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January 2011 Price Report

Here are the latest sales numbers for all homes sold within the City of La Quinta as well as all Golf Course homes in La Quinta through January, 2011.

City of La Quinta home sales by month since January 2008*

The blue lines represent 2008 data, the orange lines represent 2009 data magenta lines represent 2010 and the green lines represent 2011 data.

Although, January marks the second straight month of declining sales numbers, we continue to see a marked improvement in consumer confidence and an increase in interest in the “over $1 million” market.  Open escrows in January increased overall by 4.2% while the more expensive Golf Properties increased by 14.7% after a decline in December.  I believe that as the economic recovery gathers momentum, buyers are aware that Interest rates will also start to increase which makes “now” a great time to buy a home.  Closings in December and January made those two of the best months that Gallaudet Properties has ever had and February looks good too!  The general attitude of the people we talk to at open houses is that the market has hit the bottom and that is backed up by current prices versus historical appreciation.  Also, the slight increase in mortgage interest rates may have added some urgency to our industry.

Golf Course home sales in La Quinta

Like the overall sales numbers above, the sales-volume numbers in the higher-end market (which contains many of the golf properties in the chart above) also declined in January. The average price per square foot remained unchanged in January over December.
Overall, we are still seeing positive signs in the market place.  There has been a steady increase in activity since Labor Day and more noticeably since the beginning of November.　The mortgage industry is the best it’s ever been for conventional loans but the “jumbo” loans, although becoming more available, continue to be a stumbling block in the higher end market.
La Quinta Inventory:
On January 31, there were 7,153 active listings, 2,247 units in escrow totaling 9,399 units available for sale which makes 23.91% of the total in Escrow.
If buying property is something on your list (especially golf property), why not take advantage of the incredible prices and seller incentives now, when sellers will work with you, instead of in the future, when the demand starts to catch up with the supply? Especially if you’re buying and planning to hold for 5+ years.

Here are some yearly sales figures (units) for the City of La Quinta from 2002:

Year All LQ Golf Course
2002 1,354 259
2003 1,565 652
2004 1,931 813
2005 1,553 657
2006 1,098 491
2007 935 447
2008 1,063 416
2009 1,155 418
2010 1,355 530
2011 YTD 86 29　
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December 2010 Price Report

Here are the latest sales numbers for all homes sold within the City of La Quinta as well as all Golf Course homes in La Quinta through December, 2010.


City of La Quinta home sales by month since January 2008*

The blue lines represent 2008 data, the orange lines represent 2009 data and the magenta lines represent 2010 data.

Although the December numbers are down slightly, we continue to see a marked improvement in consumer confidence and an increase in interest in the “over $1 million” market in December after very little interest in that segment over the past year. Open escrows in December declined 5.1% which is not too surprising with the Holidays and our books indicate a strong January in the making.  There has been, in my humble opinion, a dramatic change in consumer confidence for the better.  Now buyers seem to be willing to make a move and in fact are making moves.  Closings in December and January will be two of the best months that Gallaudet Properties has ever had! Prices seem to have stabilized and, now that the “Capital Gains” tax issue (“Bush tax cuts”) is behind us for the next 2 years the activity in the $1,000,000 and above market has improved and we are putting some of the higher priced homes under contract. The general attitude of the people we talk to at open houses is that the market has hit the bottom and that is backed up by current prices versus historical appreciation.  Also, the slight increase in mortgage interest rates may have added some urgency to our industry.


Golf Course home sales in La Quinta

The sales-volume numbers in the higher-end market (which contains many of the golf properties in the chart above) have declined in December which is typical of the Holiday months of November and December. The average price per square foot declined 17.9% in December over November’s 38.6% increase.  Other than last year, December has been a little weak do to the holidays that devert attention away from our industry.

Overall, we are still seeing positive signs in the market place.  There has been a steady increase in activity since Labor Day and more noticibly since the beginning of November.　The mortgage industry is the best it’s ever been for conventional loans but the “jumbo” loans, although becomming more available, continue to be a stumbling block in the higher end market.

La Quinta Inventory:
On December 31, there were 6,857 active listings, 2,136 units in escrow totalling 8,993 units available for sale which makes 23.75% of the total in Escrow.

If buying property is something on your list (especially golf property), why not take advantage of the incredible prices and seller incentives now, when sellers will work with you, instead of in the future, when the demand starts to catch up with the supply? Especially if you’re buying and planning to hold for 5+ years.

Here are some yearly sales figures (units) for the City of La Quinta from 2002:

Year All LQ Golf Course
2002 1,354 259
2003 1,565 652
2004 1,931 813
2005 1,553 657
2006 1,098 491
2007 935 447
2008 1,063 416
2009 1,155 418
2010 1,355 530　
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September 10 Price Report

Here are the latest sales numbers for all homes sold within the City of La Quinta as well as all Golf Course homes in La Quinta through September 2010.


 City of La Quinta home sales since January 2008 

The blue lines represent 2008 data, the orange lines represent 2009 data and the magenta lines represent 2010 data.
The chart above shows monthly sales of homes within the city of La Quinta*.

As the end of the hot summer months approaches, We see a continuing softening of the La Quinta home sales for September. Sales were lower in September than August and for the second time since June, 2009, lower than the same month a year earlier. Open escrows in September dropped 5.8% which is not terribly surprising during the hot summer months but is an indicator of the usual lazy sales for this time of year. Consumer confidence, which seemed to have steadied in the previous few months has turned into a wait and see attitude leading up to the November Mid-term elections. Prices seem to be stabilizing in the under $1,000,000 market. The above $1,000,000 market has not seen the improvement of the under $1m market but this is likely due to the unavailability of jumbo loans. The general attitude of the people we talk to at open houses is that the market has hit the bottom and that is backed up by current prices versus historical appreciation.



Golf Course home sales in La Quinta 

The sales-volume numbers in the higher-end market (which contains many of the golf properties in the chart above) have fallen off as expected with the arrival of the summer heat. The average price per square foot dropped 11.5% in August over July’s prices BUT it has come back 2% in September.

Overall, we are still seeing positive signs in the market place. There has been an increase in activity since Labor Day and, hopefully, buyers are getting ready for the upcoming season. The mortgage industry is the best it’s ever been for conventional loans but the “jumbo” loans continue to be a stumbling block in the higher end market.

A correction to be made…
Last month I mistakenly interpreted the inventory data to mean that 1,906 units out of the 5,115 Active listings were pending. The 1,906 units were in addition to the 5,115 unit totalling 7,021 active and pending units for sale in the Coachella Valley. That means that only 27% of the total units were were pending.

On September 30, there were 5,233 active listings, 1,825 units in escrow totalling 7058 unit available for sale which makes 25.9% of the total in Escrow.

If buying property is something on your list (especially golf property), why not take advantage of the incredible prices and seller incentives now, when sellers will work with you, instead of in the future, when the demand starts to catch up with the supply? Especially if you’re buying and planning to hold for 5+ years.

Here are some yearly sales figures (units) for the City of La Quinta from 2002:

Year All LQ Golf Course
2002 1,354 259
2003 1,565 652
2004 1,931 813
2005 1,553 657
2006 1,098 491
2007 935 447
2008 1,063 416
2009 1,155 418
2010 YTD 986 422 (Sept)

 

* When looking at “sold” data, you have to remember that the numbers are generated on the date that the sale is recorded with the county but that the decision to buy was made about 45 – 60 days earlier.

Figures are from the Desert Area MLS

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August 2010 Price Report

Here are the latest sales numbers for all homes sold within the City of La Quinta as well as all Golf Course homes in La Quinta through August 2010.

La Quinta home sales since January 2008
City of La Quinta home sales since January 2008

The blue lines represent 2008 data, the orange lines represent 2009 data and the magenta lines represent 2010 data.

The chart above shows monthly sales of homes within the city of La Quinta*.

As is typical of the hot summer months, the La Quinta home sales for August were lower than July and for the first time since June, 2009, lower than the same month a year earlier. Open escrows in August dropped 6% which is not terribly surprising during the hot summer months but is an indicator of the usual lazy sales for the next few months. Consumer confidence, which seemed to have steadied in the previous few months has turned into a wait and see attitude leading up to the November Mid-term elections. Prices seem to be stabilizing in the under $1,000,000 market. The above $1,000,000 market has not seen the improvement of the under $1m market but this is likely due to the unavailability of jumbo loans. The general attitude of the people we talk to at open houses is that the market has hit the bottom and that is backed up by current prices versus historical appreciation.

Golf Course Real Estate slae in La Quinta
Golf Course home sales in La Quinta

The sales-volume numbers in the higher-end market (which contains many of the golf properties in the chart above) have fallen off as expected with the arrival of the summer heat. The average price per square foot has dropped 11.5% over July’s prices.

Overall, we are still seeing positive signs in the market place. People on the street that we talk to believe that prices have bottomed out. The mortgage industry is the best it’s ever been for conventional loans but the “jumbo” loans continue to be a stumbling block in the higher end market. The bottom line is that at the beginning of the downturn in 2006, there were over 10,000 homes available for sale in the Coachella Valley – a real glut.  Currently, that number is down to under 5,115 with 1,906  (37%) of those currently under contract. As the supply dwindles, the market begins to stabilize and people feel more comfortable to get back into the marketplace.

If buying property is something on your list (especially golf property), why not take advantage of the incredible prices and seller incentives now, when sellers will work with you, instead of in the future, when the demand starts to catch up with the supply? Especially if you’re buying and planning to hold for 5+ years.

Here are some yearly sales figures (units) for the City of La Quinta from 2002:

Year All LQ Golf Course
2002 1,354 259
2003 1,565 652
2004 1,931 813
2005 1,553 657
2006 1,098 491
2007 935 447
2008 1,063 416
2009 1,155 418
2010 YTD 914 390 (August)

* When looking at “sold” data, you have to remember that the numbers are generated on the date that the sale is recorded with the county but that the decision to buy was made about 45 – 60 days earlier.

Figures are from the Desert Area MLS

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July 2010 Price Report

Here are the latest sales numbers for all homes sold within the City of La Quinta as well as all Golf Course homes in La Quinta through July 2010.

The blue lines represent 2008 data, the orange lines represent 2009 data and the magenta lines represent 2010 data.

The chart above shows monthly sales of homes within the city of La Quinta*.

The sales for La Quinta in July were lower that June but still higher than sales for the previous 2 July’s. July showed a slight rebound in open escrows over June’s 17% drop from May. It is typical for sales to slow during the summer months but each month in 2010 has seen sales that have surpassed the same months of the previous two years. Consumer confidence seems to have steadied. Prices have not started to rise, but they seem to be stabilizing in the under $1,000,000 market. The above $1,000,000 market has not seen the improvement of the under $1m market but this is likely due to the unavailability of jumbo loans. The general attitude of the people we talk to at open houses is that the market has hit the bottom and that is backed up by current prices versus historical appreciation.

The sales-volume numbers in the higher-end market (which contains many of the golf properties in the chart above) have fallen off as expected with the arrival of the summer heat. The average price per square foot, however, has risen slightly from June’s figures. 

Overall, we are still seeing positive signs in the market place. Although prices have not yet stabilized in the higher end (over $1 million), prices seemed to have stabilized in the lower market segments. The mortgage industry continues to be a stumbling block in the higher end market as it seems that unless you can prove that you don’t need a Jumbo Loan (over $500,000), you can’t get one! The bottom line is that at the beginning of the downturn in 2006, there were over 10,000 homes available for sale in the Coachella Valley – a real glut, currently, that number is down to under 5,100. As the supply dwindles, the market begins to stabilize and people feel more comfortable to get back into the marketplace.

If buying property is something on your list (especially golf property), why not take advantage of the incredible prices and seller incentives now, when sellers will work with you, instead of in the future, when the demand starts to catch up with the supply? Especially if you’re buying and planning to hold for 5+ years.

Here are some yearly sales figures (units) for the City of La Quinta from 2002:

Year All LQ Golf Course
2002 1,354     259
2003 1,565   652
2004 1,931    813
2005 1,553  657
2006 1,098  491
2007 935   447
2008 1,063   416
2009 1,155   418
2010 YTD 825   363 (July)

* When looking at “sold” data, you have to remember that the numbers are generated on the date that the sale is recorded with the county but that the decision to buy was made about 45 – 60 days earlier.

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June 2010 Price Report

Here are the latest sales numbers for all homes sold within the City of La Quinta as well as all Golf Course homes in La Quinta through June 2010.

The blue lines represent 2008 data, the orange lines represent 2009 data and the magenta lines represent 2010 data.

The chart above shows monthly sales of homes within the city of La Quinta*.

The sales for La Quinta in June were the strongest since May, 2006. But… Sales are recorded at the close of escrow and most escrows are 45 – 60 days. As we enter the summer months there has been a 17% drop in open escrows during June over May so we should expect to see a typical seasonal drop in the sales numbers in the next month or so. Last month consumer confidence seemed to follow the stock market into the doldrums as buying activity in June seemed to slow down when compared to May. Personally, our team continues to put non-distressed, “regular” home sales together this year, which has been a welcomed change. Prices have not started to rise, but they seem to be stabilizing in the under $1,000,000 market. The above $1,000,000 market has not seen the improvement of the under $1m market but this is likely due to the unavailability of jumbo loans. The general attitude of the people we talk to at open houses is that the market has hit the bottom and that is backed up by current prices versus historical appreciation.

The sales-volume numbers in the higher-end market (which contains many of the golf properties in the chart above) are the highest since May of 2008 (one shy) but the average price per square foot dropped 6% from May’s figures. The golf course home numbers have been fluctuating all year so this is not a surprising change and the June numbers were very close to Aprils figures.

Overall, we are still seeing positive signs in the market place. Although prices have not yet stabilized in the higher end (over $1 million), prices seemed to have stabilized in the lower market segments. The mortgage industry is still a stumbling block in the higher end market as it seems that unless you can prove that you don’t need a Jumbo Loan (over $500,000), you can’t get one! The bottom line is that at the beginning of the downturn in 2006, there were over 10,000 homes available for sale in the Coachella Valley – a real glut, currently, that number is down to under 5,100. As the supply dwindles, the market begins to stabilize and people feel more comfortable to get back into the marketplace.

If buying property is something on your list (especially golf property), why not take advantage of the incredible prices and seller incentives now, when sellers will work with you, instead of in the future, when the demand starts to catch up with the supply? Especially if you’re buying and planning to hold for 5+ years.

Here are some yearly sales figures (units) for the City of La Quinta from 2002:

Year All LQ Golf Course
2002 1,354 259
2003 1,565 652
2004 1,931 813
2005 1,553 657
2006 1,098 491
2007 935 447
2008 1,063 416
2009 1,155 418
2010 YTD 705 317 (June)

* When looking at “sold” data, you have to remember that the numbers are generated on the date that the sale is recorded with the county but that the decision to buy was made about 45 – 60 days earlier.

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What is an average home sale?

I hear the same question from a lot of people: “When are the prices going to get back to where they were now that we are at the bottom?”.  The answer, in our opinion is “a lot longer than it took the prices to drop”.  Since the 1960s, when real estate sales data first started to be recorded, real estate has appreciated at an annual rate of approximately 4.5%. There have been minor fluctuations but up to 2002 sales closely followed the line.

In the period from 2002 to 2006, we saw sale prices jump 79.5%  and from 2006 through 2009, we watched prices drop 48% and since settle back on the 4.5% “normal” line. Since 2006 and especially since September 2009, most real estate sales have been in the lower range, starting with “distressed” (lower priced foreclosures and short sales) and very slowly moving up in price as the lower priced supply dwindled and consumer confidence improved.

As I thought about this, I wondered just what was the size and price of the “Average” home sold in the valley? The chart below represents all valley sales from the Desert Area MLS. I did a standard search for residential sales and the only parameter I set was the date so the info is based on all reported sales in the entire MLS area – Desert Hot Springs to Indian Wells to Salton City.

Year Units Sold Avg SqFt Avg Sale Price $/SqFt DOM
2004 12,561 1,891 $397,138.00 $210.01 62
2005 11,126 1,878 $490,825.00 $261.36 71
2006 7,743 1,944 $542,183.00 $278.90 111
2007 6,123 2,034 $545,410.00 $268.15 139
2008 7,435 1,970 $394,831.00 $200.42 128
2009 9,280 1,886 $271,567.00 $143.99 126
2010* 9,140 1,976 $318,461.00 $161.16 128
* Projected total        
           
First 6 months of 2010      
Month Units Sold Avg SqFt Avg Sale Price  $/SqFt DOM
January 688 1,956 $309,900.00 $158.44 123
February 693 1,911 $302,244.00 $158.16 125
March 947 1,934 $300,104.00 $155.17 120
April 917 2,004 $325,520.00 $162.44 132
May 899 2,047 $348,942.00 $170.47 137
June 882 1,990 $319,486.00 $160.55 129
6 Mos 5,027 1,976 $318,461.00 $161.16 128

  
As you can see, the sales price per square foot ($/SqFt) from the high in 2006 – $278.90 dropped to the low in 2009 – $143.99 (-48.4%) but has rebounded in 2010 to $161.16 which is 42.2% from the 2006 high. Remember that these numbers represent all the homes in the valley so it is skewed by the “distressed” property sales. I feel that prices in the more affluent communities has dropped about 35% from the 2006 high. Some of the higher priced homes, ($1,000,000+) have still not seen much interest.

This, now, makes me wonder just how different some of the local cities stack up against one another. I included, in the following chart, the cities of Desert Hot Springs and Coachella which clearly show the affects of distressed property sales as compared to more affluent cities in the valley.

2006 Units Sold Avg SqFt Avg Sale Price $/SqFt DOM  
DHS 663 1,575 $285,136.00 $181.04 119  
Coachella 182 1,592 $324,223.00 $203.66 76  
Palm Springs 1,565 1,652 $483,783.00 $292.85 113  
Rancho Mirage 631 2,763 $872,763.00 $315.88 122  
Palm Desert 1,177 1,948 $602,591.00 $309.34 106  
Indian Wells 196 2,987 $1,146,332.00 $383.77 111  
La Quinta 1,098 2,354 $771,522.00 $327.75 117  
             
2010 Units Sold Avg SqFt Avg Sale Price $/SqFt DOM % Drop 06-10
DHS 421 1,542 $94,793.00 $61.47 82 66.0%
Coachella 201 1,876 $142,058.00 $75.72 74 62.8%
Palm Springs 850 1,769 $315,595.00 $178.40 133 39.1%
Rancho Mirage 342 2,632 $575,157.00 $218.52 184 30.8%
Palm Desert 676 1,898 $369,961.00 $194.92 141 37.0%
Indian Wells 126 3,052 $830,372.00 $272.07 217 29.1%
La Quinta 705 2,388 $519,612.00 $217.59 158 33.6%

The chart above also uses data from the Desert Area MLS and shows the change from 2006 to 2010 by city. Although the 2010 numbers only represent 6 months of data, the current sale price info is still relevant. 

But I digress, (sorry), back to the original question. If the home sale prices continue to appreciate at the normal 4.5% rate, home sale prices should get back to 2006 levels in 2020. In other words, keep breathing .