Tag Archives: real estate

Duluth, GA, Market Report, May 2013

Monday, 01 July 2013 09:51

Written by Lane Bailey

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This map shows the incorporated and unincorpor...

Image via Wikipedia

Market stats for Duluth, May, 2013 indicated that there were 276 properties on the market, down 12 from last month. Overall, there was about a 3.8 month supply of properties. Sales in May were 80, down from 91 a year earlier. Sales were up compared to the last month (62). Duluth had been slightly leading Gwinnett County as a whole, but not so much over the last few months. It is still in the Seller’s Market zone.

In the Under $200k arena, there were 81 listings in Duluth, GA, with about a 2.6 month supply. The Absorption Rate for last May was 3.2. Sales were WAY down this year v last year (31 v 50), and up compared to last month (26). The Absorption Rate (A/R) is a bit better than much of the county…

Between $200k and $400k, there are 83 listings for sale, and about 3.6 months of supply. Absorption rates have similarly risen, dropped and then risen again. Sales were up compared to May, 2012 (25 v 20) and compared to last month (18). Duluth is a market that favors luxury, but this segment is not doing as well as I would have expected… but it might be constrained somewhat due to low inventories. It is still a Seller’s Market.

From $400k to $600k, there were 25 homes on the market. The Absorption Rate was around 3.3 months. May brought in 11 sales. There were 8 last year and 9 last month. Unlike many of the market areas, Duluth is a luxury centric market, and it is doing better than the rest of Gwinnett County, GA, especially at this price level. This month saw a HUGE drop in the A/R. We’ve spent the last few months wandering around in Buyer’s Market territory. However, because of the drop in listings and increase in sales, this is ostensibly the best Seller’s Market in the county.

In the $600k to $800k arena, there were 22 listings, with about 3.5 months of supply. Sales were 5 for May… 2 for last year. And month to month sales were flat (5 v 5). I would like to see three consecutive months with strong sales, and haven’t seen that for a while. Since Duluth does favor luxury sales, it has been looking better than the much of the rest of the County at this price level. That A/R is great, and getting better.

In Duluth, GA, from $800k to $1m, there were 22 homes listed and approximately 16.5 months of inventory on the market. The 0 sales for May were worse than the 6 last year and the 3 last month. Sales haven’t been moving much for the last couple of months, but 4 sales for the last 3 months were well under the same 3 months from last year (9 sales).

Above $1m, there were 43 properties listed. The current absorption rate indicated about 11.7 months of inventory. A couple of sales at this level could have a large impact on the Absorption Rates. There were 11 sales in the Mar-May period this year, and 8 for the same time last year. We should be posting four sales a month here regularly… and we fell short the last few months but barely had a start with it this month with 8 sales. There were 5 sales last year and there was 1 last month.

Duluth, GA is a suburb of Atlanta, in the heart of Gwinnett County. It actually straddles the county line and has unincorporated portions in South Forsyth County. The population of Duluth is estimated as about 26,000 people as of 2008, but this doesn’t include unincorporated areas outside the city limits, but with a Duluth mailing address. It is also home to Sugarloaf Country Club, a PGA stop until recently. Forbes Magazine rated Duluth 26th in their nationwide survey of the best places to move, and it is one of the wealthiest parts of Georgia. It is also home to the Arena at Gwinnett Center (Home of the ECHL Gwinnett Gladiators) and the former Atlanta Thrashers practice facility (the Duluth Ice Forum). There is a LONG list of celebrities and athletes that call Duluth home, largely because of the country clubs and proximity to Atlanta.

Atlanta Metro Zillow Home Value Index

Atlanta Metro Home Values – Interactive chart

I have a page dedicated to Duluth Market Information.

Is $1,000,000 Burning a Hole in Your Pocket? (lanebailey.com)

Lawrenceville, GA Market Report, May 2013

Friday, 28 June 2013 08:37

Written by Lane Bailey

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Image via Wikipedia

Market stats for Lawrenceville, GA, May, 2013, indicate that there were 647 properties on the market, up 12 from last month. Overall, there was about a 3.3 month supply of properties. In 2012, sales for May were at 275, so 207 sales was a big decrease, year over year. Last month’s sales were at 168. But, coupled with the decrease in inventory, things are still looking pretty good. Normally the market picks up from January-February through about June-August. This month we are OK, but some are arguing that constrained inventories are still holding back sales or we could be looking even better.

For Lawrenceville, GA, Homes Under $200k, there are 466 listings, with about a 2.9 month supply of homes. Sales were down from May, 2012 (175 v 235), although sales may very well be off because of constrained inventories. Last year in this segment, there were over 900 listings v under 500 now. This segment is easily the lion’s share of sales for the area. With the 2.88 month A/R, it is solidly in Seller’s Market territory. The low Absorption Rate (AR) is due to very strong sales, coupled with dramatically lower listing inventories. Month over month sales were down from 136 last month. But oddly, sales are almost exactly what they were two months ago.

Between $200k and $400k, there are 157 listings for sale, and about 4.6 months of supply. Oddly, this had one of the mid-pack segments in the county, now it’s on the weak side. The 29 sales for May, 2013 was pretty close to the 31 from last year, and close to the 31 sales last month. We had been close but slipped back into Seller’s Market territory here… again.

From $400k to $600k, there are 17 homes on the market. The absorption rate is around 12.8 months. However, with the level of sales in this segment, a couple of sales added or subtracted can have a HUGE impact. There were 2 sales for May, the Absorption Rate has dropped from 78 months June11, through good, but sporadic sales. This is acting like a luxury market and the A/R is jumping all over the place… with just a few sales (A/R was 25.5 last month). While the long term trend was looking a little better, now it is still pretty choppy.

In the $600k to $800k arena, there are 3 listings, with about 9.0 months of supply. As with the next lower priced segment, a couple of sales makes a big difference and there was 1 sale in May. There were only 6 sales at this level in all of 2011. There were 4 sales in 2012.

Between $800k and $1M, and Above $1M there are 4 homes listed (combined) and not enough sales data to give an accurate absorption rate. Until this month, there had only been one sale in this range in the last 3 years (Aug, 2010), according to FMLS. But, there was 1 sale in July 12. It was over $1M, if that makes a difference…

Lawrenceville is in Gwinnett County, GA, just outside of Atlanta. As of the 2000 Census, there were 22,937 people in Lawrenceville, but that is only including people in the city limits, and there has been a lot of growth since 2000 in Gwinnett County (2008 estimates from the Census Bureau peg population around 29,000). It was incorporated in 1821. Lawrenceville is home to Central Gwinnett High School, and also has students that the Mountain View and Archer clusters. It is also home to Gwinnett Technical College and Georgia Gwinnett College. Another recent addition to Lawrenceville is that it is home to the Gwinnett Braves, playing at the Gwinnett Stadium on GA20 between I-85 and GA316. Possibly the most famous resident of Lawrenceville was Oliver Hardy. As a small boy he lived in Lawrenceville with his parents for a short time. Lawrenceville was also home to Junior Samples. Some of its other residents included Jeff Francouer, Brian McCann and Jennifer Ferrin.

Atlanta Metro Zillow Home Value Index

Atlanta Metro real estate info

I have a page dedicated to Lawrenceville Market Data.

I’m Always Up For a Good Surprise.. (lanebailey.com)
Gwinnett County Public Schools Making Changes… (lanebailey.com)

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.

Buford, GA, Market Report, May 2013

Monday, 24 June 2013 09:23

Written by Lane Bailey

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Market stats for Buford, GA, May, 2013 indicate that there were 324 properties on the market, an decrease of 28 from last month. Overall, there was about an 4.0 month supply of properties (Absorption Rate or A/R). There were 88 sales for May, down from 90 last month and upfrom the 86 sales last May12. It isn’t the strongest market in Gwinnett, but the A/R is nothing to sneeze at. It is still in Seller’s Market territory.

In the sub-$200k arena, there were 120 listings, with a 2.5 month supply. This is the largest price segment in this market area, so strength here usually equals strength across the whole local market area. Sales were up from last month 52 (v 49 last month), and slightly down compared to last year (54 sales in May12). But, the A/R is well under the 6 months that would be considered fairly balanced… pointing towards a solid seller’s market. This time of year we are usually seeing an increase is sales… and listings.

Between $200k and $400k, there were 136 listings for sale, and about 4.5 months of supply. The 35 sales recorded were up from the 33 last month and up from the 25 sales last year for May. This had been one of the weaker segments in the county, but had improved dramatically until last month it was fairly balanced, though tilted towards buyers… now it is further into Seller’s Market territory.

From $400k to $600k, there were 46 homes on the market. The absorption rate is 19.7 Months. There have been 7 sales in the last 3 months (0 for March, 7 for April and 0 for May). When the market is rolling, there should be 5-7 sales a month during this part of the year. Just for comparison, there were 16 sales in the Mar-May period in 2012. This segment has been bouncing all over the place, though…

In the $600k to $800k arena, there were 6 listings. Absorption Rate is 9.0 months… but it jumps around a lot. Sales in this range are pretty sporadic, but steady when looking at the long-term. The drop in inventory over the last few months from 14 homes to 6 had made things look less slow… but they are back on the rise. There were 0 sales in May last year and 1 in May this year.

The range from $800k to $1m, there were 4 homes listed. Trends are hardly definable. Listings are down. February was the last recorded sale. There was 0 sales in May. So it now has a 12.0 month Absorption Rate.

Above $1m, there were 12 properties listed. There was sale in the segment in April… of 2009…and then May, 2011… and 2 sales in June, 2011… also 1 in July and September, 2012. There was 0 sales in May. So, we have 18 months of inventory. I hope, but am not expecting, sales to be more consistent.

Buford, GA is a suburb of Atlanta in Gwinnett and Hall Counties. The population is 2000 was 10,668, but that only included the area inside the city limits, and it had seen tremendous growth since that census. Buford is home to Lake Lanier, one of Georgia’s premiere recreational areas, and Lake Lanier Islands. Recently, the City of Buford has revamped their old town. It is also home to Buford (Buford City Schools aren’t a part of Gwinnett County Schools), Mill Creek, Mountain View and Lanier High School (Lanier opened for the 2010-11 school year).

I have a page dedicated to Buford Market Data.

Atlanta Metro Zillow Home Value Index

Atlanta Metro Home Values – Interactive chart

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.

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.