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Sugar Hill, GA, Market Report, June 2013

Friday, 26 July 2013 09:24

Written by Lane Bailey

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This map shows the incorporated and unincorpor...

Image via Wikipedia

Market stats for Sugar Hill, GA , June, 2013 indicates that there were 91 homes on the market. down 8 from last month. Overall, there is about an 2.7 month supply (3.0 last month). There were 36 sales, compared to 39 last month and 39 last June. Of course, then there were 139 listings on the market.

For Sugar Hill homes priced under $200k, there were 46 listings, with about 2.4 months supply. There were 17 sales this June, well below last year for the same time (30). There were 23 sales last month. Inventories have been fluid, rising and falling. This time of year we often see a slight increase in listings… but we are very low. In fact, sales may be stifled by lack of inventory. Things have been a little choppy, though… up one month, down the next, then back up.

Sugar Hill Listings between $200k and $400k, there are 37 listings for sale, and about 2.7 months of supply. Last June there was a 5.4 month supply. There were 9 sales then, this year there were 18. Last month had 15 sales. This month was gang-busters. We are back in Seller’s Market territory here. Of note, from May, 2012, to June, 2012, the Absorption Rate dropped from 10.5 months of inventory to 5.4. It had spent almost a year above 10… and now has spent a year below 10.

For listings in the $400k to $600k range, there were 5 homes on the market. The absorption rate was around 7.5 months, but with 1 sale this month, it is tough to calculate accurately. Obviously, a sale or two could make a BIG difference. I’ve finally started to see some consistency here. Hopefully we’ll have a little more action during the rest of the active selling season.

In the $600k to $800k, $800k to $1m and Above $1m (combined), the sales are too inconsistent to have a solid read on, but there were 3 homes listed for sale in these price ranges. No sales have been recorded in the last 2+ years.

Sugar Hill, GA is a suburb of Atlanta in Gwinnett County. The population is 2000 was 11,399, but that only included the area inside the city limits. The name comes from a bag of Sugar that spilled on a hill while in transit between Cumming and the railroad in Buford. And while it is actually a big market, it is in the shadows of Lawrenceville, Duluth and Suwanee… which all are nearby. That also makes it a great location, as it is close to everything that Gwinnett County, GA has to offer.

I have a page dedicated to Sugar Hill Market Data.

Atlanta Metro Zillow Home Value Index

Atlanta Metro Home Values – Interactive chart

Suwanee, GA, Market Report, June, 2013

Monday, 22 July 2013 08:22

Written by Lane Bailey

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Market stats for Suwanee, GA, June, 2013 indicate that there were 3507 properties on the market (up from 350 last month). Overall, there was about a 3.3 month supply of properties (down from 3.8 last month). June had 119 sales. Compared to June, 2012 (93), this year was WAY up, but inventory was down compared to 2012 (455). There were 118 sales last month, so this month was up ever so slightly. The machine has really cranked up over the last couple of months.

In the Under $200k arena, there were 51 listings in Suwanee, GA, with about a 2.3 month supply (compared to 2.3 months supply last year). This June’s sales were 21 (36 last year, 21 last month). It used to be a county leader, though, for now it is moving back to one of the best price/locale segments again. The next level up is coming up fast, though. Last year at this time, there were 116 listings. Sales are being killed by last year’s, but the way the inventory has dropped, there is a pretty good chance that the low inventory is constricting sales.

Between $200k and $400k, there were 190 listings for sale (191 last year, 194 last month), and 2.9 months of supply. Sales in June, 2013 were 73 (71 in May), compared with 42 for the same period in 2012. Sales have rocked for the last few months. I’d like to see it stay up past 50 sales or so for the next couple of months. This shouldn’t be a “peaky” market/price segment. Unlike most of the county, this is the largest price segment in the area, and its direction plays a major part in how the area looks. Make no mistake, this is still basically in Seller’s Market territory.

From $400k to $600k, there were 62 homes on the market. The absorption rate was at 4.1 months (4.9 in May). There were 17 sales in June (17 last month)… up from 9 last year at this time. Looking at the three month average, there were 45 sales this year and 30 for the same period last year. This segment had become dramatically stronger in the last couple of months.

In the $600k to $800k arena, there are 25 listings, with about a 4.4 month supply. Sales at this level are not consistent, but there were 7 sales this month (8 last month). Looking at one month makes the numbers jump around. For the last three months, sales were 17… For the same time last year, the sales were 9. With the huge decrease in listings over the last couple of months, I was looking for this to become one of the strongest $600k-$800k area in the county. It is fairly strong right now… we’ll have to see if it holds.

The range from $800k to $1m, there are 12 homes listed and 72 months of inventory on the market. There were only 4 sales at this price level in 2011. There were 7 in 2012. This is a tough segment to try to sell in right now, but if inventory stays low, it won’t be quite as rough. But there still needs to be some more sales activity. There was 1 sale in March.

In Suwanee, GA, Above $1m, there are 17 properties listed. The current absorption rate indicated about 17 months of inventory, but because of the smaller numbers of sales, this could be significantly impacted by just a couple of sales. In this segment, we should be seeing reduced inventories… There were 25 homes listed in this segment at this time last year. There was 1 sale in June, but 3 in the Apr-Jun time frame, 2 the year before.

Suwanee, GA is a suburb of Atlanta in Gwinnett, Forsyth and (just a little bit) in Fulton Counties. The population is 2000 was 8,725, but that only included the area inside the city limits, and it had seen tremendous growth since that census. Money Magazine rated Suwanee in the “Top 10 Best Places to Live” in 2007, and it is one of the wealthiest parts of Georgia. Recently, the City of Suwanee has revamped their old town, adding a large park with a bandshell, condos, town homes and small businesses. It is also home to North Gwinnett High School, Peachtree Ridge and Collins Hill. I have a page dedicated to Suwanee Market Data.

Atlanta Metro Zillow Home Value Index

Atlanta Metro Home Values – Interactive chart

5 steps to get YOUR offer to be the one that WINS

Wednesday, 10 July 2013 08:06

Written by Lane Bailey

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Be the winner…

A couple of years ago all of the strategies revolved around finding ways to get the lowest price out of a seller. Then, it morphed to finding the line where the bank would sell. Over the last few months, the next evolution has come…

Winning the bid.

Often we see good houses come on the market and go under contract in less than a day. These homes are often pulling in multiple offers, some considerably above the asking price. Yet, many buyers are still convinced that we are in a market that favors them. We aren’t… except for a few less desirable neighborhoods or some very high price points.

master_bedroom_2 (Photo credit: lane.bailey)

In order to actually buy a house, instead of just making offers, there are a few steps you can follow to “win the bid”.

Get a serious pre-approval. If your mortgage person isn’t pulling your credit and spending some time getting it, it probably isn’t worth getting. Sellers see an offer with a pre-approval as being MUCH more serious than one without.
Have a down payment. The larger the down payment, the more stable to buyer. Of course, this is going to vary depending on the buyer segment (1st time buyers usually don’t have 20% to put down… I understand that).
Cash is King and FHA is the Stable Boy. FHA loans are the toughest on sellers. Not only does the property need to appraise on value, but it has to meet specific criteria for condition. Most houses meet everything, but an old roof or a missing handrail can turn into anything from a headache to a nightmare for the seller (and the buyer). A cash sale, on the other hand, is pretty assured. Conventional loans fall somewhere in the middle… and VA are more rare, but slightly tougher than FHA on the seller.
Be ready to close ASAP. The longer the seller has to wait between an agreement and a closing date, the more that can go wrong and the more expenses that can get racked up. Aside from the seller’s house payments and utilities, there is lawn upkeep and maintenance on the house. Not only that, but if you are waiting 2 or 3 or 4 months to close, the seller may think you could develop a case of “cold feet” and change your mind.
Price heals all. We used to tell this to sellers… poor condition can be corrected with price. Much to their dismay, that “correction” was usually an over-correction. Now, the shoe is on the other foot. Buyers that have issues with some of the above conditions can “heal” their offers with price. But that “healing” is likely to involve a larger bump in the offer than one might think… Of course, in the end, it comes down to the seller and what is most important to them.

In next week’s post, we’ll look at 3 sample offers and compare them…

So, you want a Foreclosure…

Wednesday, 26 June 2013 08:58

Written by Lane Bailey

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I have been getting a lot of calls lately asking about foreclosures.

English: (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Almost word for word, “I’m thinking of buying a foreclosure… what do you have for me?”

My reply is generally along the lines of “where were you last year… or the year before… or the year before?”

A year ago I was saying that the market was poised to turn. And that when it DID turn, it would be fast. It would be REALLY fast. Here we are. There is little inventory. Prices have shot up. Foreclosures are few and far between… hardly the controlling factor they were not that long ago. Short sales are no longer prevalent, although there are some hanging around.

A couple of years ago, you could make an offer on a foreclosed property… below the asking price… and have it be THE offer they had to look at. You were betting against the table, but only the table. A bit over a year ago, that started to change. Multiple offers started happening on the cream of the foreclosure crop. No, you were betting against the table and several other players… but usually the list price could win the day. In fact, it would usually more than win the day. We were begging buyers to get back in the market.

Now, bidding full price on a freshly listed property isn’t even close to a guarantee. In fact, some fo the nicer ones can go for considerably over the list. And the list isn’t all that hot to begin with.

All is not lost… There are still deals in some pockets. But the pockets are moving and the deals are fleeting. Right now, if you want to find a reasonable deal, you have to be ready to look FAST. And you have to be ready to make an offer just as quickly. You better have your financing in order as well.

Of course, you can wait until things calm down… but that might mean that a similar house costs 10-20% more. Interest rates might not be as nice, either.

If you are ready to make a move, give me a call.

Sugar Hill, GA, Market Report, May 2013

Friday, 21 June 2013 10:17

Written by Lane Bailey

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Image via Wikipedia

Market stats for Sugar Hill, GA , May, 2013 indicates that there were 99 homes on the market. down 1 from last month. Overall, there is about an 3.0 month supply (3.4 last month). There were 39 sales, compared to 26 last month and 39 last May. Of course, then there were 143 listings on the market.

For Sugar Hill homes priced under $200k, there were 52 listings, with about 2.4 months supply. There were 23 sales this May, well below last year for the same time (34). There were 18 sales last month. Inventories have been fluid, rising and falling. This time of year we often see a slight increase in listings… but we are very low. In fact, sales may be stifled by lack of inventory. Things have been a little choppy, though… up one month, down the next, then back up.

Sugar Hill Listings between $200k and $400k, there are 41 listings for sale, and about 3.8 months of supply. Last May there was a 10.5 month supply. There were 4 sales then, this year there were 15. Last month had 8 sales. This month was gang-busters. We are back in Seller’s Market territory here.

For listings in the $400k to $600k range, there were 3 homes on the market. The absorption rate was around 9.0 months, but with 1 sale this month, it is tough to calculate accurately. Obviously, a sale or two could make a BIG difference. I’ve finally started to see some consistency here. Hopefully we’ll have a little more action during the rest of the Spring selling season.