Florida Home Prices

Fla. home sale prices up 11.4% year-to-year in Dec. NAR: In 2013, U.S. prices hit ‘06 levels with sales up 9.1% – strongest in seven years ORLANDO, Fla. – Jan. 23, 2014 – Florida’s housing market reported higher median prices, more new listings, fewer days on the market and the continued stabilization of inventory in December, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®. Closed sales of single-family homes statewide totaled 19,497 last month, up 8.6 percent over the December 2012 figure. “Florida’s housing market continues to demonstrate its recovery,” says 2014 Florida Realtors President Sherri Meadows, CEO and team leader, Keller Williams, with market centers in Gainesville, Ocala and the Villages. “December marked over two years – 25 months – of consecutive gains in statewide median sales prices, year-over-year, for both single-family homes and for townhouse-condo properties. The rising prices, along with the renewed strength of the state’s housing market, are encouraging more homeowners to list their properties for sale. Statewide, new listings for single-family homes increased 23.8 percent in December, while new townhome-condo listings rose 8.1 percent. The rising prices mean increased equity, which is another reason people are listing properties. “Properties also are taking less time to sell, another trend that is sparking sellers’ interest,” Meadows added. “In December, the median days on market (the midpoint of the number of days it took for a property to sell that month) was 50 days for single-family homes and 51 days for townhouses and condos. That means 50 percent of homes on the market in Florida sell in less than two months.” The statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes last month was $172,630, up 11.4 percent from the previous year, according to data from Florida Realtors Industry Data and Analysis department in partnership with local Realtor boards/associations. The statewide median price for townhouse-condo properties in December was $137,500, up 17 percent over the year-ago figure. The median is the midpoint; half the homes sold for more, half for less. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the national median sales price for existing single-family homes in November 2013 was $196,200, up 9.4 percent from the previous year; the national median existing condo price was $197,400. In California, the statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes in November was $422,210; in Massachusetts, it was $316,500; in Maryland, it was $257,677; and in New York, it was $229,000. Looking at Florida’s townhome-condo market, statewide closed sales totaled 8,364 last month, down slightly (2.5 percent) compared to December 2012. However, the closed sales data reflected fewer short sales and cash-only sales in December: Traditional sales in Florida rose 23.3 percent for single-family homes and 6 percent for condo-townhome properties. Closed sales typically occur 30 to 90 days after sales contracts are written. “Florida’s market exhibited all the signs of the annual holiday lull,” said Florida Realtors Chief Economist Dr. John Tuccillo. “Because of things like the reduced number of workdays and the presence of other important things to do, the statistics at this time of year don’t necessarily give a good read on where the market really is. Three continuing trends to note, however, are rising inventories, declining cash sales and the lessening presence of distressed property sales. “The first two are indicative of reduced investor activity and thus a return to a more normal market. The last is a product of rising values that have increased market sales relative to short sales and foreclosures.” Inventory was at a 5.5-months’ supply in December for single-family homes and at a 5.8-months’ supply for townhouse-condo properties, according to Florida Realtors. According to Freddie Mac, the interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.46 percent in December 2013, up from the 3.35 percent average recorded during the same month a year earlier. John Holbrook - Realtor Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach & Yulee, Florida Cell: 904-415-0171 Email: holbrook66@msn.com www.johneholbrook.com

Two Controversial Mortgage Products Agents Should Know About

Two Controversial Mortgage Products Agents Should Know About

John Holbrook - Realtor Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach & Yulee, FloridaCell: 904-415-0171 Email: holbrook66@msn.com www.johneholbrook.com

New Homes sales surge in 2014

Many housing pundits are calling for home sales to do slightly better in 2014 than they did in 2013. To the contrary, we strongly believe that home sales will skyrocket with increases of 10-15% in 2014. Here are the three categories of buyers we believe will create this strong demand. The First Time Buyer The Urban Land Institute recently released a report, Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2014, projecting that 4.48 million new households will be formed over the next three years. Millennials will make up a large portion of these new households. With the economy improving, we believe they will finally be moving out of their parents’ homes and, when they compare renting versus buying, many will choose homeownership. The Move-Up Buyer Over the last several years many homeowners were trapped in their home by negative equity. This prevented them from moving up to the home of their dreams. Zillow has just revealed that home equity increased by $1.9 trillion dollars in 2013 an increase of 7.9% in the last twelve months. With home values rising, this pent-up demand will finally be released and move-up properties will be in high demand. The Immigrant Buyer No one knows what will happen with immigration reform. However, we do know what such reform would have on housing demand. A recent study released by the Immigration Task Force of the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) found that immigration reform, if passed, would dramatically increase demand for housing units; increasing residential construction spending by an average of $68 billion per year over the next 20 years. We realize that our projections are based on three situations that are still uncertain. However, we believe that these issues will come to fruition and thereby dramatically increase demand for homeownership. John Holbrook - Realtor Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach & Yulee, Florida Cell: 904-415-0171 Email: holbrook66@msn.com www.johneholbrook.com

2014 Predictions - Amelia Island

Making predictions in what is still a somewhat volatile housing market can be tricky. That being said, we are going to give you what we believe will be the five biggest headlines for housing in 2014. Home Sales Will Surge Many housing pundits are calling for home sales to do slightly better in 2014 than they did in 2013. To the contrary, we strongly believe that home sales will skyrocket with increases of 10-15% in 2014. Supply Will Struggle to Keep Up with Demand With a dramatic increase in demand, it will be up to real estate professionals and builders to make sure there is the necessary inventory to satisfy this demand. This will be a challenge for much of the year. Interest Rates Will Increase Significantly Most experts are calling for an increase in mortgage interest rates in 2014. However, we believe the increase will be more dramatic than is being projected. We believe rates will be closer to 6% than 5% by year’s end. Consumers Will Demand More from Real Estate Professionals Home search will become a given to the real estate consumer in 2014. In order to differentiate themselves from other agents, real estate professionals will need to bring strong, meaningful content to the table in all their offerings Go Mobile or Go Home Any content strategy the industry contemplates must have a mobile component. All information will be accessed 24/7 in every conceivable environment. The professionals who understand and act on this will dominate 2014. John Holbrook - Realtor Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach & Yulee, Florida Cell: 904-415-0171 Email: holbrook66@msn.com www.johneholbrook.com

5 reasons to Buy

I recently wrote an article that explained in detail why thinking of your home as an investment is simply faulty logic. So, by the title of this post, it may seem that I'm contradicting myself. Not so. While I don't advocate considering "investment value" when purchasing a home, there are still plenty of valid reasons to own instead of rent, especially in the current low rate environment. Let's take a look at why homeownership simply makes more sense than renting, especially over a long-term basis. Reason 1: Mortgages are cheap Even though rates have spiked about 1% over the past year or so, at a 4.5% interest rate, 30-year mortgages are still very cheap on a historical basis. This is significant because in many cases, it is actually cheaper on a monthly basis to own a home than rent. In the market I live in, $350,000 gets you a relatively basic three-bedroom home, and I live in a hurricane-prone area, so we have to pay flood and windstorm insurances, which brings the total mortgage payment on a $350,000 house to about $2,400. The same house would easily command $2,700 per month in rent. Reason 2: Your life, your way Want to get a new family pet? Go for it! Want to landscape your yard, put in a pool, add on another bedroom, or remodel your kitchen? These are some things that are out of the question in virtually any rental situation and can be as easy as applying for a building permit if you own your own home. If you're a dog lover, finding an apartment can be a nightmare. Many of my friends who rent their houses are stuck with kitchens that look like something from a 70s TV show, and their landlords seem to be in no rush to update anything. The freedom to make your home truly your own is one of the best reasons to buy a house. Reason 3: Credit This may seem somewhat unimportant, since most people in a position to buy a house already have very good credit. Regardless, a mortgage will certainly report to the credit bureaus, and a rental company will almost certainly not. There are few items on a credit report that demonstrate financial responsibility and general stability in life better than a long history of on-time mortgage payments. Reason 4: Equity Having equity that can be tapped into if necessary is a big plus for homeowners. Having equity in your home is not only important to help pay emergency expenses, home improvements, or your kid's college tuition, but simply having the equity available to you makes it much easier to get a loan for almost anything else. If you have, say, $75,000 in home equity, a bank will feel much better loaning you $20,000 to buy a boat than if you were renting an apartment. Reason 5: Not an investment, but still much better than renting for your financial health Even though I've said your home is not a good investment, at least in the traditional sense of the word, it is still exponentially better for your long-term financial health than being a lifelong renter. Let's say you buy a $200,000 house, and you put $40,000 down. This would make your mortgage payment $810.70 for 30 years at a 4.5% interest rate. At the end of the 30 years, you own the home free and clear, and hopefully it's appreciated significantly in value. If you pay the same amount in rent, after 30 years, you'll have paid a total of $291,852 in housing payments. This is also a glorified scenario, as rental rates usually rise over time, making your actual total even more. At the end of 30 years, you'll have absolutely nothing to show for all of the money you spent. So, while owning your home only provides 3%-5% annual returns on a long-term basis, this is still far better than paying out hundreds of thousands of dollars and not building any equity whatsoever. Homeownership is still the way to go! John Holbrook - Realtor Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach & Yulee, Florida Cell: 904-415-0171 Email: holbrook66@msn.com www.johneholbrook.com

Florida Economy

Florida consumer confidence up from year ago Floridians kept their rising confidence in the economy with a University of Florida survey showing spirits were higher than a year ago. Consumer confidence throughout the state remained in December at 77, the same as the revised November reading and three points above last year. Floridians' confidence in the economy has appeared to rebound after five months of dropping spirits from June until October. More from the Orlando Sentinel and UF News. John Holbrook - Realtor Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach & Yulee, Florida Cell: 904-415-0171 Email: holbrook66@msn.com www.johneholbrook.com

Latinos & New Year’s Resolutions

With their preparation for the holidays the Latino culture also prepares for some rituals, customs and traditions that are going to help to augur a New Year. Depending on the country or origin these traditions may vary, but one of the most commons in general is the 12 grapes and the 12 wishes. At 12 o’clock (or midnight), with the 12 chimes of the clock they will eat 12 grapes while asking for their 12 wishes. But what does this have to do with real estate?
One of those 12 wishes, you will have the opportunity to help to fulfill. The wish to buy a new home!
During the year we gave you a series of blogs talking about the Latino Community; the different segments within the community and some ideas of how to help them. It is our resolution for the next year to continue giving you information to make sure that the Latino Community will be able to fulfil one of those 12 wishes. The opportunity to be homeowners!

Latinos & New Year’s Resolutions

John Holbrook - Realtor Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach & Yulee, FloridaCell: 904-415-0171 Email: holbrook66@msn.com www.johneholbrook.com

Rates should go up

What it Means to the Consumer In an article in MarketWatch today, Lawrence Yun, the Chief Economist at NAR, explained that sellers looking to move-up (to a better school district or larger home) “need to realize that it could be more challenging a year from now.” Yun stated the average 30-year mortgage rate currently hovers at 4.3%, but that could rise to 5% or 5.5% next year. What it Does NOT Mean to the Housing Market Some reports will now claim that housing prices will have to drop as interest rates begin to rise. There is no historical evidence of this. Below is a chart showing the last four instances of mortgage rates rising dramatically and what happened to home values at the time. John Holbrook - Realtor Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach & Yulee, Florida Cell: 904-415-0171 Email: holbrook66@msn.com www.johneholbrook.com

Tapering Begins!

Tapering Begins!

John Holbrook - Realtor Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach & Yulee, FloridaCell: 904-415-0171 Email: holbrook66@msn.com www.johneholbrook.com

Today's Prices Compared to Peak [INFOGRAPHIC]

Today's Prices Compared to Peak [INFOGRAPHIC]

John Holbrook - Realtor Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach & Yulee, FloridaCell: 904-415-0171 Email: holbrook66@msn.com www.johneholbrook.com

Florida Jobs

What you need to know about Florida today 12/12/2013 Florida posts largest job gain of year in November Last month, Florida posted its largest job gain of the year, according to payroll processor ADP. The Sunshine State added 19,450 private-sector jobs during November, more than any other state except Texas, which tacked on 28,030 positions, the ADP data released on Wednesday showed John Holbrook - Realtor Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach & Yulee, Florida Cell: 904-415-0171 Email: holbrook66@msn.com www.johneholbrook.com

14,027 Houses Sell Every Day in the U.S.!!

14,027 Houses Sell Every Day in the U.S.!!

John Holbrook - Realtor Amelia Island, Fernandina Beach & Yulee, FloridaCell: 904-415-0171 Email: holbrook66@msn.com www.johneholbrook.com