1st Quarter 2019 Tallahassee Residential Real Estate Market Snapshot And Year Over Year Market Statistics.

In the 1st quarter of this year we saw a little bit of a slow down compared to the 1st quarter of 2018.  Both the number of properties listed for sale, and the number of properties sold went down.  After seeing an uptick in the number of properties listed for sale in the previous 3 quarters of 2018, the first quarter of 2019 was the first time in a year that we have seen a year over year drop in the number of properties listed for sale.  With already having a shortage of housing inventory to meet the growing demand for housing in our improving economy, the year over year decrease in the number of homes available for sale that we saw in the first quarter was bad news for home buyers.  We also saw an increase in the average number of days on the market it took to sell a home.  

Despite the slow down in sales and number of listings, year over year home prices continued to climb at a modest pace in the first quarter of 2019.  The average sale price to listing price ratio was basically flat in the first quarter of this year compared to the same time a year ago, going down just slightly.  The average sales price/listing price ratio measures how much a home sells for compared to it's listing price.    

Lastly, distressed sales (foreclosures and short sales), made up a smaller percentage of total sales in the 1st quarter of 2019 compared to the same time period a year prior.  Distressed sales sell at a discount compared to non distressed sales, and they bring down the values of surrounding properties. 

Let's start out by talking more about the number of properties listed for sale.  As mentioned above, the number of properties listed for sale saw a drop in the 1st quarter of 2019 compared to the first quarter of 2018.  Year over year property listings decreased by 1.9% in the first quarter of 2019 which was a reversal of trend from the last 3 quarters of 2018 where we saw the number of listings going up for the first time in several years.  

Over the last few years, we have had a major shortage of homes available for sale to meet the growing demand from home buyers.  The reduction in listing inventory that we saw in the 1st quarter of this year is bad for our real estate market because we are still well below what is considered a normal and balanced level of housing inventory.  Because of this shortage of housing inventory, many would-be home buyers are continuing to rent because they don't feel they can find the home that they want.  It's possible that the 1st quarter of this year was just an anomaly instead of a reversal of a trend of growing inventory levels.  This is something to keep an eye on.  If housing inventory levels start going back up then that is a good thing.  If they continue to go down or remain flat, then it could be bad news for our real estate market in the form of fewer home sales. 

We did see home sales go way down in the first quarter of 2019 compared to the 1st quarter of 2018.  Home sales fell 10.9% in the first quarter of this year compared to 1st quarter of 2018.  This was the worst year over year drop in sales we have had in quite some time.  Lack of available homes for sale is one contributing factor to the drop in home sales.  Also, it's possible that the damage Tallahassee incurred from Hurricane Michael in October could have had a negative impact on home sales in the first 

quarter of this year.  If home sales go back up in the 2nd and subsequent quarters of this year, then it's likely that the 1st quarter slowdown we had earlier this year was just a temporary slow down.  If we see a continuation of decreased year over year sales, then it probably means the slow down is being caused mainly by broader economic conditions such as low inventory levels and/or a trend of more people choosing to rent instead of buying. 

 

Despite the number of listings and the number of sales falling in the first quarter of this year, home prices continued to go up in the 1st quarter of this year in Leon County.  Home prices went up 3.8% in the first quarter of this year compared to the first quarter of 2018.  This rate of increase falls in line with what would be considered a historically normal rate of increase between 3%-5%.  The overall strong economy, with increasing wages, has kept buyer demand for housing strong. This strong demand for housing is one of the big factors contributing to home values continuing to rise.  Also, the shortage of available housing inventory is the second major contributor to increasing home values.  It's really basic economics that is driving up home prices.  Strong demand for homes coupled with a low supply of homes is a recipe for increasing home prices!  

 

The sale price to listing price ratio was pretty much flat in the 1st quarter of 2019 compared to the first quarter of 2018 with just a very small decrease.  In the first quarter of 2019 the average sale price/listing price ratio was 97.44% which means that on average, homes sold for 97.44% of the listing price.  This is a high sale price/listing price ratio, and it's indicative that we are in a very strong sellers market.   In the first quarter of 2018, the average sale price/listing price ratio was 97.73% which was just slightly higher then it was in the first quarter of this year. 

 

We did see a pretty good size year over year increase in the average number of days it took a home to sell in the first quarter of this year. In the first quarter of this year,  on average it took 75 days on the market before a home went under contract.  This is up from 67 days in the first quarter of 2018.  Most likely it's the increasing home prices that are causing homes to sit on the market longer than they did last year.  With the decrease in sales, it's clear there are fewer people buying homes this year than last year.  With the higher prices and fewer number of people buying homes this year, it's only natural that homes would be sitting on the market a little bit longer this year than last year. 

 

Distressed sales made up a smaller percentage of total sales in the first quarter of 2019 compared to the same time a year ago.  Again, distressed sales are short sales and foreclosures.  They typically sell at a discount compared to non-distressed sales.  Distressed sales only made up 2% of total sales in the first quarter of 2019 which is down from 4% in the first quarter of 2018.  Fewer distressed sales is good for helping to ensure that home prices continue to go up. 

 

Overall, we had a bit of a slow first quarter this year, but no indications of any serious issues with our real estate market.  It is very possible that the slow down can be partly attributed to the damage that many homes incurred from Hurricane Michael in October 2018.  Many homes in Tallahassee suffered damage from Hurricane Michael and plans for people listing their homes for sale could have been delayed because of the damage.   Whether it was Hurricane Michael that caused the slow down or whether it was other broader economic factors such as increasing home prices, it does seem that the slow down we saw in the first quarter will be short lived.  The 2nd quarter thus far has been very busy, so things seem to be picking back up.  I think the remainder of the year we will see home sales at about the same pace we saw in 2018 or possibly just slightly less.  

 

The problem we are having with low levels of housing inventory will most likely continue to persist for the remainder of the year and even beyond.  As i've said before, I think the problem we are having with low levels of housing inventory is a long term issue that won't easily or quickly be resolved.  New construction prices are being driven up by a scarcity of land to build on, high permitting fees from the city and county, increasing construction material costs and a small and largely under-skilled pool of construction labor.  Until the price of new construction homes comes down, I think we will see both inventory levels and home sales lower than they should be.  

 

One thing I would pay attention to this year is the overall economy and trade deals with other countries...especially China.   Currently the economy is doing good and jobs and wages are increasing.  We have some trade negotiations that are underway right now, and if these trade deals get worked out it could cause construction material prices to go down some and help ease the high costs of new construction homes.  If we get a trade deal worked out with China, it will help the real estate market and the overall economy by reducing costs of goods and services and boosting consumer confidence.  Higher consumer confidence equals more people buying homes!  

 

I would also pay attention to interest rates. Interest rates have continued to stay low.  They will most likely remain low throughout the rest of the year, but if they do start going up, this could curb home sales.  

 

To see a list of the real estate metrics I compiled for Leon County as a whole as well as by  individual quadrant, see below. 

 

Tallahassee as a whole.  

• Listings decreased by 1.9% (1,570 Homes listed for sale

• Sales decreased by 10.9% (876 properties sold)

• Average sale price Increased by 3.8% (Average sale price was $226,614)

• Average Sale price/list price ratio decreased by 0.29% (97.44%)

• Average days on the market to sell increased by 12% (75 days on the market before selling) 

• Proportion of distressed sales to total sales decreased by 2% (distressed sales made up 2% of total sales) 

 

Northeast Tallahassee

 

• Listings decreased by 4.7% (755 properties listed for sale) 

• Sales decreased by 18.7% (399 properties sold)

• Average price increased by 10.5% (Average price was $294,880)

• Sale price/list price ratio decreased by 0.26% (average sale price/list ratio was 97.5%)

• Average days on the market increased by 24.6% (71 days on the market on average before selling) 

• The proportion of distressed sales to total sales decreased by 1.1% (distressed sales made up 1.5% of total sales) 

 

Northwest Tallahassee

• Listings decreased by 2.2% (469 properties listed for sale) 

• Sales increased by 5.5% ( 289 properties sold) 

• Average sale price decreased by 3.9% (average sale price was $144,953) 

• Average sale price/list price ratio decreased by 1.5% (Average sale price/list price ratio was 96.49%)

• Average days on the market before selling increased 12% (84 days on the market on average before a home sold) 

• The proportion of distressed sales compared to total sales decreased by 4.1% (distressed sales made up only 1.4% of total sales) 

Southeast Tallahassee

 

• Listings decreased by 2.1% (234 properties listed for sale)

• Sales decreased 5.5% (136 properties sold) 

• Average price increased by 3.8% (Average sale price was $208,763)

• Average sale price/list price ratio increased by 1.35% (sale price/list price ratio was 99.12%) 

• Average days on the market before a home sold decreased by 18.9% (60 days) 

• The proportion of distressed sales compared to total sales decreased by 0.5% (distressed sales made up 3.7% of total sales)  

Southwest Tallahassee

• Listings increased by 5.8% (112 properties listed for sale) 

• Sales decreased by 29.7% ( 52 properties sold) 
• Average sales price decreased by 0.04% (Average sale price was $105,573) 

• Average sale price/listing price ratio decreased by 0.84% ( Average sale price/listing price ratio was 94.99%) 

• Average days on the market before the property sold increased by 10.8% (103 days on the market before selling) 

• The proportion of distressed sales compared to total sales decreased by 1% (distressed sales made up 5.8% of total sales) 

Tallahassee 4th Quarter Real Estate Market Report

4th Quarter 2018 Tallahassee Residential Real Estate Market Snapshot And Year Over Year Market Statistics.

In the 4th quarter of 2018 Leon County saw the inventory of homes go back down again by a small margin compared to the 4th quarter of 2017.  This is a contrast to the first 3 quarters of 2018 when we saw year over year housing inventory levels go up by substantial margins.  Sales were also down in the 4th quarter of 2018 compared to the 4th quarter of 2017.  Even though both year over year listing and sales activity were down in the 4th quarter of 2018, home prices continued to charge ahead in the last quarter of 2018 going up substantially compared to last quarter of 2017.  

The average number of days on the market it took to sell a home went down in the 4th quarter of 2018 compared to a year earlier.  Also, the average sale price/ listing price ratio of homes was down by a little bit in the 4th quarter of last year compared to the 4th quarter of 2017.  The sale price/listing price ratio measures how much a home sells for compared to the listing price of the home.  Lastly, distressed sales (foreclosures and short sales) continued to go down in the 4th quarter of 2018 making up a lesser percentage of total sales compared to the 4th quarter of 2017.  

As mentioned above, the number of properties listed for sale decreased in the 4th quarter of 2018 compared to the 4th quarter of 2017.  Year over year listings only went down by 3%, but this reversed a trend of 3 straight quarters where we saw rising inventory levels of homes.  Tallahassee's residential real estate market has been plagued with very low levels of housing inventory over the past 3 years, so the year over year decrease in housing inventory that we saw in the 4th quarter of last year is not a good thing.  Buyer demand for houses has been increasing steadily the past several years as the economy has improved and wages have gone up.  Because of this, we need housing inventory levels to go up to meet the growing demand.  If we had more homes for sale, there is no doubt in my mind that home sales would be higher.  Because of the lack of housing inventory to choose from (especially in the lower price range of homes) many would-be home buyers are sitting on the side lines and continuing to rent.  This is no doubt a big factor in why we saw year over year home sales decrease in the 4th quarter of 2018.  It should be noted that the hurricane that hit Tallahassee in October might have caused fewer people to list their homes in the fourth quarter causing the inventory levels to be lower than they would have been had the hurricane not hit Tallahassee. 

Year over year sales of residential real estate decreased by 5.1% in the 4th quarter of 2018 in Leon County.  I believe there are several factors causing the slow down in home sales.  As mentioned above, the lack of homes to choose from has caused many would be buyers to opt to continue to rent instead of buying since they feel like there are not enough options of homes to choose from.  Another reason I believe year over year home sales were down in the 4th quarter is because of the rise in interest rates on home loans.  In the 4th quarter of 2018 interest rates got close to 5% for a 30 year fixed rate mortgage which is about a full percentage point higher than the rates were at the end of 2017.  The higher interest rates combined with rising home prices is making buying a home more expensive, and this is pushing some would-be home buyers out of the housing market. Finally, I believe that the damage incurred throughout Leon County from Hurricane Michael in October also had a dampening effect on home sales in the 4th quarter.    

Even though both the number of properties sold and the number of properties listed for sale went down in the 4th quarter of 2018, year over year home prices went up by a significant margin in the last quarter of 2018.  On average, year over year home prices increased by 8.2% in the last quarter of 2018 in Leon County.  Historically home prices increase by about 3%-5% a year, so this is well above an average level of appreciation for housing.  It should be noted though that different areas of Leon County saw much more appreciation in prices than other parts.  For example, in the Northeast Leon County homes appreciated by a whopping 15.3% while in NW Leon County, home prices actually went down by 5.1%.  In SE Leon County, home prices increased by 2.6% while in SW Leon County home prices went down by a whopping 15.3%.  So most of the appreciation in values was concentrated in the NE part of the county.  This is likely due to the increase in the number of new construction homes that have been selling in NE Tallahassee which has pushed prices up in that part of Leon County. 

The year over year average sale price/listing price ratio of homes went down by 0.29% in the 4th quarter of 2018.  The average sale price/listing price ratio was 97.65% in the last quarter of 2018 compared to 97.94% in the 4th quarter of 2017.  The sale price/listing price ratio measures what a home sells for compared to the asking price of the home.  Even though we saw this metric decrease very slightly in the 4th quarter of 2018, it's still very high by historical standards, and it signifies that we are in a strong seller's market.  The most likely reason we saw this metric go down by a little bit is because average home prices went up by a significant margin. 

Homes sold faster on average in the 4th quarter of 2018 compared to the 4th quarter of 2017.  In fact, in the 4th quarter of last year,  the number of days a home sat on the market before selling decreased by 8.6% compared to a year earlier going from 70 days to 64 days.  The decrease in the number of days it took for a home to sell is a combination of both fewer homes on the market and a strong demand from home buyers.  

Finally, we saw distressed sales (foreclosures and short sales) go down in the 4th quarter of 2018 compared to a year earlier.  Distressed sales only made up 3.21% of all home sales in the 4th quarter of 2018 compared to 5.07% in the 4th quarter of 2017.  We have the lowest amount of distressed on the market now since before the housing market collapsed in 2007.  The decrease in distressed sales is good because distressed sales typically sell at a discount bringing down property values of surrounding properties.  

Overall the real estate market in Leon County is strong and stable.  Home prices continue to go up on average as buyer demand continues to be strong.  We still have less housing inventory than we need, and this has been and will continue to be our real estate market's greatest challenge for some time to come.  The low level of housing inventory for sale is a long term problem I believe caused by an inadequate level of construction of affordable new homes.  The issue is that it's extremely hard to build homes at an affordable price.  Land prices are high, county and city permitting fees are high, construction material costs are high, and there is a shortage of labor in the construction industry.  These problems mentioned above, which make it hard to build affordable homes, are not going to go away any time soon, so because of this I think our problem with a lack of housing inventory for sale is going to be with us for years to come.  

In 2019  I think we can expect interest rates be fairly stable, increasing just slightly.  I also think we will see home prices increase as well but more moderately than we saw in 2018.  I would expect that we will have a robust Spring and Summer selling season here in Tallahassee.  So if you are looking to sell your home this year, I would plan on getting on the market no later than in May so you don't miss out on the selling season.  If you are looking to buy a home this year,  I would start looking now before the market gets red hot between April and June.  If buying a home, you will face lots of competition from other buyers during those peak selling months between April and June. 

Below I have listed all of the metrics for Tallahassee as a whole and for each quadrant of Tallahassee for the 4th quarter of 2018.  

Tallahassee as a whole

• Listings decreased by 3% (1,046 Homes listed for sale

• Sales decreased by 5.1% (841 properties sold)

• Average sale price Increased by 8.2% (Average sale price was $227,064)

• Average Sale price/list price ratio decreased by 0.29% (97.65%)

• Average days on the market to sell decreased by 8.6% (64 days on the market before selling) 

• Proportion of distressed sales to total sales decreased by 1.86% (distressed sales made up 3.21% of total sales) 

 

Northeast Tallahassee

 

• Listings increased by 1.5% (537 properties listed for sale) 

• Sales decreased by 1.6% (426 properties sold)

• Average price increased by 15% (Average price was $306,211)

• Sale price/list price ratio decreased by 0.52% (average sale price/list ratio was 97.67%)

• Average days on the market decreased by 3.3% (59 days on the market on average before selling) 

• The proportion of distressed sales to total sales decreased by 1.7% (distressed sales made up 1.6% of total sales) 

 

Northwest Tallahassee

 

• Listings increased by 7.4% (277 properties listed for sale) 

• Sales decreased by 7.1% ( 223 properties sold) 

• Average sale price decreased by 5.1% (average sale price was $133,045) 

• Average sale price/list price ratio increased by 0.3% (Average sale price/list price ratio was 97.88%)

• Average days on the market before selling went down 14.5% (65 days on the market on average before a home sold) 

• The proportion of distressed sales compared to total sales decreased by 0.6% (distressed sales made up 4% of total sales) 

Southeast Tallahassee

 

• Listings Increased by 3.4% (178 properties listed for sale)

• Sales decreased 7% (133 properties sold) 

• Average price increased by 2.6% (Average sale price was $190,637)

• Average sale price/list price ratio increased by 0.2% (sale price/list price ratio was 98.11%) 

• Average days on the market before a home sold decreased by 17.6% (61 days) 

• The proportion of distressed sales compared to total sales decreased by 4.6% (distressed sales made up 3.8% of total sales)  

Southwest Tallahassee

• Listings decreased by 23% (54 properties listed for sale) 

• Sales increased by 13.5% ( 59 properties sold) 
• Average sales price decreased by 15.3% (Average sale price was $93,067) 

• Average sale price/listing price ratio decreased by 1.12% ( Average sale price/listing price ratio was 94%) 

• Average days on the market before a property sold decreased by 16.2% ( 98 days) 

• The proportion of distressed sales compared to total sales decreased by 3.2% (distressed sales made up 10.2% of total sales) 

Tallahassee 3rd Quarter Real Estate Market Report

Bobby's Real Estate Column

3rd Quarter 2018 Tallahassee Residential Real Market Snapshot And Year Over Year Market  Statistics. In the 3rd quarter of this year, Tallahassee's residential real estate market continued to do well.  Home prices in the 3rd quarter of this year saw very strong gains compared to the same time last year.  Also, housing inventory increased sharply compared to the same time a year ago.  The increased housing inventory is much needed and is welcomed by home buyers. In the last 2-3 years, our residential real estate market here is Tallahassee has had a major shortage of homes for sale.  This has made shopping for a home very frustrating for home buyers over the last few years.   Home sales saw a very slight decrease in the 3rd quarter of this year compared to the same time period a year ago.  Rising home prices and rising mortgage interest rates seem to finally be slowing down home sales just a tad.  The average number days it took to sell a home dropped down quite a bit compared to last year, and the average sale price/list price ratio, which measures how much a home sells for compared to it's listing price, stayed about the same as last year going down just slightly.    Lastly, we saw fewer distressed sales (short sales and foreclosures) in the 3rd quarter of this year compared to the same time a year ago. Distressed sales are not good because they generally sell at a discount compared to non distressed sales, and they bring down the values of surrounding properties.  The reduction in distressed sales is a sign that the real estate market is doing well.   So let's start off by talking more in depth about the increase we saw in the number of listings available for sale in the 3rd quarter of this year.  New listings jumped up by a whopping 16% in the 3rd quarter compared to the same time a year ago.  Our market needs the higher level of housing inventory, so this is great news.  Over the last 3 years, a growing number of home buyers have been fighting like cats and dogs over fewer and fewer listings. Multiple offers and properties selling above asking price has become the norm is seems!  Last year in 2017, the number of listings on the market dropped to just a little over a 3 month supply of homes for sale. This is about half of the 6 month supply of homes that is considered normal.  The months supply of homes means is that if no more homes were listed after today, it would take that many months to sell the remaining inventory of homes.  So for example,  with a 3 months supply of homes it would take 3 months to sell all existing inventory if no more homes were listed for sale.  We're now starting to see big jumps in housing inventory levels due to more new construction taking place and more homeowners deciding to cash in on the high prices and put their homes on the market.  If housing inventories continue to go up like we saw them go up in the 3rd quarter of this year, then we could be back to a normal 6 month supply of housing inventory within the next couple of years.   Despite the growing number of properties listed for sale, home prices continued on a sharp upward trajectory in the 3rd quarter of this year.  Average year over year sales prices in the 3rd quarter of 2018 in Tallahassee increased by a whopping 9.1%.  This is far above the 3%-5% range that's considered historically normal.  The strengthening economy is creating more demand for homes as more people have jobs and incomes are going up.  Although the supply of homes is starting to finally go up, it's still very low.  Low levels of housing supply along with strong demand from home buyers has caused home prices to continue to go up.  With the number of homes for sale continuing to go up, we can expect to see price growth cool off within the next year or so.  I think next year we will most likely see home prices fall back into a normal range of appreciation between 3%-5%. Home sales stagnated in the 3rd quarter in Tallahassee, going down just slightly compared to the same time last year.  It appears that rising home prices and rising interest rates are finally starting to curb home sales as the cost of owning a home has gone up quite a bit in the last year. Again, the average home price went up by over 9% within the last year, and the average rate on a 30 year fixed rate mortgage went up from 3.89% a year ago to 4.85% at present time.  The combination of higher home prices and interest rates means that people's mortgage payments are going up.  Even though people's wages are going up, the cost of home ownership is far outpacing the increase in people's wages.   The average number of days a home sat on the market before selling went down by 17.2% in the 3rd quarter of this year compared to the same time a year ago.  Average days on the market to sell a home dropped from 64 days in the 3rd quarter of 2017 to 53 days in the 3rd quarter of 2018.  The shorter selling time is an indication that demand from home buyers is strong.  The year over year average sale price/listing ratio, which measures how much a home sells for compared to it's listing price, went down just slightly in the 3rd quarter of this year dropping from the 97.88% in the 3rd quarter of last year to 97.82% in the 3rd quarter of this year. This high sale price/listing price ratio again confirms that we are in fact in a seller's market with sellers getting  about 2% under asking price.  Not too bad if you are a seller!  Finally, distressed sales in Tallahassee (short sales and foreclosures) as a percentage of total sales, dropped down in the 3rd quarter to the lowest level that I have seen since before the housing market collapsed back in 2007.  Distressed sales only made up 2% of overall sales in the 3rd quarter of this year.  This is down from 3.6% in the 3rd quarter of 2017. If you are an investor with lots of cash burning a hole in your pocket, you probably miss the days when distressed sales made up nearly 30% of properties and people could not give their properties away!  Today's market is definitely not a good market for investors looking to capitalize on buying distressed sales at a discount.  The good deals on investment properties are now far and few between.  Overall I think that our real estate market is in the process of transitioning from a seller's market to more of a normal market that will be about equally favorable for buyers and sellers.  Prices are still going up, but as housing inventory continues to grow, we will see prices start to soften and level out within the next year or two as sellers have to compete with more homes in order to get their homes sold.  Also, rising interest rates will probably have a modest affect on home sales causing home sales to stay about the same or go down a little bit. The market is certainly not going to drop off the cliff like in 2007.  It's just going to be a gradual leveling out.  If you are a home buyer this means you will have more choices of homes, and you won't feel as much pressure to move so quickly or to over pay to get the house you want.   If you are a seller, it means that you are going to have to make your home nice and presentable and price it competitively and in line with what other comparable homes are selling for.  I do think that 2019 will still be a seller's market here in Tallahassee, but by 2020 I think we will be in more of a balanced market.   For a list of the the real estate metrics for Tallahassee as a whole as well as for each quadrant of Tallahassee, please see below.  Tallahassee as a whole Listings increased by 16% (1,635 Homes listed for sale) Sales decreased by 1.5% (1,175 properties sold)  Average sale price Increased by 9.1% (Average sale price was $226,290) Average Sale price/list price ratio decreased by 0.06% (97.82%) Average days on the market to sell decreased by 17.2% (53 days on the market before selling)  Proportion of distressed sales to total sales decreased by 1.6% (distressed sales made up 2% of total sales)    Northeast Tallahassee   Listings increased by 12.6% (814 properties listed for sale)  Sales Increased by 1.6% (576 properties sold) Average price increased by 9.2% (Average price was $305,498) Sale price/list price ratio decreased by 0.08% (average sale price/list ratio was 97.76%) Average days on the market decreased by 12.7% (48 days on the market on average before selling)  The proportion of distressed sales to total sales decreased by 0.2% (distressed sales made up 1.4% of total sales)    Northwest Tallahassee Listings increased by 14.9% (448 properties listed for sale)  Sales decreased by 1.4% ( 352 properties sold)  Average sale price increased by 1.1% (average sale price was $137,999)  Average sale price/list price ratio decreased by 0.2% (Average sale price/list price ratio was 97.83%) Average days on the market before selling went down 10.4% (60 days on the market on average before a home sold)  The proportion of distressed sales compared to total sales decreased by 2.7% (distressed sales made up 2.6% of total sales)  Southeast Tallahassee   Listings Increased by 26.6% (262 properties listed for sale) Sales decreased 9.4% (173 properties sold)  Average price increased by 10% (Average sale price was $189,586) Average sale price/list price ratio increased by 0.24% (sale price/list price ratio was 98.32%)  Average days on the market before a home sold decreased by 20% (56 days)  The proportion of distressed sales compared to total sales decreased by 2.4% (distressed sales made up 2.3% of total sales)   Southwest Tallahassee Listings increased by 23% (111 properties listed for sale)  Sales decreased by 6.3% ( 74 properties sold)  Average sales price increased by 23.9% (Average sale price was $115,535)  Average sale price/listing price ratio increased by 0.36% ( Average sale price/listing price ratio was 97.10%)  Average days on the market before a property sold decreased by 41.6% ( 59 days)  The proportion of distressed sales compared to total sales decreased by 4.9% (distressed sales made up 2.7% of total sales)

Tallahassee 1st Quarter Real Estate Market Report

Bobby's Real Estate Column

1st Quarter 2018 Tallahassee Residential Real Estate Market Snapshot And Year Over Year Market Statistics. The residential real estate market in Tallahassee in the first quarter of 2018 took off like a rocket with both the number of properties sold and home prices seeing huge gains compared to the first quarter of 2017.  While we saw home prices and the number of properties sold go up, the number of properties available for sale went down.  Shrinking levels of housing inventory is a trend we have consistently seen over the past two or three years, and that trend continued in the first quarter of this year.  The combination of increasing demand for homes and a decreased level of housing supply to meet the growing demand, has created a fiercely competitive seller's market where homes are flying off the market quickly and at prices we have not seen in over a decade.  This combination of increasing demand for homes and shrinking supply of homes has led to a significant drop in the average time it took a home to sell in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the same time a year earlier.  The average sale price/list price ratio, which measures how much a home sells for compared to it's listing price, went down very slightly in the first quarter of  2018 from the first quarter of 2017.  Last but not least, distressed sales (foreclosures and short sales) continued to make up a smaller percentage of overall sales.  Distressed sales typically sell at a discount compared to homes that are not distressed, and they bring down the values of surrounding properties.  The decreasing levels of distressed sales is a consistent trend we have seen since 2012 when the housing market began it's recovery.    The number of properties listed for sale was down 1.5% in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the first quarter of 2017.  The number of homes that sold in the first quarter of 2018 increased by a whopping 11.9% compared to the first quarter of 2017.  An improving economy and a coming of age of the millennial generation,  who many are now deciding to purchase their first home, caused a boom in home sales in the first quarter of 2018.  Unfortunately, the boom in demand for homes has been met with a shrinking level of homes to choose from.  The lack of adequate housing inventory is a long term issue in my view, and it could take years before inventory levels reach normal levels.  Years of inadequate construction of new homes following the housing bust combined with the fact that people are staying in their homes longer are the main two causes of the shortage of available homes for sale.   Home prices rose 8.6% in Tallahassee in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the first quarter of 2017.  Historically, homes have increased by about 3%-5% per year, so the 8.6% year over year increase we saw in Tallahassee in the first quarter of this year was well above what would be considered average.  This is of course great news for homeowners looking to sell their homes.  The rapidly increasing home prices are making purchasing a home much tougher for home buyers though since increases in home prices are far out outpacing increases in people's wages.  When you also factor in increasing mortgage rates on top of increasing home prices, the cost of owning a home has gone up quite a bit over the last year.   The average amount of time it took a home to sell in the first quarter of 2018 went down a whopping 24.4% compared to the first quarter of 2017.  On average it only took 68 days for a home to sell in the first quarter of 2018 compared to 90 days in the first quarter of 2017.  The reason for this is simple.  Fewer homes available for sale combined with an increased demand for homes is causing homes to sell much quicker than last year.   The average sale price/listing price ratio, which measures the average of what homes are selling for compared to what they are listed for, remained flat for the most part going down only very slightly. In the first quarter of 2018 the average sale price/listing price ratio was 97.69% compared to 97.89% in the first quarter of 2017.  This means that in the first quarter of 2018 the average home sold for 97.69% of the asking price.  This high sale price/listing price ratio confirms that we are in a seller's market.  Distressed sales only made up 4% of total sales in Tallahassee in the first quarter of 2018.  This is down from the first quarter of 2017 when distressed sales made up 6.3% of total sales.  As mentioned earlier, fewer distressed sales is indicative of the fact that the real estate market and the economy as a whole are improving, and is also a good indication that home prices will continue to increase for the foreseeable future.    Overall, the real estate market here in Tallahassee is very robust with lots of activity.  Despite the very low levels of housing inventory available for sale, home sales have continued to increase sharply.  If we had more homes available for sale, home sales would probably be even higher.  The only aspect of our local housing market that could be considered bad is the lack of homes available for sale.  don't expect this problem to go away anytime time soon.  We need a boom in new housing construction to provide the needed supply of homes to meet the growing demand of home buyers.  A shortage of land to build on combined with increasing construction costs and a shortage of construction labor is making it tough for builders to build homes...especially homes in the lower price ranges which is where the biggest shortage of homes exists.    In the year ahead I would expect demand for homes to continue to grow as the economy improves and more and more people begin to feel the extra income from the tax cut legislation that passed in December of 2017.  I expect inventory of homes to remain well below adequate levels.  I would also expect to see interest rates on home loans increase throughout the end of the year.  I think we could expect the average rate on a 30 year fixed rate mortgage to rise to 5% by year end.  If you are a home buyer I would not delay making a purchase if you are in the market.  Affordability will continue to get worse for the foreseeable future.  If you are a home seller, now is a great time to sell your home.  If you price your home right and you get it in great condition so it shows well, you will sell it for good money and quickly.   For a list of the the real estate metrics for Tallahassee as a whole as well as for each quadrant of Tallahassee, please see below.  Tallahassee as a whole Listings decreased by 1.5% (1,562 Homes listed for sale) Sales increased by 11.9% (977 properties sold)  Average sale price increased by 8.6% (Average sale price was $212,967) Average Sale price/list price ratio decreased by 0.2% (97.69%) Average days on the market to sell decreased by 24.4% (68 days on the market before selling)  Proportion of distressed sales to total sales decreased by 2.3% (distressed sales made up 4% of total sales)    Northeast Tallahassee   Listings increased by 2.2% (780 properties listed for sale)  Sales increased by 15.5% (491 properties sold) Average price increased by 0.4% (Average price was $266,783) Sale price/list price ratio decreased by 0.58% (average sale price/list ratio was 97.76%) Average days on the market decreased by 30% (57 days on the market on average before selling)  The proportion of distressed sales to total sales increased by 0.2% (distressed sales made up 2.6% of total sales)    Northwest Tallahassee Listings decreased by 12.5% (441 properties listed for sale)  Sales increased by 12.6% ( 268 properties sold)  Average sale price increased by 14.4% ( average sale price was just  $150,288)  Average sale price/list price ratio increased by 0.46% (Average sale price/list price ratio was 97.76%) Average days on the market before selling went down 31.5% (76 days on the market on average before a home sold)  The proportion of distressed sales compared to total sales decreased by 3.2% (distressed sales made up 5.6% of total sales)  Southeast Tallahassee   Listings Increased by 8.8% (236 properties listed for sale) Sales increased by 2.1% (144 properties sold)  Average price increased by 42.7% (Average sale price was $201,109) Average sale price/list price ratio decreased by 0.12% (sale price/list price ratio was 97.77%)  Average days on the market before a home sold decreased by 6.3% (74 days)  The proportion of distressed sales compared to total sales decreased by 7.1% (distressed sales made up 4.2% of total sales)   Southwest Tallahassee Listings increased by 7.9% (109 properties listed for sale)  Sales increased by 7.2% ( 74 properties sold)  Average sales price increased by 26.1% (Average sale price was $105,964)  Average sale price/listing price ratio increased by 3.11% ( Average sale price/listing price ratio was 95.83%)  Average days on the market before a property sold decreased by 7.9% ( 93 days)  The proportion of distressed sales compared to total sales decreased by 4.8% (distressed sales made up 6.8% of total sales)

4th Quarter Tallahassee Residential Real Estate Market Report

4th Quarter 2017 Tallahassee Residential Real Estate Market Snapshot And Year Over Year Market Statistics.

The residential real estate market in Tallahassee continued the same trends in the 4th quarter of 2017 as it did in the previous 3 quarters of the year. There was one noticeable difference though in the 4th quarter from the rest of the previous quarters of 2017.  The number of properties sold actually went down slightly in the 4th quarter of 2017 compared to the 4th quarter of 2016.  In the previous quarters in 2017 year over year sales were slightly up, but in the 4th quarter, year over year sales went down. 

Besides the number of properties sold though, in the 4th quarter of 2017 all of the other metrics continued to trend in the same direction as we have seen over the last year.  The number of properties listed for sale went down and home prices continued to go up.  The number of days on average it took to sell a property went down.  The sale price/list price ratio (how much a home actually sells for compared to the price the home is listed for sale at) went up, which means homes are selling closer to their asking price.  Finally, distressed sales (foreclosures and short sales) continued to make up a smaller percentage of our total sales.  

The number of properties listed for sale (i.e. the number of homes available for sale on the market) continued to shrink the the 4th quarter of 2017 giving home buyers fewer homes to choose from compared to the same time a year earlier.  We saw the number of homes available for sale drop 2.1% in the 4th quarter of 2017 compared to the same time a year earlier.  As the number of homes available for sale continues to drop it's making it harder and harder for home buyers to find the right property in a reasonable time frame.  Because of this, it seems that some home buyers are starting to hold off buying because they don't have much to choose from.  This seems to be leading to decreased home sales. 

Home sales decreased by 1.1% in the 4th quarter of 2017 compared to the 4th quarter of 2016.  This is only a very small drop, so I don't think it's anything to worry a lot about.  The economy has been improving with jobs increasing rapidly.  People's wages are going up and consumer confidence is strong.  Given the positive economic circumstances you would think that home sales would go up, and normally they would.  The problem is that the supply of homes available for sale is not large enough to meet the growing demand for homes. As a result, many would-be home buyers are continuing to rent since the supply of homes for sale is so small.  

Despite the slight year over year dip in the number of homes sold in the 4th quarter of 2017, year over year home prices continued to modestly increase in the 4th quarter of 2017.  Home prices saw an increase of 2.4% in Tallahassee in the 4th quarter of 2017 compared to the same time period a year earlier.  This is slightly below the rate of increase that we saw in the earlier quarters of 2017, but it's still a healthy rate of growth when we you look at historical rates of price appreciation in the housing market. 

The average number of days it took for a house to sell in the 4th quarter of 2017 went down by 16.7%  going down from 84 days in the 4th quarter of 2016 to only 70 days in the 4th quarter of 2017.  The decrease in the number of homes available for sale is most likely the main reason for the decrease in the number of days it took a home to sell in the 4th quarter of 2017.  This is great news if you are looking to sell your home. 

The sale price/listing price ratio  also went up slightly in the 4th quarter of 2017 compared to the 4th quarter of 2016.  In the 4th quarter of 2017 homes in Tallahassee on average sold for 97.95% of their asking price.  In the 4th quarter of 2016 homes sold for only 97.33% of their asking price.  This very high sale price to listing price ratio is indicative of the fact that we are in a very strong seller's market.  

Finally, distressed sales (foreclosures and short sales) in the 4th quarter of 2017 made up a smaller percentage of overall sales compared to 4th quarter of 2016.  In the 4th quarter of 2017, distressed sales made up only 5% of overall sales compared to 7.9% in the 4th quarter of 2016.  This year over year reduction in distressed sales in the 4th quarter of 2017 is a continuation of a long trend starting in 2012 of a declining number of distressed sales.  Distressed sales generally sell at a discount compared to homes that are not distressed, and they tend to bring down property values of surrounding properties.  The continued reduction in the number of distressed sales that we saw in the 4th quarter of 2017 is an indication that our real estate market is getting stronger, and will lead to more long term price stability.  

Overall, demand for housing is very strong. An improving economy along with increasing jobs and wages seems to be fueling home buyer demand. Young first time home buyers are starting to make up a larger share of the home buyer market as well.  The limited supply of housing inventory is constraining the number of home sales though, and many would-be home buyers are opting to rent instead of buying. 

Over the next year I would expect housing inventory to remain scarce.  I would also expect to see interest rates on home loans rise.  The raising of interest rates and the lack of housing inventory will probably slow down price appreciation a little bit compared to what we have seen over the last couple of years. It might also slow down the number of homes sold as well.  The housing market will be robust this year though, and homes that are priced right and show well will continue to sell very fast.  

For a list of the the real estate metrics for Tallahassee as a whole as well as for each quadrant of Tallahassee, please see below. 

Tallahassee as a whole

• Listings decreased by 2.1% (1,050 Homes listed for sale)

• Sales decreased by 1.1% (884 properties sold) 

• Average sale price increased by 2.4% (Average sale price was $209,829)

• Average Sale price/list price ratio increased by 0.62% (97.95%)

• Average days on the market to sell decreased by 16.7% (70 days on the market before selling) 

• Proportion of distressed sales to total sales decreased by 2.9% (distressed sales made up 5% of total sales) 

 

Northeast Tallahassee

 

• Listings increased by 9.7% (520properties listed for sale) 

• Sales increased by 3.9% (449 properties sold)

• Average price decreased 1.6% (Average price was $266,369)

• Sale price/list price ratio increased by 0.74% (average sale price/list ratio was 98.2%)

• Average days on the market decreased by 17.6% (61 days on the market on average before selling) 

• The proportion of distressed sales to total sales decreased by 2.5% (distressed sales made up 3.1% of total sales) 

 

Northwest Tallahassee

• Listings decreased by 1% (289 properties listed for sale) 

• Sales decreased by 5.2% ( 239 properties sold) 

• Average sale price increased by 5.5% ( average sale price was just  $140,270) 

• Average sale price/list price ratio increased by 1.05% (Average sale price/list price ratio was 97.62%)

• Average days on the market before selling went down 15.8% (75 days on the market on average before a home sold) 

• The proportion of distressed sales compared to total sales decreased by 3.7% (distressed sales made up 4.6% of total sales) 

Southeast Tallahassee

 

• Listings decreased by 6.6% (169 properties listed for sale)

• Sales increased by 2.1% (143 properties sold) 

• Average price increased by 1.5% (Average sale price was $171,115)

• Average sale price/list price ratio increased by 0.14% (sale price/list price ratio was 97.91%) 

• Average days on the market before a home sold decreased by 15.8% (74 days) 

• The proportion of distressed sales compared to total sales increased by 2% (distressed sales made up 8.4% of total sales)  

Southwest Tallahassee

• Listings decreased by 6.1% (77 properties listed for sale) 

• Sales decreased by 25.7% ( 52 properties sold) 
• Average sales price increased by 7.1% (Average sale price was $109,914) 

• Average sale price/listing price ratio decreased by 2.27% ( Average sale price/listing price ratio was 94.9%) 

• Average days on the market before a property sold decreased by 24.2% ( 91 days) 

• The proportion of distressed sales compared to total sales decreased by 10.8% (distressed sales made up 13.5% of total sales) 

Tallahassee 3rd Quarter Real Estate Market Report

3rd Quarter 2017 Tallahassee Residential Real Estate Market Snapshot And Year Over Year Market Statistics.

The residential real estate market in the 3rd quarter of this year pretty much was a continuation of what we saw in the 2nd quarter earlier this year.  Year over year in the 3rd quarter,  home prices were up, the number of properties that sold went slightly up, and the number of homes listed for sale continued to go down leaving home buyers with fewer homes to choose from compared to the same time last year.  The average number of days on the market to sell a home went down, the sale price to list price ratio (what a home sells for compared to it's listing price) remained flat for the most part compared to a year ago.  Lastly, distressed sales (foreclosures and short sales) continued to drop making up a smaller percentage of total overall sales. 

 

The one issue that we have in our local real estate market (as well as state and national) is the vast shortage of homes for sale on the market.  Right now we are operating at about a 3 months supply of housing  inventory in Leon County, which means that at the current pace of sales it would take 3 months for all the homes to sell if no more homes were listed on the market.  A normal market has about a 6 months supply of housing inventory.  In Leon County in this 3rd quarter, the number of listings available for sale went down 4.9% compared to the 3rd quarter of 2016.  Buyers are faced with fewer choices now days, creating a tough market to buy a home. Buyers are having to wait longer to find the right home, and multiple offers on homes are commonplace in this market. 

 

The number of properties that sold continued to increase in the 3rd quarter of this year compared to the same time last year.  Year over year home sales went up by 2.3% this 3rd quarter.  An improving economy along with more jobs and higher wages are fueling a demand in home buying. People feel much more confident in the housing market, and the skepticism that home buyers held about buying a home in the years following the housing market crash, is seeming to finally fade away.   

 

As the number of properties available for sale has decreased and the demand for homes is continuing to increase, home prices continued to go up in the 3rd quarter of 2017.  Year over year home prices went up by a strong 4.9% in the 3rd quarter of this year.  While a 4.9% increase in value is a very good, it falls within the historical 3%-5% a year increase in home values which is considered both healthy and sustainable.  What this means is that these price gains we are seeing are more than likely a permanent long term price increase instead of a home price bubble.  This should give homeowners and potential home buyers confidence that our real estate market is healthy, home prices will most likely remain stable, and buying a home is a solid long term investment. 

 

The number of days on the market that it took a home to sell went down pretty drastically in the 3rd quarter of this year compared to the same time a year ago.  The year over year average days on the market dropped by 19.8%, coming down from 81 days in the 3rd quarter of 2016 to only 65 days in the 3rd quarter of 2017.  Fewer homes for sale along with an increasing demand for homes has clearly been the cause of homes selling quicker this year than last.  

 

The average sale price/listing price ratio, which measures how much a home sells for compared to it's listing price, stayed about the same in the 3rd quarter of this year compared to the same time a year ago.  It went down just 0.1% this year,  with the average home selling for 97.83% of it's listing price.  This high sale price to listing price ratio once again is another indication that we are in a very strong seller's market. 

 

Finally, distressed sales (short sales and foreclosures) continued to drop like a rock in the 3rd quarter of 2017.  Distressed sales only made up 3.7% of total sales in the 3rd quarter of 2017.  This is great compared to 3rd quarter of 2016 when distressed sales made up 8.3% of total sales.   Fewer distressed sales leads to a stronger increase in home values since distressed sales typically sell at a discount driving down values of neighboring properties. 

 

Overall our local real estate market is very strong.   Demand for homes is solid and getting even stronger as the economy continues to improve.  Home prices are going up at a steady and sustainable rate.  Distressed sales are becoming harder and harder to find as the inventory of distressed sales continues to dwindle down.  The only problem we have is the lack of housing inventory available.  Unfortunately this is not going to be a quick fix.  We have had about a decade following the recession, of very low levels of new construction.  Now that the pent up demand for homes has been released with the vast improvement of the economy, we now don't have enough inventory available to meet that demand.  Good news is that construction over the past year or so has finally ramped up, and in probably about 3 years or so we'll have a better balance of homes available to meet the home buyer demand.  There are a few large subdivisions of new homes being built in Tallahassee right now which over the next few years should supply a very large number of new homes.  

 

Continue to watch out what is going on with interest rates too.  The Federal Reserve has announced that it will start to sell off it's treasury bond holdings which will have a direct impact on mortgage rates.  The Fed has been raising the Federal Funds Rate the past couple years, but the Federal Funds Rate more so affects credit card rates and business/commercial loan interest rates then it does mortgage rates.  The selling of the treasury bonds will have a direct impact on mortgage rates though.  

The year over year real estate market metrics for Tallahassee as a whole, as well as by quadrant, are listed below. 

Tallahassee as a whole

• Listings decreased by 4.9% (1,370 Homes listed for sale)

• Sales increased by 2.3% (1,181 properties sold) 

• Average sale price increased by 4.9% (Average sale price was $205,881)

• Average Sale price/list price ratio decreased by 0.1% (97.83%)

• Average days on the market to sell decreased by 19.8% (65 days on the market before selling) 

• Proportion of distressed sales to total sales decreased by 4.6% (distressed sales made up 3.7% of total sales) 

 

Northeast Tallahassee

 

• Listings decreased by 5.3% (701properties listed for sale) 

• Sales decreased by 2.7% (560 properties sold)

• Average price increased by 7.4% (Average price was $277,393)

• Sale price/list price ratio decreased by 0.21% (average sale price/list ratio was 97.82%)

• Average days on the market decreased by 22.2% (56 days on the market on average before selling) 

• The proportion of distressed sales to total sales decreased by 3.6% (distressed sales made up 1.6% of total sales) 

 

Northwest Tallahassee

 

• Listings decreased by 3% (385 properties listed for sale) 

• Sales decreased by 5.6% ( 356 properties sold) 

• Average sale price increased by 10% ( average sale price was just  $136,544) 

• Average sale price/list price ratio increased by 0.47% (Average sale price/list price ratio was 97.96%)

• Average days on the market before selling went down 27% (67 days on the market on average before a home sold) 

• The proportion of distressed sales compared to total sales decreased by 4.2% (distressed sales made up 5.6% of total sales) 

Southeast Tallahassee

 

• Listings decreased by 8.5% (195 properties listed for sale)

• Sales increased by 9.4% (186 properties sold) 

• Average price decreased by 6% (Average sale price was $171,115)

• Average sale price/list price ratio decreased by 0.54% (sale price/list price ratio was 97.94%) 

• Average days on the market before a home sold decreased by 9% (70 days) 

• The proportion of distressed sales compared to total sales decreased by 8.1% (distressed sales made up 4.8% of total sales)  

Southwest Tallahassee

• Listings decreased by 3.3% (89 properties listed for sale) 

• Sales increased by 14% ( 79 properties sold) 
• Average sales price increased by 22.1% (Average sale price was $93,263) 

• Average sale price/listing price ratio increased by 1.27% ( Average sale price/listing price ratio was 96.74%) 

• Average days on the market before a property sold decreased by 9.8% ( 101 days) 

• The proportion of distressed sales compared to total sales decreased by 7.1% (distressed sales made up 7.6% of total sales) 

Tallahassee 2nd Quarter Real Estate Market Report

2nd Quarter 2017 Tallahassee Residential Real Estate Market Snapshot And Year Over Year Market Statistics. Year over year home prices and sales continued to climb in the 2nd quarter of 2017.  Strong buyer demand stemming from an improving economy and a spike in consumer confidence has caused more people to jump off the fence and take the plunge to buying a home.  Home prices in the 2nd quarter of 2017 increased by a solid 6.4% compared to the same time a year ago bringing the average home price in Leon County up to $216,823.  The number of properties that sold went up by 3.9%  compared to the same time a year ago.   On the supply side of the housing equation, the inventory of homes available for sale has continued to shrink. In the 2nd quarter of 2017 the number of properties available for sale went down by 7% compared to the same time a year ago.   Low levels of housing inventory has been a problem in our real estate market for a couple years now and has continued to get worse.  This is making it difficult for home buyers to find the right home in a reasonable time frame. The increased demand for housing combined with the decrease in the number of properties listed for sale has been the main cause of increasing home prices.  While this makes it a tough market for buyers, it also makes it a great market for homeowners looking to sell their home.   There are several factors contributing to the shortage of housing inventory.  The main factor is a lack of new construction of homes.  A shortage of lots available to build on and a shortage of construction labor along with expensive regulatory and permitting fees has made it difficult for builders to built new homes at the rate they need to in order to meet the growing demand for housing.    Another factor leading the lack of inventory is that there are still some homeowners who are underwater on their mortgages from buying at the height of the market 10 years ago. This means they still owe more on their mortgage than their home is worth, so they are unable to sell their home without bringing money to closing.    Also, there are a lot of homes that are owned by investors who bought homes during the recession as rental properties. These investors are hanging on to these homes instead of selling them, so this is also part of the reason for the lack of housing inventory.  These are homes that would normally be on the market for sale, but instead they are being rented out.    In the 2nd quarter of 2017 homes in Leon County sold in 76 days on average which is 3 days shorter than it took homes to sell a year ago. With the increasing demand for homes and the decreased supply of homes for sale, this should be no surprise that homes are selling quicker than they did a year ago.  Also, the sale price to listing price ratio, which compares how much a home sold for  compared to it's listing price, stayed about the same going down just 0.3% from the 2nd quarter last year.   In the 2nd quarter of this year, homes sold for 97.81% of listing price on average.  This high sale price to listing price ratio should also not be a surprise given the fact that demand for housing is far outpacing the supply of homes available for sale.   Another market trend worth taking note of is that the proportion of distressed sales (foreclosures and short sales) compared to total sales continued to go down in the 2nd quarter of 2017 compared to the same time a year ago. Distressed sales only made up 3.98% of total sales in the 2nd quarter of 2017 which is down by 2.77% from a year ago when distressed sales made up 6.75% of total sales.    Distressed sales typically sell at a discount compared to non distressed sales and they bring down the value of surrounding properties.  The fact that distressed sales are back to a historically normal level is a great thing for property values and our real estate market as a whole.  At the height of the foreclosure crisis when distressed sales made up 25%-30% of total sales, home prices were forced downward which pushed prices low and kept them from rising.  There are distressed sales out there now, but they are few and far between.    To sum up the condition of the housing market in Leon County in the 2nd quarter, you could say that the demand for homes is very, very strong, but we need more homes for sale on the market.  There are more and more people entering the market to buy a home now as the economy improves and as a growing number of millennials are now getting to the point in their lives where they are ready to buy a home, but the supply of homes available is not adequate to meet the growing demand.  In the near future I would expect these conditions to persist. There are some large subdivisions planned to be built over the next few years here in Tallahassee which could provide the much needed supply of homes, but until those come into existence we are going to have a shortage of homes available     The year over year market statistics for Leon County as a whole and by quadrant for the 2nd quarter of 2017 are listed below.  Tallahassee as a whole Listings decreased by 7% (1736 Properties listed for sale)  Sales increased by 3.9% (1,307 properties sold)  Average sale price increased by 6.4% (Average sale price $216,823) Average Sale price/list price ratio decreased by 0.3% (97.81%) Average days on the market to sell decreased by 3.8% (76 days on the market) Proportion of distressed sales to total sales decreased by 2.77% (distressed sales made up 3.98% of total sales)    Northeast Tallahassee   Listings decreased by 11.96% (883 properties listed for sale)  Sales increased by 6.2% (684 properties sold) Average price increased by 4.5% (Average price was $273,689) Sale price/list price ratio decreased by 0.63% (average sale price/list ratio was 97.75%) Average days on the market decreased by 1.4% (68 days on the market on average)  The proportion of distressed sales to total sales decreased by 1.9% (distressed sales made up 2.6% of total sales)    Northwest Tallahassee Listings decreased by 4.66% (471 properties listed for sale)  Sales decreased by 2.79% ( 348 properties sold)  Average sale prices were virtually unchanged from last year with just a $50 average increase ( average sale price was just  $133,049)  Average sale price/list price ratio increased by 0.51% (Average sale price/list price ratio was 97.79%) Average days on the market before a home sold was unchanged from a year ago at 88 days.  The proportion of distressed sales compared to total sales decreased by 3.5% (distressed sales made up 6% of total sales)  Southeast Tallahassee   Listings increased by 6.2% (277 properties listed for sale) Sales increased by 15.3% (211 properties sold)  Average price increased by 11% (Average sale price was $205,904) Average sale price/list price ratio decreased by 0.19% (sale price/list price ratio was 98.22%)  Average days on the market before a home sold decreased by 18.7% (74 days)  The proportion of distressed sales compared to total sales decreased by 1.4% (distressed sales made up 5.7% of total sales)   Southwest Tallahassee Listings increased by 5.4% (105 properties listed for sale)  Sales decreased by 12.3% ( 64 properties sold)  Average sales price increased by 21.3% (Average sale price was $100,588)  Average sale price/listing price ratio increased by 1.44% ( Average sale price/listing price ratio was 96.93%)  Average days on the market before a property sold increased by 19.8% ( 115 days)  The proportion of distressed sales compared to total sales decreased by 9.36 % (distressed sales made up 1.6% of total sales)

If you have any questions or comments, please contact Bobby Nahoom at (850) 567-0037 or at nahoom1171@yahoo.com