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Category Archives: real estate

Lilburn, GA Market Report, October 2011

Monday, 28 November 2011 08:00
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This map shows the incorporated and unincorpor...

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Market stats for Lilburn, GA, October, 2011, indicates that there were 427 properties on the market (as of October 31st). Overall, there was about an 8.4 month supply of properties and 60 properties that closed (sold) in October.  It was an increase from last year’s sales (38) and an increase from September, 2011 (44 sales). The Absorption Rate notched down slightly. Lilburn had been among the weakest of Gwinnett County, GA, cities I track. But, at 8.43 months of inventory, it isn’t nearly as bad as it had been just a few months ago (14.35 months of inventory in Feb, 2011, for example).  And for October, Lilburn had one of the best month-to-month sales increases.

In the sub-$200k arena, there were 306 listings, with about an 7.3 month supply with 53 sales. This represents most of the sales in the market area. Sales increased markedly from last month (35), and were also up dramatically from last year (32).  While the Absorption Rate isn’t as low as many other areas, sales are strong, and I’m pulling for a comeback for Lilburn.

Between $200k and $400k, there are 109 listings for sale, and about 12.1 months of supply. This segment had been quite weak for months, and has stalled a little. There were 7 sales compared to 6 last year.  This segment really needs to get back into single digits… but, Lilburn has never been seen as a luxury market.  It is one of the few market/price segments that had an increase in listings.  I’m not as confident about this portion of the Lilburn market coming back quite yet…

From $400k to $600k, there are just 4 homes on the market. The absorption rate is 8.0 months. There were no sales in this segment from December through February, but there were 2 in March, which really turned the segment around, followed by 1 sale for April. May posted 2 sales, 1 sale in June, 2 in July and none in August, September or October.

From $600k to $800k, $800k to $1M and Above $1M, there are 6 listings (combined), but too few sales to have any sort of reliable number of months of inventory. March posted the first sale since August, 2010. It was in the $600-$800k range. One of the listings is above $1M and one between $800k and $1M, and there is no market activity in the last 12 months for those ranges…

Lilburn is in Gwinnett County, GA, just outside of Atlanta. As of the 2000 Census, there were 11,307 people in Lilburn, but that is only including people in the city limits, and there has been a lot of growth since 2000 in Gwinnett County. It was incorporated in 1910. Lilburn is home to Parkview High School, and also has students that the Brookwood, Berkmar and Meadowcreek clusters. It is also home to Killian Hill Christian School, Providence Chrisian Academy, St. John Neumann Catholic School and Parkview Christian School. Possibly the most famous resident of Lilburn is General Beauregard Lee, a groundhog with a better winter prediction record that Puxatawnee Phil up in PA. Dominique Wilkins, formerly of the Atlanta Hawks also lives in Lilburn.

Atlanta Metro Zillow Home Value Index

I have a page dedicated to Lilburn Market Data.

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What Can “Fix” Housing?

Friday, 18 November 2011 08:00
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There are still a few politicians, and a lot of real estate professionals talking about the government “fixing” the real estate market.  But the question is…

Is there a way or a role for the government to fix the housing market?

We’ve seen a substantial tax credit for purchasing a home, both for first time buyers and for existing (hopefully) move-up buyers.  And we’ve seen calls for more of the same.  But at the same time, there are a lot of experts that don’t think that the tax credits created many sales that wouldn’t have happened without them.

Even $8000 isn’t that much of a motivating factor for someone to make a $150K+ purchase.  And most of the people that took advantage of the tax credit were only hastened by the tax credit, not created by it… in other words, they would have purchased the home anyway, only their time-table was altered… in many cases, only by a couple of months.  Looking at past sales, it is obvious when the credit expired.  Sales increased at a rapid pace, and then dropped precipitously as the credit expired.  Sales remained well under par for many months after the credit expired.  Some economists estimate that the $8000 tax credit had a cost of over $44,000 for each sale it “created”.

There are other ideas floating around on Capitol Hill about ways that the federal government can spur housing sales.  And there are a lot of folks… especially in the halls of the National Association of REALTORS® that feel that housing needs to come back in order for the economy to rebound.

I think they have it backwards.  In order for real estate to rebound, people have to feel secure with the job market.  How can someone be expected to make a 30 year plan (getting a mortgage, for example) when they are worried about their job in the next few months?  So, focusing on job creating, especially by smaller businesses, and removing impediments to starting or expanding small businesses would do wonders.  Instead of tax credits focused on housing, tax relief for people starting businesses would do more for the housing market.

What do you think?

Wayback Wednesday… REOs and Credit Pulls

Wednesday, 16 November 2011 08:00
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Two years ago I wrote about this…  On many Foreclosure and Short Sale properties, sellers are requiring buyers to qualify with a specified lender… sometimes even the lending branch of the seller.

It doesn’t seem to be that big of a deal, right?  I mean all you have to do is call up the specified lender, give them some info over the phone and let them make sure you are qualified to complete the sale of the property.  But the problem is that many buyer end up offering on multiple properties over several months… and that means that the credit pulls can actually HARM the credit of the buyer.

There still aren’t any rules regarding this practice.  And I still think it needs to be stopped…  I can understand it from the perspective of the seller, but it may actually be damaging to the buyer’s credit.

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Selling a Home During the Holidays?

Monday, 14 November 2011 09:07
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I’m asked this question every year… multiple times…

Should I put my home on the market during the Holiday Season?

Generally, the person asking the question has found out that they need to move and they are wondering if they should put their home on the market now or if they should wait until the New Year.

As much as I want it to be a simple answer, there are a few things that HAVE to be considered.

  • Lifestyle
  • Security
  • Motivation to sell
  • Timing

Under the heading of Lifestyle, there are a couple of things to consider…  First, do you like to go over he top on decorations?  Be honest with yourself.  It is perfectly fine if you do, but it might need to be toned down if your home is on the market.  A Buyer needs to be able to picture THEMSELVES in the house, and if every corner of the home is showing your very personal memories, it may be harder for the Buyer to do that.  They might also be of a different faith and celebrate the season in a different manner or even not at all.  I’ve found that the vast majority of people that don’t celebrate Christmas aren’t offended by those that do, but going nuts with it might not be the best tactic.

 

Chistmas and New Year lights in front of Amari...

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Secondly, assuming that your home is priced appropriately, there will be showings.  They might not be at the most convenient time.  And while I’ve found my buyers are often willing to work with the seller to find a good time, it doesn’t always work, and homes HAVE been eliminated from viewing because it was too difficult to schedule.

 

You should also consider your personal Security.  Again, people will be coming to view your home… just like they would at any other time of the year.  And the vast majority of people will be absolutely honest and have good intentions, but there is a possibility that someone could come to see the house and either take advantage of an opportunity to “pick up” something, or even look to see if the home is worth robbing later.  And unlike most times of the year, there are valuable presents all over the place, as well as valuable antiques that might only be out a few weeks a year.

Do you NEED to sell?  Do you need to sell NOW?  That is Motivation.  If you don’t need to sell, it might not be worth disrupting your Holidays in order to have your home on the market.  But, if you have to move, you have to move… and that likely means that you have to sell.  Regardless of whether it is foreclosure mitigation, a job change, new marriage, divorce or some other factor, need is need.

Finally is Timing.  And it is closely related to Motivation and Lifestyle.  So, here is a question for you…  What if a Buyer wants to close on your house before Christmas?  Would you be ready?  Most buyers in the market over the Holidays are serious.  They are ready to make the change… maybe they want to be in their new home for Christmas.  Maybe they want to be able to host a New Year’s Party in their new home.  You need to be honest with yourself… could you handle that?

 

After you have thought about these things, and the fact that there will be an increase in listings after the New Year… and again in the Spring, then you can make a decision.  Feel free to give me a call if you need to list your home during the Holidays…

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Norcross, GA, Market Report, September 2011

Friday, 11 November 2011 08:00
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Market stats for Norcross GA, September, 2011 indicate that there were 305 properties on the market. Overall, there is about a 5.6 month supply of properties.  This year has been very strong so far… although April and May weren’t that strong (April was below last year)… it hasn’t slowed much.  September saw 48 sales, well below the 69 for August but slightly above the 43 for last September.  This is one of the few market areas in Gwinnett to post five strong months in a row.

In the sub-$200k arena, there were 174 listings, with about 4.1 month supply. Sales are up from a year ago in this segment, which is the main driver of sales in this area (36 v 25). For the last three months, the AR has been tilted in favor of sellers… it tilted back just a little bit this month. This still looks like one of the strongest price/area segment in Gwinnett County, GA.

Between $200k and $400k, there were 92 listings for sale, and about 9.9 months of supply. This segment isn’t as weak as it had been over the last several months, but it is still weak compared to the rest of the segments in the area, as well as the price level in other areas. The 10 sales were a downer compared to last year’s 14 sales, as well as from last month’s 12 sales. Of course, this segment has always seemed to lag a little.

From $400k to $600k, there were 32 homes on the market. The Absorption Rate is around 11.3 months. The AR had been dropping for months, then shot WAY up in June. It has been working down slowly since. September’s 2 sales are down from 4 the month before and last year’s 4 sales… but with the inventory decrease, it didn’t hurt too much.

In the $600k to $800k arena, there were 5 listings on the market. Inventories had decreased compared to last year. The Absorption Rate is at 15 months of inventory… but with only 4 sales last year and then the sale in March and another each in May and June, obviously it is easy to bump one way or the other. The ONLY reason for the strong looking Absorption Rate last month was that there were so few listings.

The range from $800k to $1m, there was 1 homes listed on the market and no sales… seemingly forever.

Above $1m, there were 3 properties listed. But because of the smaller numbers of sales, the absorption rate could be significantly impacted by just a couple of sales. The single sale in January (first since October) has pushed the Absorption Rate down to 18 months of inventory.

Norcross, GA is a suburb of Atlanta in Gwinnett County. The population is 2000 was 8,410 but that only included the area inside the city limits, and it has seen tremendous growth since that census. The City of Norcross revamped their old town a long time ago, and it has served as a model for other towns in the area. It is also home to Meadow Creek and Norcross High Schools. One of the things that Norcross is known for locally is the beautiful older homes in the downtown area. They have maintained their historic flair quite successfully.

I have a page dedicated to Norcross Market Data.

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