The graph to the left shows the the monthly price per square foot of sales for the last 10 years for Gilbert and Chandler. A good opportunity to see where we are compared to pre-bubble sales activity. The twin cities of Gibert and Chandler have similar trends for the last 10 years. Current price per square foot is similar to 1993 levels. Do other Phoenix area cities have similar patterns?
Short sales in Phoenix, Gilbert, Chandler,Queen Creek, Scottsdale and all across the valley are taking center stage as they have become the topic of any Az real estate discussion. Many a buyer or seller that has been through a short sale transaction will undoubtedly compare it to high drama movie because of the highs and lows, a soap opera because it never ends or a nightmare due to all of the above. These discussions will continue with home prices at current levels. According to an article in the Phoenix Business Journal, First American CoreLogic Inc., estimates that 51% of the mortgaged properties in Arizona are “upside down”, also described as having negative equity, because the balance on the mortgage is more than the market value of the home. This is confirmed by the fact that in most Phoenix area towns and communities, distressed sales account for 50 – 75% of the monthly home sales. Therefore, many homeowners will need to become well informed of the various aspects of a short sale when a situation arises and they need to sell. The following are important points that must be considered:
New REO lot comes on the market in Santan Lakeside Estates and sells in 1 monthLot 17 on the west side of the ski lake at Santan Lakeside Estates just came on the market the last week of February bringing the total lots for sale to 3. The other available lots are 3 and 17. Many water ski enthusiasts and owners will be watching this specific transaction as it will aid in determining the current market value of a Phoenix valley water ski lot. So how did they set the list price for this ski lake lot at $340,000? My opinon? You have to go back to 2009 when lot 13, previously a bank owned lot was initially listed for $480K. After periodic price reductions that are consistent with bank owned property, the list price eventually reached $399K, an offer for $340K was accepted and closed in August 2009. When that is the only comparable sale, it makes sense to use it! Getting back to lot 17; a couple of early offers were received within days of being listed, but considered too low by the bank. Time will tell as the ski season approaches and the bank watches the days on market increase , and periodically considers price reductions. See sales update further down in article.
Are you ready for what lies ahead on the Short Sale Path?One of the most confusing and frustrating types of real estate sales is the short sale transaction. Having helped owners that have a financial hardship and negative equity sell their home and also assisted buyers in the purchase of short sales, I felt it would be beneficial to highlight some different facets of Phoenix area short sales. Here are two simple facts that will help a buyer become more prepared and successful when considering a waterfront short sale or any type of short sale purchase.
I heard a saying that accurately describes our current media. It is credited to Mark Twain, “If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you’re mis-informed”. I guess the more things change the more they stay the same! This description also applies to those 5 second sound bites regarding real estate in Arizona. I feel more comfortable when I can see the data and draw my own conclusions. It is an oft used phrase but all real estate is local so what applies to the country does not necessarily apply to our corner of the state. Here’s a local look at two desirable cities in the Phoenix area, Gilbert and Chandler.
Short sales have gone from being a rare and infrequent occurrence a couple of years ago to a significant number of the real estate transactions in Phoenix due to the number of homeowners with negative equity that need to sell.
Simply stated, a short sale is when the proceeds from the sale are less than the amount owed and the sale is contingent upon an acceptable agreement between the seller and the seller’s creditor(s).
The chart above furnished by The Cromford Report shows the percentage of distressed sales for each city for August 2009. The blue bars represent the portion of total sales that were short sales. As banks are increasingly reluctant to foreclose, short sales are on the rise. For example, short sales accounted for more sales than bank-owned homes during August in Anthem. And in Fountain Hills, short sales were equal to the number of foreclosure sales.
Distressed Sales as a percentage of total sales by city - June 2009
In the current environment, if you talk about Phoenix real estate, bank owned and short sale properties must be part of the conversation, and this has obviously impacted waterfront homes and lake community properties throughout the valley. The differences between these two types of distressed properties are significant, but both represent opportunities for those looking for homes at below market prices. In the majority of cities in the valley, bank owned (REO) and short sales represent the majority of the sales. The chart to the left shows the bank owned homes and short sales as a percentage of total sales for the month of June 2009 by city. Read the rest of this entry
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