,000 car loan, compared with less than 5% for someone with a 780 score -- a difference of almost $4,000 over the life of the loan. On a 30-year fixed-rate $250,000 mortgage, a person with a 620 score might qualify for a 6% rate, but probably wouldn't be able to get mortgage insurance, which is required if your down payment less than 20%. A person with excellent credit might land a rate less than 5% and pay about $3,000 a year less.
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WASHINGTON – Jan. 27, 2011 – Pending home sales improved further in December, marking the fifth gain in the past six months, according to the National Association of Realtors® (NAR).The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI), a forward-looking indicator, increased 2 percent to 93.7 based on contracts signed in December from a downwardly revised 91.9 in November. The index is 4.2 percent below the 97.8 mark in December 2009. The data reflects contracts and not closings, which normally occur with a lag time of one or two months.“Modest gains in the labor market and the improving economy are creating a more favorable backdrop for buyers, allowing them to take advantage of excellent housing affordability conditions,” says Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist. “Mortgage rates should rise only modestly in the months ahead, so we’ll continue to see a favorable environment for buyers with good credit.“In the past two years, homebuyers have been very successful, with super-low loan default rates, partly because of stable home prices during that time. That trend is likely to continue in 2011 as long as there is sufficient demand to absorb inventory,” Yun said. “The latest pending sales gain suggests activity is very close to a sustainable, healthy volume of a mid-5 million total annual home sales. However, sales above 6 million, as occurred during the bubble years, is highly unlikely this year.”The PHSI in the Northeast increased 1.8 percent to 73.9 in December but is 5.3 percent below December 2009. In the Midwest, the index rose 8.0 percent in December to 84.6 but is 5.1 percent below a year ago.Pending home sales in the South jumped 11.5 percent to an index of 101.9 and are 1.7 percent above December 2009. In the West, the index fell 13.2 percent to 105.8 and is 10.7 percent below a year ago.© 2011 Florida Realtors®
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ORLANDO, Fla. – Jan. 3, 2011 – Sales of existing condominiums in Florida rose 11 percent in November, with a total of 5,411 condos sold statewide compared to 4,860 units sold in November 2009, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®.The statewide existing condo median sales price was $88,200; in November 2009, it was $104,500 for a 16 percent decrease year to year. However, November’s statewide existing condo median price was, month-to-month, 7 percent higher than the statewide existing condo median of $82,400 in October.Meanwhile, in the year-to-year comparison for existing home sales, a total of 11,900 single-family existing homes sold statewide in November compared to 13,961 homes sold in November 2009 for a decrease of 15 percent.Florida’s median existing-home sales price in November was $132,700; a year earlier, it was $139,300 for a decrease of 5 percent. The median is the midpoint; half the homes sold for more, half for less.In a separate report, the U.S. Commerce Dept. announced that sales of newly built, single-family homes increased 5.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 290,000 units in November. The gain represents a partial bounce-back from a near-record low, downwardly revised number of new-home sales in October.The November improvement in new-home sales was driven by gains in two regions. The South, which is the nation’s largest housing market, posted a 5.8 percent gain, while the West showed a 37.3 percent rebound from the previous month. Meanwhile, declines of 26.7 percent and 13.2 percent were registered in the Northeast and Midwest, respectively.The inventory of new homes for sale fell to 197,000 units in November, marking the first time in 42 years that this measure has fallen below the 200,000 level. This amounts to an 8.2-month supply at the current sales pace. © 2011 Florida Realtors®
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Report Shows Median Closed Price Stabilizing
NAPLES, Fla.-October 15, 2010- The Naples area housing market shows stability despite the ending of the homebuyer tax credit, financing challenges and the news of the oil spill in North Florida, according to a report released by the Naples Area Board of REALTORS® (NABOR), which tracks home listings and sales within Collier County (excluding Marco Island).
"Our inventory is at a historical low as we enter season despite the news of the oil spill in the media and the financing and appraisal challenges right now," stated Michele Harrison, REALTOR® with John R. Wood REALTORS®. The available inventory decreased four percent to 8,800 properties in the third quarter of 2010 compared to 9,209 properties in the third quarter of 2009.
According to Steve Barker, Managing Broker of Amerivest Realty, "The fact that pending sales decreased in the third quarter but increased 20 percent for the 12 months ending September 2010 indicates that buyers may have brought forward their purchases to get the homebuyer tax credit. This resulted in the number of pending sales decreasing for the quarter."
"While overall pending sales decreased slightly this quarter, this is only the second time in five years that we have seen over 2,000 contracts go pending in the third quarter," stated Mike Hughes, NABOR Media Relations Director, and Vice-President of Downing-Frye Realty.
The third quarter report provides annual comparisons of single-family home and condo sales (via the SunshineMLS), price ranges, geographic segmentation and includes an overall market summary. The statistics are presented in chart format, along with the following analysis:
Overall pending sales saw a 2 percent decrease, with 2,090 contracts in the third quarter of 2010 compared to 2,129 contracts in the third quarter of 2009. Overall pending sales for the 12 months ending September 2010 increased 20 percent with 9,419 sales compared to 7,881 sales for the 12 months ending September 2009.
Single-family overall closed sales decreased 13 percent with 891 sales in the third quarter of 2010 compared to 1,030 sales in the third quarter of 2009. Single-family overall closed sales for the 12 months ending September increased 19 percent with 4,137 sales in the third quarter of 2010 compared to 3,483 sales in the third quarter of 2009.
Condo sales showed no change in pending sales in the third quarter of 2010. For the 12 months ending September 2010, overall condo closed sales increased 45 percent to 3,996 sales compared to 2,749 sales for the 12 months ending September 2009.
The overall median closed price decreased 3 percent in the third quarter of 2010, to $170,000, down $6,000 from the $176,000 registered in the third quarter of 2009. The drop was confined to the $300,000 and under price segment. Excluding properties in that segment, the third quarter 2010 data reveals an across the board jump in each of the other price segments. The end of third quarter 2010 shows an overall price increase of $48,000 for properties closed from $300,000 to 2 million, to $567,000 versus $519,000 one year ago.
The September report provides annual comparisons of single-family home and condo sales (via the SunshineMLS), price ranges, geographic segmentation and includes an overall market summary. The statistics are presented in chart format, along with the following analysis:
Overall pending sales increased 11 percent to 764 contracts in September 2010 compared to 688 in September 2009.
Single-family pending sales increased 5 percent with 426 contracts compared to 407 contracts in September 2009. For the 12 months ending September 2010 single-family closed sales increased 14 percent with 4,084 sales compared to 3,579 sales for the same 12 months last year.
Condo pending sales increased 20 percent with 338 contracts in September 2010 compared to 281 contracts in September 2009.
"I believe trends are better measured by 12 month comparisons. The data as of September 2010 places the overall median closed price at $182,000, up 1 percent from September 2009. Exclusion of the $300,000 and under segment reveals a 2 percent increase over September 2009 to $540,000. These numbers are significant, considering the major problems faced by our marketplace during the past 12 months, said John Steinwand, President of Naples Realty Services.
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