Middlesex County NJ Market Commentary - March 2012
Reporting period: February 2012
Source data is from the prof. Middlesex County Multiple Listing System database.
Calculated on Sunday 03/11/2012.
Only includes residential homes within Middlesex County NJ (do not include condos, townhouses, adult commun., commerc. ...).
Please read our Disclaimer.
Active Inventory
The Active Inventory also called current supply or unsold homes as tracked in the Middlesex County Multiple Listing System (MLS).
The Active Inventory as we follow it (Active homes for sale not under contract and not under attorney reviews) in February has slightly increased 3.7 % to 2580 homes for sale in Middlesex County NJ and keeps on following the industry seasonal effect and the local and national current trends. This number is only for residential single family homes in Middlesex County NJ and does not include condos, townhouses, multi dwellings, adult community, commercial real estate, etc…Also it may not include for sale by owners. It does not include either any type of Shadow Inventory. The inventory is 7.9% smaller than last year which is a bit of good news. Two months in a row at about7-8% lower than last year. Typically winter months have a lower inventory due to the seasonal effect and holidays (i.e many home sellers take their homes off the market during this season and wait for the spring market to relist, etc…) and the inventory rising with the spring market.
The shadow inventory is mostly made of foreclosed homes not yet listed on the market and also includes more subtle different types such as the “Accidental Landlords” and the folks who put their plans to move (retirement, etc…) on an indefinite temporary hold.…
The oversupply and the shadow inventory especially in New Jersey are some of the concerns leading some experts to expect a continuity of the down trend in 2011 at worst and at best the beginning of home prices consolidation. In some local markets 2011 and 2012 could turn out to be the “home prices” consolidation years.
We have released the yearly stats including 2011, please see at the bottom of this webpage (Yearly Trending).
Pending Sales
Number of homes under contract, not including homes under Attorney Review. This is a newer statistic we are including in our monthly reports. Until now we always have been focused on Sold Homes data to calculate the average/median home prices, SP/AP, DOM and DOI. However Pending Sales because they are captured 1 to 2 month in average prior the Sold time stamp they do offer a more timely view of the market.
For the month of February we had 257 homes coming under contract (as tracked in the Middlesex County MLS). It represents a significant increase versus December and a small increase versus January. It is also up versus last year significantly (28.5%) which is another piece of good news. There is typically a strong correlation between home prices and number of sales. The last 2 months have shown a surprising increase in pending sales.
Buyers per 100 Sellers
This represents the number of buyers per 100 sellers. It is calculated using the Active Inventory and the Pending Sales. This is also a newer Real Estate statistic we have introduced last year in our monthly Middlesex County market report. As time goes we will be able better compare it. For the reported period (February 2012) we had 10 buyers for every 100 home sellers in Middlesex County, NJ which is also an increase versus the previous year and about same as last month. This is another positive for our local markets.
New Homes Listed
For Middlesex County NJ, the number of new homes listed in February has increased versus new homes listed in January (12.9%) (649 new homes listed in Middlesex County). Year over year it has slightly increased 7.6%. New homes listed keep on adding to the already high supply. This increase in new homes listed is contributing to the increase of the Active Inventory. Unfortunately the current Shadow Inventory in New Jersey is placing a potential and very real threat as well on the current Inventory. Per the Otteau Group, NJ has the second largest Shadow Inventory in the US mostly due to the foreclosures backlog.
Number of Sold Homes
In February, the number of sold homes was 197 and has increased 9.4% versus last year. The monthly number of sold homes remains low and reflects the overall local slower market with very few “willing and able” buyers ready to “pull the trigger”. One thing to remember is that this specific statistic by its nature looks at the sales activities from 2-3 months back. The Pending Sales is a timelier statistic in term of market activity and show an increase in activity with a substantial pick up in Pending Sales (Current Sales) since January.
Median Sold Price and Average Sold price
The average (mean) sold price ($292,645) keeps on decreasing versus last month -4.5%) and year over year the average sold price has decreased -9.3%.
The median sold price ($250,000) follows the same trend and has also decreased versus last month and decreased significantly versus last year (-12.3%). Those numbers reflects the price direction from 2010 to 2011 and the downtrend strength (see our Yearly Trending review below). Do not forget that real estate is hyper local and we are currently seeing specific neighborhoods and zip codes with an average price YTD higher than last year. Only time will tell but it is a possibility that those specific neighborhoods/zip codes will end up with home prices in 2012 being higher than in 2011.
Sold Price / Asking Price (SP/AP) Ratio
SP/AP ratio is 92.59% which is a decrease versus January and decreased versus last year. We can see very clearly the direction of the pressure on home prices. In average, sellers are negotiating and accepting offers at 92.59% of their last asking price. Please note that I mentioned "last asking price" and not "original asking price" which is very different and could take a few price reductions for sellers to get there if pricing is not properly set from the start.
The 92% range is one of the lowest ranges we have witnessed since the beginning of the down trend in 2006/2007.
At the end the Sale of a home should really be considered a business transaction and as such the various business decisions such as pricing be made in a knowledgeable fashion based on current and local data and not emotions.
Days on Market (DOM)
Another real estate statistic is Days on Market or DOM which is flat at 102 days versus last month and decreased versus last year. A word of caution with this indicator as it is NOT a cumulative DOM. Meaning the clock re-starts with any new listing contract for the same home. Thus this statistic does not indicate to home sellers the average time on the market before going under contract. This is a good example of the better value of looking at those statistics, which is more in the trend analysis and local markets comparison than in a specific number at a specific given time.
Days of Inventory (DOI) or Absorption Rate
Days of Inventory (DOI) which is a derived number of the Active Inventory and Sold Homes has consequently increased. At 406 days, it means it would take over 1 year to sell all existing inventory with no additional inventory coming on the market. A market with over 6 months supply would usually qualify as a buyer's market. A market with less than 6 months of supply would usually qualify as a seller's market. DOI does not take into consideration the NJ shadow inventory.
That’s the end of our local market commentary based on Middlesex County NJ real estate statistics. As always, contact me if any questions.
Cathy Chaudemanche Team, Sunday 03/11/2012
P.S.
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Piscataway real estate , Metuchen real estate, North Edison real estate, Fords real estate, Iselin real estate and Woodbridge real estate in greater Middlesex County, New Jersey.
Catherine "Cathy" Chaudemanche Team
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