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 has been seeing significant price increases. Over the past 12 months, average sale prices for homes have risen by 5.5%.
The Sarasota and Manatee county markets for condos & townhomes are currently moving in lockstep. Both markets are Seller’s markets for condos & townhomes priced below $400,000 and Buyer’s markets for condos & townhomes priced above $400,000.
Roughly 63 percent of U.S. homeowners have mortgages. Given that large percentage, its important to understand what the equity positions in their homes look like to assess real estate fundamentals. The good news for us is that according to CoreLogic, homeowners with mortgages saw their equity in their homes rise by almost $1 trillion (12.3%) in the last year. That points to a healthier market.