Thursday, October 29, 2009

Dupont Circle Third Quarter 2009

CONDOS SOLD IN DUPONT CIRCLE

In the third quarter of 2009, we found that the average number of bedrooms in a sold Dupont Circle condo was 1.2, reflecting the large number of studios and one-bedrooms in the neighborhood. We also found the following details about condo sales:

Average List Price: $399,074
Average Sales Price: $396,160 or 99% of list price
Average price per square foot: $527
Average days on market: 35
Average age: 71 (reflecting the large number of row home conversions to condo)

These statistics reveal a healthy market with buyers and sellers in a good equilibrium. Sellers are realistic in pricing their homes and achieving 99% of their asking price within 35 days on average.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Real Estate Round-Up

Focus on Logan Circle:

Here are some micro statistics about third quarter 2009 activity in the Logan Circle condo market (properties less than 6 years old).

Average sales price: $501,490
Average size of condo: 991 square feet
Average days on market (resales): 35
Average closed price as a percentage of list price: 98%
Average square foot price: $517
Percentage of sales with seller subsidies: 54%

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Real Estate Round-Up

We are on vacation this week; back next week with more news and information.

Thursday, September 17, 2009

The $8,000 Home Buyer Tax Credit expires Soon

The information below was taken from the National Association of Home Builders' site.

$8,000 Home Buyer Tax Credit at a Glance

The information on this page pertains to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

* The tax credit is for first-time home buyers only. For the tax credit program, the IRS defines a first-time home buyer as someone who has not owned a principal residence during the three-year period prior to the purchase.

* The tax credit does not have to be repaid.

* The tax credit is equal to 10 percent of the home’s purchase price up to a maximum of $8,000.

* The credit is available for homes purchased on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009.

* Single taxpayers with incomes up to $75,000 and married couples with incomes up to $150,000 qualify for the full tax credit.

Thursday, September 10, 2009

Real Estate Round-Up

Below is a reprint of City Influence's Market Trend Analysis for September 2009


This month's market trend analysis focuses on market activity in the Washington region as an indicator of market health. We looked at new listings, pending sales and closed sales from 2003 through the first six months of 2009. The number of sales that closed in July of 2009 was very close to, but slightly higher than, the number of sales closed in the beginning of 2003. The numbers were slightly on either side of 10,000 transactions.

The number of sales peaked toward the end of the second quarter of 2005 at over 20,000 transactions.

Analysis of the number of new listings provides a clear explanation of the market's surge in 2004 and 2005 and subsequent contraction in 2007 and 2008. The number of new listings available to be sold fell below the number of closed transactions at the end of 2003 and the beginning of 2004 and remained tight until the second quarter of 2005. This close supply/demand ratio produced higher prices and encouraged a dramatic increase in new supply by the third quarter of 2006.

The number of new listings peaked in June of 2006 at about 31,000 listings. So the increase in the number of new listings available for sale continued to increase for more than a year after the peak in the number of sales.

Currently, the number of new listings (18,000) is at about the same level we saw in the first quarter of 2004, as are the number of closed sales. The trend for new listings has been descending since that peak in 2006, but we are far from the low of 10,000 new listings that we saw in early 2003.

One more interesting point. The low number for closed transactions was reached twice during this period - in January of 2008 and in January of 2009, at 5,000 sales. The number of new listings in January 2008 (20,000) was four times the number of closed transactions (5,000), the largest gap in the studied time frame.

The trends are in the right direction for a stabilized market with prices appreciating at a rate within historic norms.

Contact City Influence for more information.

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Real Estate Round-Up

Three core jurisdictions we follow in this blog - the District, Arlington and Alexandria, represent the strongest performing jurisdictions in terms of price in the Washington metro area. The average price in this core area in the second quarter of 2009 was $497,216, which is 6.4% higher than in the first quarter of 2009 but lower by 8.7% than one year ago.

The average price in the District in June of 2009 is 6.2% lower than June of 2008. The average price in Arlington in June of 2009 is 1.9% lower than June of 2008. The average price in Alexandria in June of 2009 is lower by 5.6% than June of 2008.

The market remains a good one for buyers, with prices still lower than last year, but inching up as the year goes on.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Real Estate Round-Up

A Look at Homes under Contract in Key Jurisdictions as a percentage of Total Homes for Sale

District of Columbia

There are 670 homes under contract in the District as of today's date. This is slightly lower than the 707 we saw under contract in May. There are 3,186 homes actively for sale as of this date. Approximately 17% of homes available for sale in DC are under contract.

Arlington

There are 152 homes under contract in Arlington as of today, versus 207 in May. 1,217 homes are for sale. Approximately 11% of homes available for sale in Arlington are under contract.

Alexandria

There are 165 homes in Alexandria that are under contract today versus 177 last May.
1,027 homes are actively for sale. Approximately 14% of homes available for sale in Alexandria are under contract.

Bethesda/Chevy Chase

There are 118 homes under contract here versus 188 last May. 720 homes are for sale in BCC. Approximately 16% of the homes for sale here are under contract.