This Month in Real Estate
November 2009

Commentary

Budding signs of recovery continued last month. The encouraging news arrived in a number of closely followed economic indicators. On Thursday, October 29, the U.S. Commerce Department stated the country’s recession has officially ended, at least as leading data indicates.

U.S. GDP expanded 3.5 percent in the third quarter, the first period of quarterly growth in more than a year. A strong bounce in housing sales activity in September, mainly due to first-time buyers’ efforts to claim the tax credit before it expires for November 30, pointed to stabilization in the housing sector.  And more good news this week as an extension and expansion to the Home Buyer Tax Credit made its way through a congressional vote and has officially been signed into law by the President.

The recovery will continue to develop in small steps. The Recent Nobel Prize winner in economics, Paul Krugman, praised the progress, stating the most severe part of the crisis has now subsided and “the end of the world has been postponed.” Moving forward, trade imbalances and mounting levels of government debt, as well as high levels of unemployment, will need to be addressed. For now, governments including the United States will continue to provide stimulus support until the major economies are firmly on solid ground.

The Housing Market

Existing Home Sales – Up over 9%

• Existing home sales bounced back strongly in September with much of the increase being attributed to the rush of first-time buyers trying to claim the tax credit before the end of this month. Sales jumped 9.4 percent to 5.57 million units over August sales of 5.09 million, marking five gains in the past six months and is 9.2 percent above levels seen last year. Sales activity is at the highest level since July 2007 when sales hit 5.73 million.

Median Home Price

• Existing-home price was $174,900 in September, 6 percent higher from its low in January but still 8.5 percent below September 2008.  Distressed properties, which accounted for 29 percent of all transactions in September, continue to hold down the median price, as they typically sell for 15-20 percent less than traditional homes.

Inventory – Lowest in 2.5 years

• The current housing supply is the lowest seen in two and a half years. Total housing inventory at the end of September fell 7.5 percent to 3.63 million existing homes available for sale, representing an 7.8-month supply at the current sales pace, down 16.1 percent from August’s 9.3-month supply. Compared to a year ago, there are now 15 percent fewer homes on the market. According to Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, “If we could continue to absorb inventory at this pace, home prices would return to normal, modest appreciation patterns next year.”

Mortgage Rates – Close to 5%

• Rates for 30-year fixed loans continue to hover around 5 percent. While having risen above the ultra-low 4.78 percent reached in the spring, rates remain at attractive levels for people looking to buy a home or refinance. As an economic recovery is underway and concerns over inflation come back, experts expect mortgage rates will likely go up.

Affordability – Very favorable

• Historically high affordability conditions coupled with the first-time buyer tax credit are boosting home sales. Home buyers continue to benefit from low home prices as well as unprecedented mortgage rates. “Potential first-time buyers can take heart in that affordability conditions this year are the highest on record dating back to 1970,” according to NAR President Charles McMillan. So far this year, the home price-to-income ratio has fallen well below the historical average of 25 percent. The ratio now stands at 15 percent.

Sources: National Association of Realtors, Freddie Mac

Government Action

First-Time Home Buyer Tax Extended and Expanded

• As the deadline for the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit crept closer, it became a clear priority on the Hill. An extended and expanded home buyer tax credit is a part of a larger bill that also extends unemployment benefits. This bill was signed by President Obama on Friday, November 6. All new provisions became effective on November 7.

The bill essentially remains intact but has a handful of important changes:

1. Existing homeowners who lived in their previous home for 5 out of the last 8 years will be eligible for up to a $6,500 credit.
2. The income limits have been bumped up $50,000 to $125,000 for individuals and up $75,000 to $225,000 for couples.
3. Those who qualify will have until the end of April, 2010 to find their new home and have a signed contract on it.  They will have until the end of June to close.
4. Military, foreign services and intelligence employees with extended active service may qualify for a few special provisions, including an extra year to take advantage and they may not need to repay the credit if they move during the first three years.
5. The home purcahsed must be less than $800,000
6. Must be over the age of 18 and not classified as a dependant for tax purposes to qualify.

Sources: Bloomberg News, The Washington Post, U.S. Government Printing Office

Higher Loan Limits Extended

• With the onset of the financial crisis, credit markets that were not backed or insured by the government froze. Mortgages that are backed by the government and purchased by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Ginnie Mae are called “conforming loans”. One type of non-conforming loan is the “jumbo loan”. Traditionally, jumbo loans are mortgages that are greater than $417,000.
• Since the crisis began, tightened lending practices have made this type of loan harder to secure. Jumbo loans currently come with substantially higher costs from larger down payments and higher interest rates. This has led to a 70% decrease in jumbo loan origination since 2007 and a greater inventory of homes in jumbo territory.
• As part of the stimulus bill earlier this year, the conforming loan limits were raised to 125% of median home prices to a limit of $729,750 for 2009 and were set to expire at the end of the year. On October 29, the increased loan limits were extended through 2010. This means it will be easier for sellers whose homes fall in this category and cheaper for buyers to secure financing next year, compared to if the government let the limits expire.

Sources: Inman News, National Association of Realtors

Topics For Buyers & Sellers

Peace of Mind Home Buyers Worried about High Unemployment

The average duration that unemployed workers are out of a job is currently more than six months, near the highest level since the bureau started tracking the figure in 1948. The total number of unemployed people stands at 15.1 million. 5.4 million of those have been looking for work for more than 27 weeks.

With incentives in the housing market, including very low interest rates, a large selection of homes for sale in many markets, and highly affordable home prices, concerns about the job market and possible unemployment have held back many potential buyers.

Here are a few suggestions for potential buyers and current homeowners:

1. Buy well within your means. Although home buyers often want to buy a home they can see themselves growing into, stay within a conservative percentage of what you currently make. If you had to take a part-time instead of a full-time job, if your salary or hours were cut, or if you become a one-income household instead of two, make sure your monthly payment would still be attainable.
2. Put down a large down payment. Not only will your monthly payments be less, but the equity from the down payment creates a buffer zone. If you put 20% down when you purchase your home and home prices in the area drop 5%, you still have at least 15% equity in your home. For sellers, this built-up equity provides flexibility-should you need to sell in a hurry.
3. Have an emergency fund. Experts advise everyone, not just homeowners, to have an emergency fund of at least six months’ worth of expenses. This fund should be saved in a liquid account, like a money market or savings account, for easy access if needed quickly. With the average time to find a new job currently above six months, seven or more months of savings is a good goal.
4. Pay down other debts. Lowering or eliminating debt service is always a good move and is particularly wise in the current job climate. If you were without a job and income, lower fixed monthly expenses help ease your financial burden and stretch the money in your emergency fund.

Sources:  Bureau of Labor Statistics, CNNMoney.com, etc.

Contact Larry Brewer

your local real estate expert,

for information about what’s going on in our area.

Newsletter Contents

1. General Commentary

2. The Housing Market

3. Government Action

4. Topics for Buyers
and Seller

Click here to search for Nashville Real Estate

Fieldstone Farms Homes – October Market Report The number of Fieldstone Farms Homes sold in October was five.  with the average price of $321,624. The average days on market for Fieldstone Farms homes was 81, and the average price per square ft was $122.

To search for Fieldstone Farms Homes, click on the button.

Spring Hill Open House – Newport Crossing subdivision at 1159 Summerville circle from 02:00 until 04:00. Come visit this beautiful home with master bedroom downstairs, bonus room above garage, hardwood floors, privacy fence, and designer paint. This is a well maintained John Maher builders 1922 square ft home on a great lot for $186,900.

Franklin homes sales for October 2009 were as follows.

• Number of Franklin homes closed was 102 this compares to 106 Franklin homes closed in October of 2008.
• Average price of Franklin homes closed in October was $393,525 compared to $442,686 in October of 2008.
• Average size of Franklin homes sold was 2990 square ft compared to 3011 in 2008
• Average days on market for Franklin homes sold was 91 compared to 70 in 2008.

To search for Franklin homes for sale, click on the button, or call Larry Brewer at 615-512-7853

  Nashville Home Sales Were up 22 Percent in October – With  2,145 home   closings compared to 1748 in October of 2008 reported in Greater Nashville area for the month,
The median price for a single-family Nashville home during October was $160,000 and for a condominium it was $144,000. This compares with last year’s median residential and condominium prices of $170,000 and $152,500 respectively. The sales price of single family Nashville home was down 6 percent compared to the same month last year
Inventory at the end of October was 23,398, compared with 24,043 in October of 2008. Single-family residential inventory is down significantly and is now in the range of about an 8-month supply – which is much more in balance than has been the case recently.

To search for Nashville Homes, click on the button, or call Larry Brewer at 615-512-7853.

Brentwood Tn Real Estate Sales for October are as follows.

35 Brentwood homes were sold at an average of $672,134 dollars, with the average days on market being 106 days for sold Brentwood Tn Real Estate.

To search for Brentwood Tn Real Estate, click on the button.

Downtown Franklin, where the homes are historic, and the trees line the sidewalks, this is a typical Fall morning.

This posting and the contents written here are the intellectual property and opinions of Larry Brewer of Keller Williams Realty. Providing real estate services to clients in Nashville, Brentwood, Franklin, Green Hills, and all of Middle Tennessee

Green Hills Estate Homes- The month of October showed that 7 Luxury homes sold in Green Hills for over $1,000,000. With 77 properties currently listed, you still have a good selection of quality estate homes available. As you can see by the report, buyers have made the most of this market by negotiating great deal. The average estate home sold in Green Hills in the month of October sold for 91.5 percent of the list price.

Click on this link to search for Green Hills Luxury Homes

Franklin Sewer Assessment Districts – The city of Franklin has implemented new policies and procedures for homes that are currently on septic tanks, but have access to Franklin City Sewer lines.

The following information was gathered by the Williamson county association of realtors. Click here for more on Franklin Sewer assessments.

A Sewer Assessment District allows property owners within the defined area to reimburse the city over time, usually 20 years, for all expenses related to extending the sanitary sewer line.  The portion of the assessment allocated to individual property owners is based on each property’s appraised value, with all property owners paying their portion of the total project cost.  Payment of the assessment is the responsibility of the current property owner.  Remaining balances are not transferable and must be satisfied before the property can be sold.

The last part of the paragraph is the one that gets my attention. If you have Franklin real estate that you want to sell or buy, and it’s on a septic tank, you need to know if the special assessment applies. If it does, the homeowner will have to pay it before it can be sold.

Click here to search for Franklin real estate, or Franklin homes for sale.

Nashville real estate – 1,935 home sales were reported for the month of September, according to the Greater Nashville Association of REALTORS®.  Nashville real estate sales in 2008 were  2,075 closings reported for September.

Nashville real estate pending sales were 2,120, compared with 2,001 pending sales at this time last year.  The average number of days on the market for a single-family homes in Nashville was 86 days, compared with 79 days for September 2008.

The median residential price for a single-family home during September was $160,000, and for a condominium it was $142,500.  This compares with last year’s median residential and condominium prices of $168,900 and $148,500, respectively.

Nashville real estate inventory at the end of September was 23,975, down from 24,270 in September 2008.