Category: Foreclosures

Categories
Buying Foreclosures

Foreclosures: Are They A Good Deal?

foreclosure 1e With so many foreclosures on the market today, many buyers think they can get a good deal in a foreclosure.  Sometimes foreclosures are not the best deal.  This apartment was stripped bare, including the entire kitchen, all bathroom fixtures, the doors, baseboards, even the air conditioner was ripped out!  There was no way to do an inspection.

To minimize his risk, the buyer had several contractors come through to determine the cost of replacing everything and took those costs into account in his offer to the bank.  His offer was accepted and he got a very good deal compared to the price of other recent sales in the building.

Categories
Buying Foreclosures Market Summary Selling

Miami Real Estate – Single Family Homes Market Summary

Below is a quick snap shot of what the real estate market for single family homes looked like in October.  These numbers are derived from the Multiple Listing Service and though they do not include For Sale By Owners and anything not listed on the MLS, they are indicative of what is going on in our local markets.  The closed sales may be slightly underestimated due to the lag time in posting the sale in the MLS.

Coconut Grove

  • Closed Sales: 14.  3 short sales, 1 REO. Highest Sales Price: $1.7 million. Lowest Sales Price: $154,900.
  • Pending Sales: 22
  • Active Listings: 177 down from 217 at end of Sept.   Highest List Price: $18 million. Lowest List Price: $65,900.
  • Summary: Inventory is down from the end of the third quarter.

Coral Gables

  • Closed Sales: 33.   1 short sales, 2 REOs.   Highest Sales Price: $5.15 million.  Lowest Sales Price: $358,000.
  • Pending Sales: 89
  • Active Listings: 432.  Highest List Price: $49.5 million.  Lowest List Price: $235,000
  • Summary: Inventory  decreased to 432 down from 450 at the end of  the third quarter.   The number of closed sales that were short sales or REOs are down significantly from the end of the third quarter, when there were 11 each closed short sales and REOs.

Key Biscayne

  • Closed Sales: 3.  0 short sales, 1 REO.   Highest Sales Price: $3.5 million.   Lowest Sales Price: $820,000.
  • Pending Sales: 4.
  • Active Listings: 129.   Highest List Price: $24.950 million.   Lowest List Price: $789,000.
  • Summary: Sales are down, inventory is the same as of the end of the third quarter.

Miami Beach

  • Closed Sales: 13.  No short sales, 4 REOs.  Highest Sales Price: $9.7 million.  Lowest Sales Price: $240,000
  • Pending Sales: 53
  • Active Listings: 380.  Highest List Price: $29.9 million.  Lowest List Price: $200,000.
  • Summary: Inventory has decreased slightly.  The number of closings that were short sales or REOs have decreased significantly since the end of last quarter.

Palmetto Bay

  • Closed Sales: 6. 1 short sale, 1 REO.   Highest Sales Price: $625,00. Lowest Sales Price: $142,600.
  • Pending Sales: 52
  • Active Listings: 154.  Highest List Price: $2.85 million. Lowest List Price: $155,000.
  • Summary: The number of closed sales due to short sales is down significantly from the end of September.

Pinecrest

  • Closed Sales: 14.  1 short sale and 2 REOs.  Highest Sales Price: $2.6 million.  Lowest Sales Price: $419,000.
  • Pending Sales: 35
  • Active Listings: 211.  Highest List Price: $5.9 million. Lowest List Price: $349,000.
  • Summary: Although the inventory in Pinecrest decreased slightly from 227 at the end of  September to 210 at the end of October, the current inventory level divided by the number of sales closed in October result in a 15 month supply of properties.  The median price of current listings is $1.395 million and 30% of the listings are over $2 million.

South Miami

  • Closed Sales: 3. 0 short sales, 1 REO.   Highest Sales Price: $325,000. Lowest Sales Price: $266,000.
  • Pending Sales: 30
  • Active Listings: 68.  Highest List Price: $1.880 million. Lowest List Price: $62,300.
  • Summary: The number of closed sales is down slightly from the second quarter, which had 28 closed sales.  Inventory is up from 28 at the end of June.


Categories
Buying Foreclosures Luxury Real Estate Market Summary Selling

Miami Real Estate – Third Quarter Market Update – Single Family Homes

Below is a quick snap shot of what the real estate market looked like after the third quarter.  These numbers are derived from the Multiple Listing Service and though they do not include For Sale By Owners and anything not listed on the MLS, they are indicative of what is going on in our local markets.  The closed sales may be slightly underestimated due to the lag time in posting the sale in the MLS.

Coconut Grove

  • Closed Sales: 36.  3 short sales, 7 REOs. Highest Sales Price: $1.55 million. Lowest Sales Price: $50,000.
  • Pending Sales: 28
  • Active Listings: 215.   Highest List Price: $18 million. Lowest List Price: $79,900.
  • Summary: The number of closed sales and inventory are up from the second quarter.

Coral Gables

  • Closed Sales: 93.   11 short sales, 11 REOs.   Highest Sales Price: $5.5 million.  Lowest Sales Price: $124,000.
  • Pending Sales: 88
  • Active Listings: 450.  Highest List Price: $49.5 million.  Lowest List Price: $189,000
  • Summary: Both the number of sales (93 up from 82) and the inventory (450 up from 278) are up in the third quarter as compared to the second quarter of 2009.  In both quarters, over half of the sales were listed under $600,000.

Key Biscayne

  • Closed Sales: 9.  No short sales, 1 REO.   Highest Sales Price: $3.75 million.   Lowest Sales Price: $780,000.
  • Pending Sales: None.
  • Active Listings: 129.   Highest List Price: $24.950 million.   Lowest List Price: $945,000.
  • Summary: Sales are down, inventory is up and there are currently no pending sales.

Miami Beach

  • Closed Sales: 51.  6 short sales, 11 REOs.  Highest Sales Price: $9.5 million.  Lowest Sales Price: $141,750
  • Pending Sales: 57
  • Active Listings: 391.  Highest List Price: $29.9 million.  Lowest List Price: $200,000.
  • Summary: Inventory has increased from 264 at the end of the second quarter, while sales have remained at about the same from the second quarter’s 53.

Palmetto Bay

  • Closed Sales: 64. 4 short sales, 10 REOs.   Highest Sales Price: $1.4 million. Lowest Sales Price: $125,000.
  • Pending Sales: 46
  • Active Listings: 159.  Highest List Price: $2.85 million. Lowest List Price: $155,000.
  • Summary: The number of sales between the second and third quarter have remained relatively the same.  The inventory has increased from 92 in the second quarter up to 159 in the third.

Pinecrest

  • Closed Sales: 53.  2 short sales and 2 REOs.  Highest Sales Price: $3.3 million.  Lowest Sales Price: $283,000.
  • Pending Sales: 32
  • Active Listings: 227.  Highest List Price: $5.9 million. Lowest List Price: $369,000.
  • Summary: Both the number of sales (53 up from 50) and the inventory (227 up from 143) are up in the third quarter as compared to the second quarter of 2009.

South Miami

  • Closed Sales: 22. 8 short sales, 8 REOs.   Highest Sales Price: $1.3million. Lowest Sales Price: $20,000.
  • Pending Sales: 22
  • Active Listings: 66.  Highest List Price: $1.880 million. Lowest List Price: $72,300.
  • Summary: The number of closed sales is down slightly from the second quarter, which had 28 closed sales.  Inventory is up from 28 at the end of June.


Categories
Buying Foreclosures Investment Real Estate Selling

South Florida Real Estate Market: What is Going On?

question_mark2The following were all topics in the news last week and all of them have an effect on our real estate market:

South Florida home sales surge, prices plunge, mortgage rates fall to lowest levels since May, Florida’s unemployment rate is up, Florida foreclosures are up and may be increasing, another condo developer files for bankruptcy, developers selling in downtown Miami for $200 per square foot, the first-time buyer credit is expiring, school starts Monday,  Miami-Ft. Lauderdale real estate market is ready for a rebound, pending sales in Miami-Dade County up over 96% in July over same time last year, Florida loses population for the first time since World War II.

So just what is going on?  In short, there have been a lot of positive signs that our real estate market is at or near its pricing bottom, but that doesn’t mean we are going to see appreciation any time soon.  Closed sales are up and pending sales are up even further.  The fact that housing prices in Miami-Dade are at their most affordable levels in years, coupled with the government’s first-time homebuyer tax credit, has helped move a lot of the lower priced inventory.  The high unemployment rate will result in more foreclosures and our tourism and real estate dependent economy will take longer to recover from the recession than states with more diverse economies.  All this means is that the real estate market will go through up and down spurts from month to month, similar to what the stock market is doing, and that prices will stagnate for a while instead of appreciating.  Some months are going to see more sales than others.  Certain areas are going to continue to see decreasing inventories.  I suspect that with the start of school and the end of the first-time homebuyer credit at the end of November, the rate of sales is going to taper off a bit.  If you are buying, there are going to continue to be deals and you will still be in the driver’s seat.  If you are selling, pricing will be the most important factor.

Categories
Buying Foreclosures Investment Real Estate Selling

Buying Real Estate Needs to Make Sense

Two sentences in today’s Wall Street Journal article by Brett Arends sums up all of the often conflicting real estate news these days.  “A real-estate purchase needs to make sense on its own terms.  And measure it on cash flow today, not the hope for capital gains tomorrow.” This advice makes sense in any real estate market and, if followed, should make real estate a great long-term investment, whether it is your primary residence, or an investment property.

Categories
Buying Foreclosures Investment Real Estate Selling

Miami Home Prices Continue to Decline, Presenting Buying Opportunities

Although today’s  S&P/Case Schiller Price Home Index  showed a slight 0.5%  increase in home prices between April and May, Miami had a 0.8% decrease.  Nationally, this was the first month to month increase in three years and has many people claiming that the real estate market appears to be stabilizing as price decreases level off.

Overall, this is great news as any stabilization in the housing market will help ease a lot of the economic problems that resulted in the market’s severe free fall.  This does not mean that prices will be going up any time soon, especially in hard hit areas like Miami, but rather that the decreases should not be as significant as they have been.  Home prices in Miami are down 25.2% over last year’s prices and the market in Florida still has a long way to go before we can say we have recovered.  Some facts that will keep our market trudging along slowly:

  • Florida’s real estate market still has a lot of inventory to work through;
  • Spring and early Summer normally have higher sales as families purchase and settle in before a new school year;
  • $8000 first time buyer credit expires at the end of November.  If you are a buyer that qualifies for this credit, hurry;
  • Interest rates, while still low, have started to move up slightly;
  • There are probably many sellers sitting on the sidelines waiting for the inventory to decrease a bit before listing their property
  • The majority of sales and listings are still short sales and foreclosures.

This is not doom and gloom news.  Just a reality check.  There are great deals out there if you are a buyer or investor.  If you are a seller, be realistic with your sales price and your property will sell.