Despite a recent uptick in mortgage rates, the California’s housing market continued to demonstrate resilience in February, reaching sales levels not seen since September 2022, according to the California Association of Realtors on March 19, 2024.
February’s sales pace jumped 12.8 percent higher from the revised 257,040 homes sold in January and rose 1.3 percent from a year ago, when a revised 286,290 homes were sold on an annualized basis. The monthly sales increase was the second straight month of double-digit gains for California. It was also the second consecutive month of year-over-year gains, but the improvement was mild. The sales pace remained below the 300,000 threshold for the 17th consecutive month. While it is likely that sales will stay below this level in the first quarter of 2024, statewide home sales on a year-to-date basis remained positive with an increase of 3.4 percent, suggesting a better spring home buying season than that experienced last year.
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It’s a fact of life: homes come with far more emotional weight than any other investment we make…Ever wonder how our emotions influence the homes we choose and the prices we pay? A home is a refuge from the world, a place to raise a family and, for some people, an investment they hope will go up in value down the road. We fall in love with houses in a way that we never fall in love with a portfolio of stocks and bonds.
All too often, though, we don’t realize that how we feel about homes blinds us when it comes time to buy or sell. We let our emotions blind us to cold facts about the market or the realities of ownership. Or we prioritize one set of emotional needs over others that are just strong but may not be evident at first. And ignoring them can lead us to make bad financial decisions that can affect us for decades to come.
The home-selling side of the equation brings its own set of thorny issues. Homeowners often have an overly rosy view of their home and expect it to increase in value far beyond reasonable expectations. And when they put it on the market, they often stubbornly cling to their asking price—even if it means leaving it up for sale far longer than they planned and risking the possibility of not selling it at all. Here’s a closer look at some psychological missteps that buyers and sellers often make as they wade into the housing market.
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The median price and active listings data depicted in the graphics in this post are generated from a survey of more than 90 associations of REALTORS® throughout the state and represent statistics of existing single-family detached homes.
Sales data are not adjusted to account for seasonal factors that can influence home sales.
Movements in sales prices should not be interpreted as changes in the cost of a standard home. The median price is where half sold for more and half sold for less; medians are more typical than average prices, which are skewed by a relatively small share of transactions at either the lower end or the upper end. Median prices can be influenced by changes in cost, as well as changes in the characteristics and the size of homes sold. The change in median prices should not be construed as actual price changes in specific homes.
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Accessory Dwelling Units are one of California’s major tools for addressing the housing crisis. Often called “in-law” units or casitas.” Accessory Dwelling Units are additional self-contained units alongside existing or proposed homes, built to modern building codes.
Most single-family homeowners are not eligible to develop at least one Accessory Dwelling Unit up to 1000 square feet, and multifamily property owners can develop multiple new units.
For more information on Accessory Dwelling Units, and Second Units click Read More below>
Is this the year frustrated buyers will finally have the opportunity to buy or will rising home prices leave them all behind? Realtors, investors, home buyers, and renters across California continue to wait in limbo for the 2024 California housing market to unfold. Is this spring the “inflection point” the media has touted for the real estate market?
Mortgage Rates have fallen below October’s levels and will likely fall further as the year progresses. Even though that’s good news without knowing how the FED will react it’s difficult for Sellers and Buyers to know what to do.
Click Read More below for more information, local Santa Barbara real estate statistics, and video.
Mortgage rates have fallen for nine consecutive weeks and are expected to drop further although many think it’s unlikely that rates will drop below 6%.
The Federal Reserve’s campaign to lower inflation through rate hikes had a significant impact on the housing market. Now that inflation is easing, and interest rates are falling, it’s likely buyers who have been sitting on the sidelines might get back in the game.
The big question for 2024 is will there be a notable increase in inventory? The general consensus among real estate professionals is optimistic as you’ll see in the video included in this post. All expectations are for an increase in inventory. But, truthfully, only time will tell. All indicators at this stage look good without any significant unforeseen disruptions.
Click Read More below for Market Update, last year’s sale’s statistics, and a very timely Altos Research video.
Will things change this year? There are signs that the real estate market will be improving. Mortgage rates have dropped to around 6.6%
Recently CAR reported that Americans are feeling more confident about the housing market at the beginning of 2024 as buyers and sellers are seeing a glimpse of hope at the far end of the tunnel. While rates had a slight uptick in the first week of the year, easing inflationary pressure and a soft economic outlook prompted many to believe that mortgage rates will decline in the next 12 months.
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Santa Barbara has been described as the “American Riviera,” a “playground for the rich and famous” and, quite simply, “paradise.” Situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains, Santa Barbara, California, enjoys a nearly perfect year-round climate, making it ideal for outdoor activities and drawing tourists worldwide.
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The Santa Barbara Real Estate market continued to reflect trends that have been with us all year: relatively few homes for sale, higher mortgage interest rates, and a gradual cooling from the very hot market we experienced during the height of the pandemic.
Median prices and numbers of sales often flatten or decline in late summer into January compared to spring and early summer months. The market seems to have moved into this pattern. At the same time, continued interest rate increases and other factors are putting pressure on prices, offset to a large degree by a low supply of available homes for sale (inventory).
For more information including Videos and Statistics click Read More below.
Surging mortgage rates and still-high home prices are not leaving already demoralized home shoppers much to be thankful for these days.
Nonetheless, the housing market remains competitive as demand continues to outpace supply. Would-be buyers with the stomach to stay in the market are gobbling up the limited inventory, especially new homes, as builders continue offering incentives to hopeful homeowners.
Click Read More below for more information and video from Altos Research.
