Real Estate Statistics - December 14, 2009 update:
Bank-Owned Active Listings: There are 4,998 active bank-owned foreclosure listings in all of the Phoenix metro area, an increase of 274 over the past 2 weeks as buyers slow down for the holidays. There has been less than a one-month’s supply of foreclosure listings in the Phoenix metro area for the past 5 months. Bank-owned properties only account for almost 15% of all active listings.
Pending sales (properties currently under contract): Currently, there are 10,967 pending sales in the Phoenix metro area plus an additional 6,317 contingency sales (shaky contracts). The total number of properties under contract today is 17,284. This number has remained fairly steady for the past 3 months but is dropping slightly due to the holiday season.
More and more buyers are lured into making offers on short sale listings. Currently 9,592 properties under contract are short sale listings, or 55.5% of the total market in the Phoenix area. Because banks take 3-4 months to make a decision on short sale contracts, the properties under contract just hang in virtual suspension. Over 25% of all active listings are short sale properties.
Only 23% of all properties under contract are “normal” sales (non-short sale, non-bank owned).
Inventory: There are currently 33,970 active listings in MLS as of December 14, 2009, up 302 in the past 2 weeks as buyers slow down for the holiday. Inventory usually declines during the holiday season. The increase came from foreclosure properties; are investors on vacation? We are still in a seller’s market in the under-$250,000 price range.
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Let’s look at Phoenix, Arizona specifically.
For the city of Phoenix only, as of December 14, 2009. Numbers are based on the orange 90-day lines. However, check out the black lines (7-day trends). The Phoenix real estate market has shifted to a seller’s market.
Median sales price for Phoenix properties: $178,070 (down $1,147 in the past 2 weeks). It is an odd occurrence. The 7-day trend does not look good (sharp decline).

Inventory of properties for sale in Phoenix: 5,756, down 39 in the past 2 weeks. Phoenix is seeing a decrease while the rest of the metro area has an increase in inventory. See how the market supply has shrunk this year. Amazing.

Median price per square foot for Phoenix properties: $97/sqft, no change in the past 3 weeks.
Tags: Real Estate Statistics · Real Estate News
December 13th, 2009 · 9 Comments
What little kid wouldn’t love to have a fun bed like this?
Tags: Bedroom · Faux Paint & Murals · Other US Cities
December 13th, 2009 · 6 Comments
Houston, Texas home for sale. Live-in maid included although she’s a little slow to clear off the kitchen counters.

The fireplace makes quite an impression at this Texas home. What kind of impression is another story.

Georgetown, Texas home with homemade kitchen storage & tables.
Tags: Staging · Kitchen · Clutter · Fireplace · Other US Cities · People In Photos
December 13th, 2009 · 3 Comments
This Philadelphia home is perfect. Pretty wallpaper. Modern light fixture. Cozy fireplace. What’s not to love?
Tags: Fireplace · Wallpaper · Fixer-Upper · Other US Cities
December 13th, 2009 · 1 Comment
This is the main photo used to promote the sale of a Fresno, California home. Guess the sellers didn’t want buyers to see what the front looks like. The sellers are hoe-ping a buyer will pay full price so they can rake in a lot of money.

This Fresno, California home features a checkered flag sheet in the window.
Tags: Window Coverings · Other US Cities
December 13th, 2009 · 5 Comments
Someone was busy painting all those colors on their front wall at this Bisbee, Arizona home.
Tags: Curb Appeal · Paint · Other Arizona Cities · Fence or Wall
December 12th, 2009 · 1 Comment
This Phoenix home was listed in March 2009 with the Christmas tree still up. It finally sold 8 months later in late November 2009. Wonder if the band equipment and Christmas tree kept buyers away. I’ll bet the neighbors were glad when they moved.
Tags: Staging · Phoenix Homes · Holiday Décor
December 12th, 2009 · 5 Comments
Turquoise, teal, aquamarine, and pink! Celebrating the 1980s in 2009. Totally awesome!
Tags: Fireplace · Phoenix Homes
December 12th, 2009 · 4 Comments
The ghosts of Poltergeist flung open the cabinet doors in this kitchen. And the oven door too! Would it hurt the gentleman on the right to close everything up first?
Tags: Staging · Kitchen · Phoenix Homes · Cabinets · People In Photos
December 12th, 2009 · 6 Comments
Looks like the seller dipped her/his forearm in paint and pressed it on the walls.

I visited this home and can tell you this: it’s not just smeared paint. It’s smeared plaster as well. Someone sloppy-troweled plaster on the walls and then went over it with paint. Looks terrible in person. Would be a nightmare to remove/sand down/etc.

Here she used a Nerf ball or a four-square rubber ball. The floors are indeed laminate flooring. Too bad the paint ruins the overall impression.
Tags: Bedroom · Phoenix Homes · Faux Paint & Murals