housing update

January 2021 Market Update

Leave a comment

Happy New Year!  Welcome to 2021!  I predict this will be yet another exciting year with lots of new challenges, adversity, change, and so much more. The good thing to note is out of these situations come positive outcomes for many if you keep the right mental attitude, stay adaptable, and take care of yourself and those around you. We do not know what lies ahead but keeping strong is as vital as ever.

I have been asked, “what is going to happen with real estate in 2021”?  It depends on whether you are a buyer, seller, renter, landlord, or investor. Inventory levels in Northern Virginia continue to decline. We ended the year with only 1,737 houses for sale in Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun, and Fauquier Counties and all the cities located within this area. As you can imagine, this number is extremely low, historically speaking. This makes purchasing a home extraordinarily difficult for buyers. I am currently working with a buyer where we have bid $30,000 over list, $40,000 over list, and $50,000 over list and on three separate houses, and we have lost out on each of them. They are in the $400,000 – $500,000 price point. The listing agents said they were overwhelmed with offers and calls – one had 17 offers in hand in less than 24 hours. So, you can see the buying environment is uber-competitive. On the flip side, this makes it a great time to sell a home if you are looking to move. Depending on the price point, location and condition, sellers can expect multiple showings as well as multiple contracts with purchasers paying more than the sales price and waiving many, if not all, the contingencies associated with a sale. Renting houses is also a challenge as there is a .4-month supply of homes available, and of those, 40% are single-family or townhouses. Again, this makes being a landlord easier to get results as there is a brisk rental market in Northern Virginia. Most investors like houses that cash flow, and with prices being bid up, many investors are choosing to wait on the sidelines to see if more inventory comes on the market prior to getting into bidding wars. Time will tell if we get more inventory or not, but I believe we will experience low inventory throughout 2021. Call me to discuss your situation in more detail so we can help you make the right decisions.

So, the market that is struggling the most right now in our area is condos. In Arlington County, 84% of the resale inventory is condominiums. The average days on the market for a condo in Arlington is 76 days and the average overall days on the market for all properties in NOVA is 16. Quite a difference, right? The rental market is remarkably similar in all of NOVA – condos are on the market for 126 days, and single-family and townhouses are on the market for 42 days. Be careful when considering an investment in condos right now.

As always, I am happy to speak with you about your situation as each one is different.  Happy New Year, and as always, be safe, make wise decisions when you go in public, so you

December 2020 Market Update

Leave a comment

As we close out 2020…

A lot has transpired since the last newsletter… a presidential election, Covid-19 outbreaks resulting in additional shutdowns, local jurisdictions reverting back to more restrictions on public gatherings, regional school districts canceling or staggering the return to the classroom, and of course, Thanksgiving. Luckily, we had great weather on Thanksgiving and could eat outside with our “at-risk” family members and maintain social distancing with them throughout the day.

Interest rates remain low on the real estate front; fewer people are re-engaging in forbearance on their mortgages, and houses are still selling – often with multiple offers. All in all, it’s a great market not only in Northern Virginia but around the country. 

As we enter the holiday season, inventory levels remain low, making it difficult for buyers looking to take advantage of great rates. We are only 9% below last year’s level of homes for sale during this same week in time. As I look back, this was the beginning of the inventory shortage in our area. It will be interesting to see if we match our low from this past January when we had just over 1,800 houses for sale. If you are considering relocating, downsizing, or upsizing, call me to see how we can help you get into a home. We have strategies for every market to help people become homeowners.

So, the question I am often asked this time of year is, should we sell our house or wait until the spring. My answer is – it depends. Do you need to sell, or do you want to sell? If you sell, where will you go? If you have to sell and have the next home secured or have living arrangements lined up, sell today. If you are looking to sell to take advantage of the market, we need to talk sooner rather than later. As I previously mentioned, rates are great, purchasers are out in the market looking to buy, we know what other houses are for sale right now versus the springtime, and we know what price we can get for it based upon recent sales. Also, in all likelihood, if the house is in great shape, is in an ideal location, and is priced right, it will sell quickly with little inconvenience to the seller. If you find yourself in this situation, please call me to discuss your situation in more detail.

Until next year, be safe, make wise decisions when going out in public so you remain healthy so you can celebrate the holidays with your loved ones.

October 2019 Mid Month Market Update

Leave a comment

Here’s your latest real estate market update for Northern Virginia. Inventory is low, it’s a seller’s market! And with interest rates still at an all-time low, not is a great time to buy!

What do you think? How is the market in your area?

Thinking of buying or selling? I’m happy to provide you with a free market analysis if your home. Give me a call to talk about your specific situation and needs. Call me at 703-652-5777 or email at scottmacdonald@remax.net

June Market Update

Leave a comment

The Summer Market is Upon Us!

It is hard to believe we are already through the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Time is really flying this year – at least it seems that way to me. Kids are home from college, summer jobs have started, weekend pool parties are in full swing and the real estate market is just as busy as it has been all year. Let’s start with the amazing mortgage interest rates that continue to tumble downward. They are now well into the threes for 30-year fixed rates and are expected to go down even further. This makes now a great time to buy a home! It can still be a challenge to find the right house, as inventory levels remain extremely low – 19% below last year this same week and nearly 30% below what was on the market two years ago. What is also amazing is that sales are up with inventory levels being down. Through April (latest available data point), there was one more sale this year than last year…one more is one more than before. I believe that interest rates will continue to foster sales through the summer as inventory will come on the market. Let’s talk about your plans if you are considering selling – we can position you properly to take advantage of today’s market.

All this being said, the market is not good to all sellers. The reason for this is some sellers are under the belief that their property will sell regardless of price and condition. We are seeing a lot of unrealistic prices on properties, as well as houses in disrepair or in need of substantial work to get the prices sellers are asking. We have seen average prices up over last year by 2.75% which is great, but it is not 2.75% per month like some sellers are pricing their houses at today (and “hoping” to get for them).

From a buyer’s prospective, we are still in a price conscience market. Buyer’s are concerned about paying too much and are analyzing prices closely, especially if they are using a professional REALTOR and not the internet to help them buy a house. The internet is not the way to buy a house today or anytime. The guidance and expertise of a real estate professional is more important today than ever before. If you are considering buying, we should talk sooner rather than later so give me a call.

Have a great June – enjoy the graduation parties!

March Market Update

Leave a comment

The Spring Market has Arrived!

The Spring Market has sprung into action! Although inventory levels are down, activity on listings is up, open house visitors are abundant and multiple contracts on listings are happening more frequently throughout Northern Virginia. In Arlington and close in locations, we are seeing contingencies getting waived and huge escalation clauses for buyers to win contracts. It is a good sign for our market to have such great activity and I expect it to continue for the next few months.

All this being said, pricing properties properly is still paramount to success in getting houses sold. Along the Route 1 corridor close to Amazon’s HQ2 people are definitely “future pricing” their houses. Their hopes to cash in are not bearing any fruit and I don’t believe this pricing strategy is going to get them sales any time soon. At this time, pinpoint accuracy in pricing is the strategy to undertake. Do not price for negotiations. Do not price higher because the neighbor received multiple contracts (as not all listings with multiple contracts are going above list price as I mentioned last month’s newsletter).

If you are a buyer, do not despair, we can help you find a house even in the low inventory market dynamic that we are currently experiencing. Although we are below 3,000 active houses for sale in Northern Virginia, the pace of houses coming on the market for sale is increasing each week. We also have access to “Coming Soon” properties through our network of professionals whom we deal with on a regular basis. Having someone scout out properties for you before they officially hit the market is extremely important, so please feel free to call me to discuss this in more detail.

Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead this month and get out there and enjoy the longer days!

18_300990_Q1 Social Sharables_daylightsavingtime