Tag Archives: housing market trends

Yolo County Market Trends August 2023

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Here are Yolo County residential real estate market trends as of August 23, 2023, based on analysis of sales in Metrolist MLS for my presentation at the Yolo County Association of Realtors marketing meeting last week. In the past, I’ve not included county-wide data nor West Sacramento. I’ve added both at the request of local agents.

The Elephant in the Room-Interest Rates

Every presentation I’ve done since the pandemic started has included a discussion of interest rates. The drop in interest rates at the start of the pandemic helped fuel the rapid increase in prices we experienced. The rapid increase in interest rates in early 2022 put the brakes on residential real estate, especially in California, by hammering affordability.

Thanks to Len Kiefer for this graph

The graph above shows the longer run of interest rates this century, trending down to a low below 3% during the pandemic with a rapid return to 2002 levels in less than two years. Interest rates are now at their highest point since I started my career as an appraiser in June, 2002.

This graph explains the residential real estate inventory effects from the change in interest rates since 2019:

Thanks again to Len Kiefer

Almost 2/3 of current mortgages have interest rates below 4%. There is a very strong financial incentive for anyone with one of these mortgages to not sell their home because a replacement will trigger a much higher monthly payment, thus reducing the available inventory.

Let’s look at the demand side:

Thanks again Len

This graph is a little difficult to decipher but tells a crucial story for residential real estate. The left Y-axis shows the monthly payment for the given terms. The right Y-axis shows the average loan size. The X-axis shows the interest rate. The dots show the meeting of the average interest rate, loan amount, and monthly payment for each year.

To buy the typical house in 2021, the payment was approximately $1,800 per month. Now, in 2023, the typical house payment is $3,000 per month. Affordability has been hammered by the rise in interest rates and not helped by increasing prices.

Combined, we have very reduced inventory combined with reduced demand. In 2022, the demand reduction “won” in our region, leading to price drops. In 2023 so far, the reduction in supply seems to be “winning” with price increases common. The residential real estate industry is probably the biggest loser in 2023 with significantly fewer sales this year compared to previous years.

Yolo County Data

Below is a breakdown of sales in 2023 by community for residential sales on 60 acre or less lots, excluding condominiums, townhouses, and halfplexes. Note that small acreage residential sales are included in this snapshot.

2023 Yolo County Sales by Community

Most of the sales in Yolo County occur in Woodland, West Sacramento, and Davis.

Below shows the growth in mean sale price for Yolo County since 2016. Prices have increased significantly over the past seven years.

Yolo County Sales

A closer look at sales since 1/1/22 shows a different story:

Prices peaked in the spring of 2022, declined the rest of the year, and started to increase again in the spring. The last two months show some softening of prices.

Current inventory countywide is above the lows of the pandemic era but significantly lower than typical:

Yolo County inventory is on the low side at present

Inventory is lower than typical but monthly mean days on market countywide is back to pre-pandemic levels:

Days on market are closer to longer term averages

Another measure of market strength is the sale price to list price ratio, or how much the sale price of a home changes from the reported list price. If the ratio is greater than 100% shows prices getting bid up while under 100% it shows sellers forced to discount.

Homes are selling for close to asking at present

This measure increased dramatically during the pandemic, dropped after the rise in interest rates in 2022, and has recovered to a somewhat stronger level.

Sales volume drop is the biggest issue for real estate professionals looking for work

Sales volume is depressed below pre-pandemic levels because of lack of inventory meeting lack of demand. After two/thirds of 2023, Yolo County has about half the number of sales typical year to date before the pandemic.

Countywide, prices are stable to increasing with low inventory and typical days on market. Let’s take a look at the larger Yolo County markets.

Davis and Woodland

This analysis only includes sales of homes on less than one acre of properties labeled as “single family residences” in Metrolist, the local MLS. The same rules apply to the West Sacramento analysis below.

Sales volume has drifted downwards for both Davis and Woodland:

Davis sales volume since 2018 per Metrolist
The change in sales volume is more pronounced in Woodland

Metrolist tracks how many offers were received for each sale, another indicator of market activity. Davis and Woodland both show elevated numbers of sales receiving multiple offers in 2023 so far:

Multiple offers imply a seller’s market

Below are summary statistics for Davis and Woodland:

Inventory is relatively low but above pandemic levels. Days on market, multiple offers, and the sale price/list price ratio show both markets overall are leaning towards sellers at present.

Davis price trends since 1/1/22 show a peak in the spring of 2022 followed by decline to a low at the start of 2023, with prices increasing so far since:

Woodland follows a similar pattern:

To recap, Davis and Woodland are showing low inventory, low sales volume, some buyer competition, and increasing prices.

West Sacramento

The story is familiar for West Sacramento.

Sales volume for 2023 so far is about half prior to the pandemic with two-thirds of the year gone with the longer trend declining.

Multiple offers in West Sacramento are elevated but appear somewhat more volatile than in Davis and Woodland:

West Sacramento Summary:

Price trends in West Sacramento follow the same pattern as in Davis and Woodland: peak in the spring of 2022, followed by decline to a bottom in early 2023, with rising prices now.

West Sacramento is trending along the same lines as Davis and Woodland

Yolo County Small Acreage Residential

Finally, let’s look at the Yolo County Small Acreage Residential market. In this analysis, I included homes sold on 1-60 acres reported to be one home on a lot, two homes on a lot, manufactured homes, or modular homes. I excluded Davis and Dunnigan addresses because these two markets trend differently from the rest of the county.

Inventory is on the low side at present in shortage. This market typically has 6-12 months of inventory but is somewhat more volatile because of lack of activity.

Recent price trends are stable to increasing. Please keep in mind that conclusions are significantly more uncertain because of lack of conformity between the properties sold.

Note that this market did not have the same protracted dip seen in other Yolo County markets throughout 2022.

Takeaways

  • Rates continue to dominate our local residential real estate markets.
  • Very low supply is overriding low demand.
  • Prices switched from declining to stable to increasing throughout the county.
  • We have a very low number of sales.
  • Valuations are difficult at present because of changing market trends and few sales to use for sales comparison.

Thanks for reading. Please leave any comments or questions.

Early 2022 Sacramento MSA Rental Vacancy Rate

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It’s tough to be a renter in the Sacramento market now. Per the US Census Bureau, the Q1 2022 rental vacancy rate dropped to 3.0%. Good luck to anyone trying to find a home to rent.

For appraisers and real estate agents, this data is published for the top 75 markets in the US by the US Census Bureau. Go here to grab the data plus some other cool stuff from the Feds.

Like many appraisers, the past two years have been crazy for me. Life is starting to slow down so I hope to post more frequently.

Davis, Woodland, and Northern Yolo County Small Acreage Residential Update

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For my appraiser friends: will this pass an FHA inspection? image copywrite Joe Lynch

Hey, it’s been a while. Since the start of the pandemic, demand for appraisal services has gone through the roof, limiting my ability to write. Thank you if you’ve sent me work. That said, I hope to write more frequently in 2022. This is the start.

Market Analysis Ground Rules

Below are market updates for Davis, Woodland, and the Northern Yolo County small acreage residential markets. My data source is Metrolist, the MLS for my region and part of the Norcal MLS Alliance. I’m very fortunate to have such great data partners.

For suburban markets like Davis and Woodland, I limit the analysis to sales of single family residences on one lot. I exclude condominiums, townhouses, halfplexes, and small income residential properties (2-4 units) because these types of transactions in general add noise to the analysis in markets I cover. For small acreage residential properties, I include one house on a lot, two houses on a lot, manufactured homes, and modular homes outside of city limits. I usually narrow the lot size range of transactions included in the analysis. For example, the analysis below is limited to sales on lots with 1-60 acres of area.

Davis

Sales volume in Davis was significantly higher year-over-year in early 2021 because of lockdowns in 2020 but over the past six months are down year-over-year because of the surge in late 2020.

Davis 12 Month Change in Sales Volume

My favorite way to measure sale price trends in Davis is to look at monthly year-over-year metrics because of the high degree of seasonality in the Davis market. Look at the graph below. The past six months prices are up on average 20% overall in Davis. Pre-pandemic, prices were stable to declining slightly…

Davis residential real estate prices have increased rapidly over the past year

Woodland

Sales volume in Woodland has been distorted by Covid, too. Volume in early 2021 increased significantly over the prior year but were below 2020 over the summer of 2021 and are mixed most recently.

Woodland year-over-year change in monthly sales volume distorted by the pandemic

Woodland is a much less seasonal market than Davis so I use a sale price or sale price per square foot scatter graph model to show market trends. Prices have continued to rise in Woodland significantly over the past 12 months.

Woodland prices continue to increase strongly

Davis and Woodland Recent Activity

as of February 16, 2022

Prices continue to show strong appreciation. The key issue is the lack of inventory. Normally, Davis and Woodland have 50-100 single family homes listed for sale. Lack of inventory is driving competition and prices.

Another sign of lack of inventory

Competition is frantic in Davis now with the vast majority of homes receiving multiple offers. Woodland homes are receiving multiple offers at a higher than typical rate, too, but not at Davis levels. Great time to sell, terrible time to buy.

Cash Buyers in the Market

Another heat check

With most listings receiving multiple offers, I’m not surprised to see a rising percentage of all-cash buyers.

These trends are telling the same story.

Northern Yolo County Small Acreage Residential Market

As noted above, I analyzed sales of properties on 1-60 acres sold in unincorporated Yolo County. I excluded Dunnigan because it is a different market from the rest of the county with 1 acre lots next to the interstate and many manufactured homes adding noise to the analysis.

Northern Yolo County Small Acreage Residential

With so few transactions, best way to understand the market is by sales per date scatter graph. First shows all sales from the start of 2020:

Sale scatter graph showing increasing prices

Longer view:

Sale scatter graph since 1/1/10

Those familiar with this market will be able to explain the price bump in 2016 and subsequent flattening. In early 2016, Yolo County changed the code to allow for medical marijuana grows on small acreage lots. This led to a rush in outside investors competing for small acreage residential properties and rapid price increases. When Yolo County put a clamp on new permits, prices stabilized and were relatively flat heading into the pandemic. The overall lack of inventory and desire for separation from neighbors led to a return of price increases.

The Elephant in the Room

image copywrite Pixabay, free to use

The Covid pandemic surprised many of us by leading to rapid price increases driven by low inventory and historically low interest rates. Low inventory is still here but interest rates are rising rapidly:

Thanks Len.

If trends continue, at some point rising interest rates will reduce affordability enough to reduce sales activity and prices. Here’s hoping for a soft landing.

Brownie points to anyone who was not on the Yolo County Association of Realtors call last week who can tell where this is:

Small acreage residential (but not Yolo County) image copywrite Joe Lynch

Davis, Woodland, and Arbuckle Market Update for April and a quick discussion of appraiser shortages

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I hope you’ve had your Covid-19 vaccine shots. If not and you’re in California, sign up now here.

Inventory continues to be low in the region with rising prices and competition for most properties. Sales volume is rising as shown below for Davis and Woodland:

Activity is up in Davis from the previous 12 months
Woodland sales volume continues to increase

Inventory has risen in Davis but is still on the low side. Woodland continues to run significantly below normal.

Prices overall are increasing rapidly in Woodland and moderately in Davis. Keep in mind that specific market segments may be trending differently depending upon demand.

Includes only single family homes in Davis city limits sold through Metrolist
Woodland sales reported to Metrolist in city limits of single family homes only

Multiple Offers

Everyone is talking about competing against 15 offers and prices 30% over initial list. Davis and Woodland are competitive, but not that competitive, as shown below.

Mean number of offers received trending up in Davis. Source: Metrolist
Woodland showing a significant increase in offers received

Arbuckle Market Trends

Arbuckle is an unincorporated community of approximately 5,000 people located about 45 minutes northwest of Sacramento along Interstate Highway 5 in Colusa County. It features homes built in the 1940-50s plus newer subdivisions built over the past 20 years and is surrounded by farmland.

Inventory is very low, not that unusual given how small the Arbuckle market is. Sales volume in 2020 was down 10% from 2019, not unusual for the area. Prices have increased significantly over the past 12 months as shown below.

Rapid price increases in Arbuckle during the pandemic per Metrolist

A longer look shows the effect of the pandemic on pricing:

Prices were stable heading into the pandemic but increased as most markets I cover did over the past 12 months
Arbuckle, CA is surrounded by farmland and split by I-5

Of the 37 homes sold in Arbuckle since 1/1/20 in Metrolist, 17 had one offer and 20 had more than one with a peak of 17 offers for one property. Competition has picked up in Arbuckle, following trends throughout the area.

Every day I receive calls and offers from lenders, agents, and buyers hoping I can help them with a purchase appraisal. I’m very fortunate to be busy and can’t finish anything quickly now because of my workload. I strongly suggest everyone to be patient if an appraisal is part of your transaction. This graph below from Freddie Mac will help explain the situation.

Source: The Effect of COVID-19 on Appraisal Volume – Freddie Mac Single-Family

Appraisal volume ties directly to interest rates. When rates fall, mortgage financing rises and drives appraisal volume up. When rates rise, appraisal volume falls. However, as shown above, the number of appraisers in the US who work with lenders has been relatively stable over the past eight years. The interest rate cycle rises and falls much more rapidly than the time it takes to develop a productive appraiser, causing appraiser shortages in times like now.

Good luck.

Davis, Woodland, and Northern Yolo County Small Acreage Residential Market Update for March, 2021

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The pandemic has changed all of our lives in the past year. In local real estate, activity paused in March and April as shelter-in-place orders took effect. The Fed dropped interest rates to zero, pushing mortgage rates to historic lows. Homes became more affordable but inventory (the amount of time to sell the current number of active listings in a market) tightened because people didn’t want strangers walking through their homes during a pandemic. Low rates combined with low inventory has supercharged the local residential market.

Davis and Woodland have very few homes for sale at present with multiple offers received on most listings. The lack of inventory, very low interest rates, and lots of competition are pushing prices up as shown on the graphs below.

Davis has relatively few sales in January and March so take the 26% price increase with a grain of salt-that number is likely influenced by a change in what sold, potentially a compositional effect. I wrote about compositional effects recently.

Woodland prices have increased relatively rapidly during the pandemic on a price per square foot basis but have leveled off on a sale price basis.

Because of seasonality, I look at 12 month change in prices for Davis. Prices have increased the past 5 months compared to the previous year. Davis is a clearly appreciating market at present.

Much of my work is in unincorporated Yolo County appraising small acreage residential properties. The graph below shows a significant upward trend in these types of properties. Once again, part of the increase can be attributed to a compositional effect: the average size of homes and lots have increased, pushing up the sale price trendline somewhat. That said, prices are still increasing in this market.

Inventory was 2.5 months when I compiled this graph at the beginning of the month, shockingly low. I have not seen this market with less than 5 months of inventory in the past 10 years. Buyer preferences have shifted to having more space away from neighbors.

My friend Ryan Lundquist posted an interesting question last week: How much have prices risen since 2012?

This was the bottom of the market for the Sacramento region. Here’s the summary from his post:

If your timing was great, your median home purchased in 2012 for $199,000 has increased $311,000 to $510,000 today!

Early Pandemic Effects on Davis and Woodland, California Residential Real Estate

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Monthly year-over-year change in homes sold, mean sale price, and mean psf for homes sold in Davis, CA

As I type this, the 100,000th person in the US has died from the novel coronavirus 2019. The country has shut down to bend the curve. Shelter in place started in Yolo County on March 19, forcing most people to stay home. Unemployment exploded nationwide, going from 3% to nearly 20% in a month while mortgage forbearance levels jumped to 2008 levels. How has the economic crash affected residential real estate in Davis and Woodland?

Shelter in place stopped in-person interior inspections for buyers and real estate agents while the stock market crash and jump in unemployment shook consumer confidence. However, interest rates dropped into the low 3s, increasing affordability.

Davis monthly sales 2019 to 2020

The graph above shows all single family residences sold in Davis by month for 2019 and 2020. Year-over-year change in January, February, and March was somewhat negative, indicative of a slowing market. April 2020 was lower still and probably represents sales that went into contract before or at the beginning of the shut down. May sales are probably the first period to reflect the post-shut down period. I was so surprised at how few sales in May to date that I ran the search multiple times to make sure I wasn’t making a mistake….

The Davis residential market ground to a halt. Current listing volume is still low but homes in contract is starting to recover (35 in contract in May 2020 to date compared to 41 in 2019). Prices have held up surprisingly well on a year-over-year, price per square foot basis as shown below.

Davis prices have held up surprisingly well

After a period of decline in the fall, prices shifted to stable to slightly increasing. Early days and less reliable than typical because of the sales volume decline.

Woodland, in contrast, was poised for a strong 2020 before the pandemic. Sales volume was up 38% in January and 25% in February from 2019. March sales this year slowed to the 2019 rate and declined steeply in April and May to date.

Woodland sales stated 2020 strong but declined as the pandemic hit

Sales volume declined sooner in Woodland but not as steeply as Davis. Once again, prices in Woodland have been relatively stable overall. Homes currently in contract are low and point to continued sales volume decline in at least the short run.

Woodland prices have been relatively stable in 2020

We’ve seen a significant slowdown in activity that has yet to affect prices significantly. Inventory is slightly higher but not yet affecting prices. Historically low interest rates have certainly helped prop up the market. Buyers and agents have adjusted their protocols to stay healthy while shopping for homes.

I’m concerned at the trickle of sales in Davis. Davis is a really hard place to value properties because of differences in location and the high degree of seasonality from the university. Reduce sales volume significantly and sales comparison is going to be difficult. Here’s hoping my Davis Realtor friends have a busy quarter…..