Whether you are looking to buy, sell or invest in real estate, it is important to understand market conditions. Real estate is hyper-local, with market dynamics changing from subdivision to subdivision. However, county trends will give you a good idea of what to expect.
Category: Home Buying
Although the luxury single family home market ($1M+ homes) is much better balanced this year than last, it is still a strong buyer’s market in both Manatee and Sarasota counties. Markets are generally considered in “balance” when there is about six months of inventory for sale at the current pace of home sales. When the inventory gets greater than that, buyers tend to have more leverage than sellers in negotiations.
Although the Florida Public Service Commission opened the door for significantly more residential rooftop solar in Florida last month, make sure you do your homework before walking through it. While I am a big fan of solar power, I am a bigger fan of people protecting their pocketbooks.
The latest mortgage delinquency statistics show that Hurricane Irma is continuing to disrupt local mortgage repayments this month. Both short-term delinquency rates (30 days late) and more serious delinquencies (90 days plus late) are up year on year. Although we have yet to see a foreclosure spike, it sure still looks like it is coming.
While I focus most of my time on what’s happening in Manatee and Sarasota counties, it’s also important to follow the broader real estate trends. Overall, the real estate market in the United States is seeing significant price increases. Over the past 12 months, average sale prices for homes have risen by 7.0%.