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Snapshot Of Coastal San Diego’s Luxury Real Estate Markets | Rancho Santa Fe, Del Mar, Coronado, and La Jolla.

While there has been a surge in recent luxury home sales, we have noticed some trends that have become apparent in today’s market, effecting both pricing and sales. Rather than provide puffery, let’s look at some concrete data from the current marketplace provided by Altos Research LLC. Surprisingly, the results have been better than expected; however we need to keep a close eye in the coming months for a more grounded and substantive sample.

For Sellers: The coming months are going to be the best opportunity to sell with low interest rates and the seasonally active marketplace.  Unfortunately, there are many more luxury homes for sale than qualified buyers, which will leave much inventory unsold or stagnant. In looking at pending homes sold in Rancho Santa Fe, Del Mar, Coronado, and La Jolla, most have been priced very aggressively or have had a substantial price reduction prior to the pending date due to softness in the luxury market. Selling an estate in this current market takes aggressive pricing, superior marketing, and a value substantive presentation. This is what buyers are looking for and they are definitely out there to be had. First and foremost, inventory is on the climb throughout San Diego. All markets have shown an uptrend in inventory with data going back to 2007.

Median Asking Prices: Rancho Santa Fe has shown the largest downward trend in median asking price, while the other markets have shown to be a bit more stable. Upon analyzing the recent sales in Rancho Santa Fe it has become apparent many low-priced bank owned or distressed sales have created softness in this upper-tier market.

The Good News: The average days on the market is actually trending downward, showing a surge in demand, however the average amount of days on the market remains slightly above 200 days, a trend indicating active buyers are being selective and cautious.

The Indicators: A good snapshot is how many listing prices are being reduced.  This would signify a weakness in the market with Sellers pricing downward in hopes of a quicker sales. There has been a downward trend in listing price reductions however.

The market active index is still very much a “Buyer’s Market”, all registering below a scale of 15.

For Those Looking To Sell: June, July, and August will be the best opportunity for Sellers as the market cools towards the end of the year and interest rates are likely to increase.  It’s going to be a long crawl back to a more normalized market and REO (Bank Owned) sales will continue to be the benchmark for market value.

Anderson+Boatcher, a strategic partnership under Willis Allen Real Estate, specializes in the Coastal San Diego luxury real estate market. To stay up to date on the Coastal San Diego luxury real estate market and to view the most comprehensive source of real estate opportunities, visit www.anderson-boatcher.com

If you are considering purchasing or selling a home, condo or any other type of real estate, you will most likely need the services of a real estate appraiser. An appraiser performs an assessment of properties and other types of real estate to help establish its value. While there are several methods appraisers use to establish the value of real estate (e.g. cost method, income method, and comparison method), for residential properties, the comparison method (also known as market value) is the most common approach. The appraiser’s job is to provide an opinion about the value of a property based on its “highest and best use.” If you are financing the purchase of a property, your lender will normally require an appraisal to make sure that the property is really worth the amount loaned.

The real estate appraiser is tasked with carrying out a completely objective assessment of a property and will normally provide a written evaluation report. This is accomplished by a physical inspection of the property, as well as a comparison to other similar properties for which the value is already established. To make a determination about value, the appraiser gathers details such as the size of a property, size of the lot, location, condition, best use of the property, amenities, etc.

After this initial inspection, the appraiser may scout the neighborhood to compare the property with other similar properties in the neighborhood by age, size, price range, etc. The appraiser then gathers additional data from several sources such as the local Multiple Listing Services (MLS), which provides information on current and recent comparable sales. The appraiser also gathers information from his/her own past experience in the local market. All of these sources of information are taken into consideration while writing the appraisal report, which will provide an estimate about the value of a property.

There are many reasons to use the services of a qualified appraiser. When purchasing real estate, an appraisal provides you with a negotiating tool and helps ensure that the price you are paying is appropriate. If you are selling your property, the appraisal will help you determine an appropriate price range. Besides real estate and mortgage transactions, you may need to order an appraisal to lower the tax burden (assuming the value is really lower than the value established by taxing authorities), to establish the replacement cost of insurance, to settle an estate, etc. An appraiser only gives an estimate of the value of the property. A real estate appraiser is not to be confused with a home inspector.

If you are considering buying or selling a home, condo or any other type of real estate, you can use the services of a qualified real estate appraiser who will provide an estimate of the fair market value of your property.