This morning’s Oregonian had a cover story on the decline of the housing market (such a nice story to wake up to). I thought it might be helpful if I localized the information and provided you with some stats.
Is our glass half empty? Or is our glass half full? Today I am comparing the inventory of various price ranges including what is currently for sale, what has sold in the last 6 months, and, in the case of detached homes, how that compares to the same time period a year ago:
| Detached Houses | ||||||||
| Price Range | For Sale Now | Sold in last 6 months | Months of Inventory | Sold in same 6 months of 2009 | ||||
| $100,000-$200,000 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 2 | ||||
| $201,000-$300,000 | 36 | 42 | 5 | 21 | ||||
| $301,000-$400,000 | 83 | 68 | 7 | 49 | ||||
| $401,000-$500,000 | 76 | 47 | 9 | 30 | ||||
| $501,000-$600,000 | 82 | 47 | 10 | 24 | ||||
| $601,000-$700,000 | 52 | 26 | 12 | 14 | ||||
| $701,000-$800,000 | 57 | 16 | 22 | 17 | ||||
| $801,000-$900,000 | 34 | 11 | 19 | 8 | ||||
| $901,000-$1,000,000 | 19 | 8 | 15 | 9 | ||||
| $1,001,000-$1,500,000 | 54 | 11 | 30 | 17 | ||||
| $1,501,000-$2,000,000 | 25 | 0 | Indefinite | 4 | ||||
| $2,001,000-$2,500,000 | 7 | 1 | 44 | 2 | ||||
| $2,501,000-$3,000,000 | 4 | 1 | 25 | 1 | ||||
| $3,001,000-$15,000,000 | 11 | 1 | 68 | 0 | ||||
| Condos | ||||||||
| $50,000-$100,000 | 20 | 11 | 2 | |||||
| $101,000-$200,000 | 63 | 39 | 9 | |||||
| $201,000-$300,000 | 33 | 21 | 9 | |||||
| $301,000-$400,000 | 10 | 7 | 6 | |||||
| $401,000-$500,000 | 16 | 5 | 19 | |||||
| $501,000-$600,000 | 9 | 1 | 56 | |||||
| $601,000-$700,000 | 7 | 4 | 11 | |||||
| $701,000-$800,000 | 0 | 0 | – | |||||
| $801,000-$900,000 | 3 | 0 | Indefinite | |||||
| $901,000-$1,000,000 | 2 | 0 | Indefinite | |||||
| $1,001,000-$2,000,000 | 1 | 0 | Indefinite | |||||
| $2,001,000-$3,000,000 | 1 | 0 | Indefinite |
Observations on new construction:
As of today there are 42 listings for new homes that are listed in price from $449,900 to $3,700,000. In the last six months 11 new homes have been sold, the most expensive of which was for $965,000. There are currently 10 new homes listed for sale that are priced over $1,000,000. That is a huge reduction from 3 years ago when I recall counting them and finding over 100 homes that were new construction for sale priced at over $1,000,000. The builders are learning to work with this economy and are building their spec homes in much more affordable price ranges. There are a couple of new subdivisions in LO right now with home prices in the high 400’s and low 500’s.
My Observations
I think the most interesting bit of information I see in this is that the sales have actually increased substantially, although at lower prices. In the February to August time frame 199 houses sold in 2009 versus 283 that sold in 2010. That is a nearly 50% increase. Yes, some credit can be given to the tax credit that expired in June, but I think that there is another factor at play. As prices have come down, buyers who assumed that they previously could not afford Lake Oswego are now finding opportunities in homes that they can afford. The decline in prices is perhaps a boon to the LO housing market in general.
Another observation is that the condo market is really soft as the price goes up. Condos appeal to people seeking an ease of living with Home Owner’s Associations taking care of the yards and exterior maintenance, but another part of the condo market is people who buy into condos because they have been priced out of detached homes that they can afford. As detached home prices have come down, this has given buyers the opportunity to purchase a single family residence as opposed to a condo in the same price range. I see the condos that are currently for sale in the $700,000+ pricing and wonder just how many years it will be before they get an offer.
Highest and Lowest
The least expensive detached home currently for sale in LO is 912 square feet, built in 1963, with 3 bedrooms and 1 bath. It’s priced at $180,000. The most expensive home is still the 5 acre, private island in Oswego Lake. With 13,500 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 6 full and 2 half baths, it was built in 1930 and is priced at $15,000,000.
I hope this information is helpful to you. Please let me know if you have any observations of your own.
Enjoy the day!
Dianne
Photo courtesy of bing.com