CONNECTING THE DOTS . . .
06.27.21
Housing has been on a roll since last summer when the spring buying season finally emerged. The result is a decimated inventory, sky-high prices and no end in sight. But before coming to a
conclusion, let’s connect the dots.
Existing Homes – Existing home sales decreased for the fourth straight month in May to an annual rate of 5.8 million reflecting a deceptive 44.6% year-over-year increase. The expert believe lack of inventory to be the overwhelming factor for the four-month inertness but there
are other factors at play.
Total housing inventory at the end of May stood at 1.23 million units. While down 20% year-over-year, it’s up 7.0% month-over-month resulting in a slim 2.5-month supply at the current sales pace. Properties typically remained on the market for just 17 days in both April and May, down from 26 days in May 2020, and 89% of the homes sold this May were on the market for less than one month compared to 88% in April suggesting continuing demand.
That said, the Redfin Homebuyer Demand Index indicated a drop of 1% year-over-year the week ending June 20 th , taking it below 2020 levels for the first time in 2021 and bringing it down from
its high point of 18% which was achieved during the week of March 28 th . Further, the Mortgage Bankers Association Home Purchase Index declined 11% since March 24 th and pending home sales were reportedly down 10% from the 2021 peak (May 30 th .)
The real culprit appears to be price. The median existing home price for all housing types in May was $350,300, up 2.5% month-over-month and 23.6% year-over-year. By the week ending June 20 th , Redfin reports that the median home sale price reached a record level of $361,750.
The most active price range in the month of May was $250,000 to $500,000 accounting for 42% of existing home sales, up 47.9% year-over-year. The most popular price range was followed by $100,000 to $250,000 accounting for 26% of sales, down 1.7% from a year prior, reflecting the continuous constraint of inventory in this price range. For perspective, the $500,000 to $750,000 price range exhibited a 121.7% y/y increase; the $750,000 to $1.0 million range exhibited a 178% increase and the $1.0M+ category increased a whopping 244.5% year-over-year in May.
According to ATTOM’s Q2 Home Affordability Report, the trend toward declining affordability continues to gain traction with median home prices less affordable than historical averages in three of five U.S. counties as home prices outpace wage growth. This has resulted in ownership costs consuming 25.2% of the average national wage $63,986) in Q2, up from 22.7% in Q1 2021 and representing the highest ratio since Q3 2008.
While location plays a role in the degree of home value-to-income disparity, the trend is nationwide. On a regional basis, year-over-year price increases ranged from 17.1% in the Northeast, to 18.1% in the Midwest, to 22.6% in the South and 24.3% in the West, which, counter-
intuitively, also saw a 61.6% increase in the number of existing home sales, the highest of all regions for which the average rate of sales growth was 45.7%.
In the Seattle metro area, an astounding 580 homes have sold for $300,000 or more above their asking prices so far in 2021. According to Redfin, 4,078 homes in Seattle have sold for $100,000 to $299,999 above asking price and more than 6,300 have sold for $25,000 to $99,999 above asking price. The median home sales price in Seattle rose 26.1% year-over-year to a record $737,800 in May and more than 74% of Redfin offers faced a bidding war while the typical home sold in just five days.
New Homes – Sales of new single-family houses in May 2021 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 769,000, 5.9% below the revised April rate but 9.2% higher year-over-year. Home sales increased in two of the four regions, growing 33% in the Northeast and 6.7% in the West. New
home sales were flat in the Midwest and down 14.5% in the South.
The seasonally adjusted estimate of new houses for sale at the end of May was 330,000 representing a 5.1-month supply at the current sales pace. Based on past performance, as we approach the 6.0-month supply mark, expect builders to slow the pace of construction even further.
The median sales price of new houses sold in May 2021 was $374,400 reflecting an 18% year-over-year increase. The average price exhibited a similar growth characteristic (+17%) at $430,700. The most active price range for new home sales was $300,000 to $399,999. In May, just one in
four new homes for sale (25%) were priced under $300,000. This compares to 44% in May 2020. While building material costs continue to shoulder the blame, lumber prices have come down in recent weeks.
So let’s connect the aforementioned dots:
Low inventory = Higher prices
Higher prices = Lower demand
Less Demand = Slower building
Slower building = Lower inventory
Lower inventory = Higher prices
Looks like a circular firing squad. Stay tuned . . .