Phoenix Metro Area March Home Sales

Phoenix region home sales held at a three-year high in March as a broader group of buyers entered the market, resulting in a slightly smaller share of sales to investors. For the second month in a row there were strong signs of price stability, including the first year-over-year increase in the region’s overall median sale price in more than three years, a real estate information service reported.
Buyers paid a median $135,000 last month for all new and resale houses and condos sold in the Phoenix metro area, flat compared with February but up 3.9 percent from $129,000 a year ago, according to MDA DataQuick of San Diego, which tracks real estate trends nationally via public property records.
Last month’s year-over-year increase is the first since the Phoenix region’s median sale price rose 1.4 percent in January 2007, to $255,000. Prior to this February, when the median was the same as a year earlier, the median had fallen on a year-over-year basis for 36 consecutive months.
The March median was 48.9 percent short of the peak $264,100 median reached in June 2006. Last month’s figure was also lower than the 12-month high for the median, which was $142,700 last November. The post-housing-boom low for the median was $125,000 in April 2009.
The median paid last month for resale single-family detached houses was also $135,000, up 2.4 percent from $131,900 in February and up 12.5 percent from a year earlier. It was the second consecutive month to post a year-over-year gain for the resale house median. However, last month’s figure was still 49.6 percent lower than the $268,000 peak in June 2006.
The median paid for resale condos in March was $94,000, up 2.7 percent from February but down 14.2 percent from a year earlier – the smallest annual decline in 19 months. The March resale condo median was 49.6 percent lower than the $186,500 peak in April 2007.
An alternative price gauge rose for the second consecutive month in March: The median paid per square foot for resale single-family (detached) houses was $75, up from $73 in February and up 15.4 percent from a year earlier. However, the figure remained 56.1 percent below the $171 peak in June 2006.
There are multiple reasons for recent year-over-year gains in various median sale prices. While the increases do indicate widening price stability, they also reflect significant changes in the types of homes selling this year compared with last. For example, there has been a substantial decline in foreclosure resales. Last month they represented 51.5 percent of the resale market, compared with 66.2 percent a year ago. In the past, foreclosed properties tended to sell at a discount and were located in some of the most affordable areas. Over the past year lenders have increasingly steered distressed borrowers into foreclosures alternative such as short sales and loan modifications.
In addition, today a smaller percentage of sales occurs below $100,000. Last month 30.6 percent of homes sold for less than $100,000, compared with 35.6 percent a year earlier. The combination of lower prices, lower mortgage rates and a soon-to-expire federal tax credit has stoked more sales in mid-to higher-priced neighborhoods, which also puts upward pressure on the median, which is the point where half of the homes sold for more and half for less.
It’s no surprise the median sale price didn’t budge between February and March: Foreclosure resales held steady, and there was little change, month-to-month, in the distribution of sales across the home price spectrum. For example, last month 28.4 percent of sales were over $200,000, compared with 28.0 percent in February. Moreover, the percentage of sales that were resale houses, resale condos and newly built homes changed little last month compared with February.
Where prices head from here depends largely on the economy’s ability to create jobs, as well as on the magnitude and timing of future foreclosures and the market’s response to waning government stimulus.
Last month a total of 9,626 new and resale houses and condos closed escrow in the combined Maricopa-Pinal counties metropolitan area, up 41.1 percent from the month before and up 16.0 percent from a year earlier.
A rise in sales between February and March is normal for the season, with that gain averaging 29.0 percent since 1994, when DataQuick’s complete Phoenix-area statistics begin.
March’s total sales were the highest for that month since March 2007, when 10,712 homes sold. Total resales – houses and condos combined – were the highest for a March since 2006.
Existing (not new) condo sales saw the biggest annual gain last month, rising 117.3 percent from a year ago. In March, condos were 12.4 percent of total sales, compared with 6.6 percent a year ago.
The number of newly built homes sold in March rose 40.7 percent compared with February but fell 5.0 percent from a year ago to the lowest level for a March in more than a decade. Builders continue to struggle to compete with low-cost foreclosures and other distressed sales.
Much of the housing demand still comes from investors and first-time buyers.
In March, 45.6 percent of all Phoenix-area home purchase loans were government-insured FHA mortgages, a popular choice for first-time buyers, according to an analysis of public property records. Absentee buyers purchased 39.8 percent of all homes sold in March, down from 41.2 percent in February, and paid a median $118,000 last month. Absentee buyers are mainly investors, but include second-home buyers and others who indicate at the time of sale that the property tax bill will go to a different address.
Buyers who appear to have used cash to purchase their homes accounted for 39.7 percent of all March sales, down from 43.6 percent in February. Last month’s cash buyers paid a median of $109,000. Specifically, these were transactions where there was no indication of a purchase loan recorded at the time of sale. Some of these “cash” buyers could have used alternative financing arrangements outside of a typical, recorded purchase mortgage, and in some cases these buyers might be taking out mortgages after their purchases. All-cash deals have become popular in many Western markets where prices have dropped sharply, luring investor buyers who don’t always qualify for traditional mortgages. Moreover, sellers favor the relative speed and certainty of all-cash transactions.
Last month about 3.5 percent of all homes sold had been “flipped,” meaning they had previously been sold on the open market between three weeks to six months prior. A year ago it was 1.4 percent.
Foreclosure activity rose in March: The 5,962 single-family house and condo units foreclosed on in the region represented a 28.6 percent increase from February and a 52.1 percent gain from a year earlier. For the first quarter (January through March) of this year, the number of housing units lost to foreclosure fell 2.4 percent from fourth quarter 2009 but rose 7.8 percent from first quarter 2009.
The foreclosure figures are based on the number of trustees deeds filed with county recorder offices. The document signals that a home was lost to foreclosure. The foreclosure totals can include units that the county assessor has designated as condos, but are currently used as apartments (e.g. a 100-unit complex designated as condos but used as apartments could be foreclosed on and those units would be reflected in the foreclosure total for that month). For this reason and others, the number of foreclosure filings has seesawed month-to-month over the past year, and a single month’s increase or decline doesn’t necessarily indicate the beginning of a lasting trend.

Phoenix MSA Home Sales

Number of sales Mar-09 Mar-10 Yr/yr%Chng
Resale houses 6,794 7,524 10.7%
Resale condos 549 1193 117.3%
New homes 957 909 -5.0%
All homes 8,300 9,626 16.0%

Median sale price Mar-09 Mar-10 Yr/yr%Chng
Resale houses $120,000 $135,000 12.5%
Resale condos $109,500 $94,000 -14.2%
New homes $194,000 $191,981 -1.0%
All homes $129,900 $135,000 3.9%

Media calls: Andrew LePage (916) 456-7157
Copyright 2010 MDA DataQuick Information Systems. All rights reserved.

GREAT NEWS FOR INVESTORS!!

HUD announced that it will lift the 90 Day Seasoning Rule for FHA financing, starting Feb 1, 2010. What does this mean to you? You can buy a home, fix it, and sell it to a FHA buyer, without having to own it for 90 days.

There are some restrictions that apply, so be sure to check with your FHA lender or broker.

YES IT IS TRUE! FHA offers waiver of 90 day rule as of February 1!‏

FHA Secretary Shaun Donovan just announced in a press release…

"As a result of the tightened credit market, FHA-insured mortgage financing is often the only means of financing available to potential homebuyers. FHA has an unprecedented opportunity to fulfill its mission by helping many homebuyers find affordable housing while contributing to neighborhood stabilization."
With certain exceptions, FHA currently prohibits insuring a mortgage on a home owned by the seller for less than 90 days. This temporary waiver will give FHA borrowers access to a broader array of recently foreclosed properties.
"This change in policy is temporary and will have very strict conditions and guidelines to assure that predatory practices are not allowed," Donovan said.
In today's market, FHA research finds that acquiring, rehabilitating and the reselling these properties to prospective homeowners often takes less than 90 days. Prohibiting the use of FHA mortgage insurance for a subsequent resale within 90 days of acquisition adversely impacts the willingness of sellers to allow contracts from potential FHA buyers because they must consider holding costs and the risk of vandalism associated with allowing a property to sit vacant over a 90-day period of time.
The policy change will permit buyers to use FHA-insured financing to purchase HUD-owned properties, bank-owned properties, or properties resold through private sales. This will allow homes to resell as quickly as possible, helping to stabilize real estate prices and to revitalize neighborhoods and communities.
"FHA borrowers, because of the restrictions we are now lifting, have often been shut out from buying affordable properties," said FHA Commissioner David H. Stevens. "This action will enable our borrowers, especially first-time buyers, to take advantage of this opportunity."
The waiver will take effect on February 1, 2010 and is effective for one year, unless otherwise extended or withdrawn by the FHA Commissioner. To protect FHA borrowers against predatory practices of “flipping” where properties are quickly resold at inflated prices to unsuspecting borrowers, this waiver is limited to those sales meeting the following general conditions:

· All transactions must be arms-length, with no identity of interest between the buyer and seller or other parties participating in the sales transaction.

· In cases in which the sales price of the property is 20 percent or more above the seller’s acquisition cost, the waiver will only apply if the lender meets specific conditions.

· The waiver is limited to forward mortgages, and does not apply to the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM) for purchase program.

*Written by Amy Swaney - People's Mortgage

Obama Signs Home Owner Tax Credit Extension?‏

The legislation, which now has been signed by President Obama, will extend the $8,000 credit for first-time home buyers for sales contracts entered into by April 30, 2010 and closed by June 30, 2010. Further, it has been expanded to include a new $6,500 credit for owners of existing homes who are purchasing a new primary residence. An existing home owner can claim the $6,500 tax credit if they have been residing in their primary residence for five consecutive years out of the last eight.

Homebuyer tax credit

The following is from Senator Kyl's office. According to Senator's Kyl's legislative counsel, the following is being circulated by lobbyists regarding the homebuyer tax credit:
Homebuyer credit extension and expansion to pass the Senate. The Senate is lining up to pass a $16.7 b. six-month extension of the first-time homebuyer credit with an expansion to include all homebuyers and a doubling of the present law income limits to $300,000 for couples and $150,000 for individuals. Senators Johnny Isakson (R-GA) and Chris Dodd (D-CT) plan to offer their amendment to the unemployment extension bill the Senate may take up next week. A similar effort fell short by a vote of 47-50 on August 6, 2009. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), several other Democrats, and most Republicans support the amendment too. So far, the amendment seems slated to pass without paying for it, although Republicans will push an amendment to require stimulus funds to be reprogrammed to pay for it.

Governor repeals change to anti-deficiency

A WIN FOR AAR: Governor signs bill that repeals change to anti-deficiency statute. Governor Jan Brewer signed HB 2008, which repeals SB 1271 and its change to the anti-deficiency statute. AAR would like to thank our members for their quick response and action on this matter. AAR's success is due, in part, to members like you who help engage on issues down at the Capitol. AAR will continue to work with legislators and industry stakeholders to protect homeowner rights at the Capitol.

When do I get my keys?

Provided you are purchasing a home that will be financed, close of escrow (COE) is NOT the day you sign documents but the day of recordation (when the deed is recorded). You MUST sign documents a MINIMUM of 24 hours prior to COE. After signing documents the title company will send the docs to the lender who will fund (usually) by 10 am the next business day. This allows for recordation by 4pm and your keys by 4:01pm.

COE Tip: DO NOT sign or select COE for a Friday, Murphy's Law says you will not get keys until Monday!