Steady as you go

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I am pleased to share updated statistics about the Santa Fe residential real estate market in this autumn season of 2018. You will find several spreadsheets and reports available for viewing (and printing) on the left side of each of the blog pages you wish to view.

Please note the consistency of finding out that the Third Quarter 2018 sales matched the same Quarter from 2017. When I crunched the numbers I was amazed that we had exactly as many sales this year (over the last 3 months) as we did last year. But do take a look at the 3rd Quarter report because it clearly illustrates how short of inventory we are in the under $300,000 range. Actually I would say we are short of inventory of homes priced at $500,000 and below, but the lowest range really hits home showing a decline in sales below $300,000 year over year.

A prediction that might not be too bold is that if we had triple the inventory in that lowest price range, the sales of those units would have at least doubled. But it is what it is and for many years people living in Northern New Mexico have often had to settle for a manufactured or mobile home that they can afford. The average sales price over the last year is over $485K while the median sales price is $365K.

While the Third Quarter last year and this year are identical in total sales of units, sales in the middle and upper price ranges made up for the decrease (due to lack of product available) in the lower ranges. I think it is safe to say that total sales for the Quarter just completed would have been over 700 units if there was more to choose from.

Annual precipitation is yet again below the average for this date this year. The last chart I saw showed we had rec’d just under 7 inches so far this year while the historical average is over 1 inches. So when is this drought going to break? Or is this the new normal and we are now getting what we can expect to be the average for the near term future. How fortunate to be far away from the hurricanes and tornadoes that ravage our lands and people. We only have drought and a very rare case of the plague (sounds medieval) and hantavirus. And having spend some time in the Southeastern USA recently, we are fortunate not to have mosquitoes in thick swarms here.

You have to give credit to the typical Santafesino for being so frugal and careful with water use. Almost nobody has a visible blue grass yard (though I have seen some back yards with the water hungry grasses). I would hate to be selling lawn mowers and leaf rakes here.

Get your costume early so you can practice eating the Halloween candy that you will be collecting soon. It’s not my fave holiday so I will probably be sitting in the dark at home not answering the door.

Thanks for visiting my site. Its a bit of a labor of love for me so I always appreciate anyone that gets use out of it. Let me know anytime you want to say thanks. (insert big smiley face here)

Posted in Home Values, Santa Fe area real estate, Statistical Data - Santa Fe real estate market and tagged , , , , .

The writer is a 68 year-old young man engaged as an active REALTOR (associate broker) with Keller Williams, in real estate sales and management in the Santa Fe NM market area. My career has been in and around the real estate industry for more than 35 years, ranging from mortgage lending (interim, commercial, residential); residential property management and leasing; shopping center development and leasing; real estate sales; sales training; title insurance as an executive and an escrow officer; various management positions; consulting and other related activities. That plus a bunch of banking experience including our family-owned Bank of Santa Fe in the 1980s. Where has the time gone?
My background means you have my working knowledge of the entire transaction process at your disposal. That comes with honesty and no bullshit.