Southland home sales log tepid gain; record price drop
April 15, 2008
La Jolla, CA--- The onset of spring did little to thaw Southern
California's semi-frozen housing market: The seasonal boost in sales between
February and March was less than half its normal level and a record low. The
weak start to the home buying season also saw another record dive in the
median sales price, the result of depreciation, slow sales for higher-priced
abodes and growing sales for discounted homes fresh out of foreclosure.
A total of 12,808 new and resale houses and condos sold in Los Angeles,
Riverside, San Diego, Ventura, San Bernardino and Orange counties in March.
That was up 18.8 percent from 10,777 the previous month but down 41.4 percent
from 21,856 in March 2007, according to DataQuick Information Systems.
Over the past 20 years Southland sales have risen by an average of 38
percent between February and March. Last month's 18.1 percent increase from
February was the lowest in DataQuick's statistics, which go back to 1988.
March was the seventh consecutive month in which sales have fallen to
the lowest level on record for that particular month. On average, March sales
have been about twice as high - 25,407 - as last month.
Foreclosure resales - houses sold after being foreclosed on – continue
to dominate many inland neighborhoods. More than one out of three Southland
homes that resold last month, nearly 38 percent, had been foreclosed on at
some point in the prior year. This time last year such sales were only 8
percent of the market. At the county level, foreclosure resales ranged from
28.8 percent in Los Angeles County to 56.4 percent in Riverside County.
"We continue to believe a lot of people who could be buying or selling
right now are opting to sit tight until they sense we've hit bottom. Often
what we're left with, especially in inland areas, are sales driven by
foreclosure or the threat of it. Although prices have fallen off their peaks
in most places, the magnitude of the decline continues to vary widely, with
the largest discounts concentrated in markets rife with foreclosure resales,"
said Marshall Prentice, DataQuick president.
In recent months, foreclosure resales typically sold for about 15
percent less than other homes in the surrounding area. When these foreclosure
resales dominate a market, accounting for more than half of all sales, they
tend to tug home prices down by an extra 5 to 10 percent when compared with
communities where foreclosure resales are less common.
The median price paid for a Southland home was $385,000 last month, the
lowest since $380,000 in April 2004. Last month's median was down 5.6 percent
from February's $408,000, and down a record 23.8 percent from $505,000 in
February 2007. That peak median of $505,000 was reached several times last
spring and summer.
The sharp and sudden drop of the Southland median price reflects a
combination of factors, mainly depreciation, especially in areas hammered by
foreclosures, and a big shift in the types of homes selling. Since last
August, when the continuing credit crunch hit, sales have plunged for more
expensive homes financed with "jumbo" mortgages, which until recently were
defined as loans over $417,000.
Sales financed with these larger loans, which the credit crunch made
more expensive and harder to get, accounted for just 15 percent of Southland
sales last month, down from about 40 percent a year ago. It is unclear how
much home sales might be affected this spring and summer by the recent
increases to the limits for so-called conforming loans and FHA loans.
DataQuick, a subsidiary of Vancouver-based MacDonald Dettwiler and
Associates, monitors real estate activity nationwide and provides information
to consumers, educational institutions, public agencies, lending
institutions, title companies and industry analysts.
The typical monthly mortgage payment that Southland buyers committed
themselves to paying was $1,816 last month, down from $1,821 the previous
month, and down from $2,326 a year ago. Adjusted for inflation, the current
payment is 12.6 percent lower than the spring of 1989, the peak of the prior
real estate cycle. It is 28.3 percent below the current cycle's peak in June
2006.
Indicators of market distress continue to move in different directions.
Foreclosure activity is at record levels, financing with adjustable-rate
mortgages is at a six-year low. Down payment sizes and flipping rates are
stable, non-owner occupied buying activity has risen in recent months,
DataQuick reported.
|
All homes |
Mar-07 |
Mar-08 |
%Chng |
Mar-07 |
Mar-08 |
%Chng |
|
Los Angeles |
8,353 |
4,263 |
-49.0% |
$540,000 |
$440,000 |
-18.50% |
|
Orange |
3,130 |
1,663 |
-46.9% |
$629,000 |
$506,000 |
-19.60% |
|
Riverside |
3,680 |
2,691 |
-26.9% |
$420,000 |
$306,250 |
-27.10% |
|
San Bernardino |
2,476 |
1,534 |
-38.0% |
$369,000 |
$265,000 |
-28.20% |
|
San Diego |
3,218 |
2,108 |
-34.5% |
$490,000 |
$395,000 |
-19.40% |
|
Ventura |
999 |
549 |
-45.0% |
$566,750 |
$430,000 |
-24.10% |
|
SoCal |
21,856 |
12,808 |
-41.4% |
$505,000 |
$385,000 |
-23.80% |
Source: DQNews.com Media calls: Andrew LePage (916) 456-7157 or John Karevoll
(909) 867-9534
Copyright 2007 DataQuick Information Systems. All rights reserved.