Davidson Realty, Inc.

Northeast Florida Market Stats | September 2024

November 4, 2024

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Posted by in Northeast Florida Market Trends

“Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.”
— Mother Teresa

 

We all need to spread a little extra love right now with the hurricane damage and the election craziness. It is wonderful to see all the people helping each other.

 

The Northeast Florida Association of Realtors (NEFAR) market review for September shows our home prices continue to be stable. The median sales price for all types of properties in all 6 counties is $349,000 which is down 0.3% from last year and last month. The median price in August was $350,000.

 

There were 2,027 closed sales in September which is down 9.8% from last year and down 15% from last month. Pending sales in September of 1,500 are down 24.8% from last year and 31.7% from last month.

The mortgage interest rate dropped some in mid-September but has increased slightly since. The market is still looking for some stability in rates.

 

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Northeast Florida Market Stats | August 2024

September 30, 2024

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Posted by in Northeast Florida Market Trends

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa

 

We present our Jim Davidson’s Annual Clay Day to you with great love. Our event is October 17th, and you could do a small thing to support six great local charities by purchasing a raffle ticket to one of our four great prizes. We have $1,000 of scratch off lottery tickets, our cooler and cocktail, a $1,000 gift certificate and basket to the Ponte Vedra Spa, and a 12-gauge shotgun. Go to DavidsonCares.com for all the details.

 

We are all wondering what will happen with mortgage interest rates with the Federal Reserve meeting next week. “Predicting mortgage rates is difficult due to the complexity and interplay of various economic factors that influence them. However, in very simple terms, historical data suggests that a 100-basis point rate cut typically leads to an 87-basis point drop in mortgage rates. With the Fed expected to lower its rates by 50 basis points by the end of the year, mortgage rates could fall to around 5.9% by year’s end. Nevertheless, this impact will likely be lessened as mortgage rates have already priced in some of the expected rate cuts. As of now, mortgage rates are already over 100 basis points lower than they were at the end of May 2024.” (National Association of Realtors)

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Northeast Florida Market Stats | March 2024

April 29, 2024

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Posted by in News, Northeast Florida Market Trends

“To be in your children’s memories tomorrow, you have to be in their lives today.” ― Barbara Johnson

 

Wishing all the mothers out there a Happy Mother’s Day!

 

The Northeast Florida Association of Realtors (NEFAR) market review continues to show the median sales price of $360,000 consistent with last month. It was 8.2% higher than last year.

 

There were 2,442 closed sales, which is up 23.5% from last month and down 15.8% from last year. These numbers are affected by the volatile mortgage rates. The average rate on a 30-year mortgage had remained below 7% since early December and began rising in February. According to Freddie Mac, the average rate on a 30-year mortgage rose to 7.1% from 6.88% last week, the highest level since late November. Properties that went under contract in late December, January or early February closed in March.

 

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Best Strategies to Win a Bidding War

June 2, 2022

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Posted by in News, Northeast Florida Market Trends

When buying a home in today’s real estate market, be prepared to pull out every weapon in your arsenal. Most agents are dusting off strategies and techniques they haven’t used since the early 2000s to compete in this competitive seller’s market. “Homes are selling fast and for thousands over list price. Homebuyers need to be ready to move quickly and aggressively when they find a home they love,” shares Davidson Realty President, Sherry Davidson. 

 

Putting together an offer to sellers? Make it strong! With only a month’s worth of inventory up for sale, more and more buyers are making all-cash offers. Cash sales are attractive because the seller has seemingly no risk of financing problems and they save time with the elimination of the underwriting process. 

 

Opt for a shorter inspection period or no inspection. Make an estimate of how much necessary improvements will cost and consider them in your offer. For newer homes, waiving the inspection could be a valid tactic, but the buyer must truly understand and be comfortable with it as it could be extremely risky. 

 

Allowing the seller to rent back the home for a short time is another way to appeal to the seller’s needs. If the seller needs time to find or move into their next home, the buyer can allow the seller to stay for a set period of time and pay rent, usually the mortgage payment, or stay rent-free as the buyer would begin paying the mortgage. Being flexible could be what helps you win a bidding war!

 

Waive the appraisal contingency. The appraisal contingency allows a buyer to get out of a pending sale if the appraised market value of the home is less than the agreed upon contract price. If the contingency is waived, the buyer agrees to pay the difference between what the bank is willing to lend on the appraised value and the contract price. Waiving the appraisal contingency is clearly an attractive strategy, however, the buyer needs to be aware of the risk. 

 

A tool many agents are recommending to buyers to win bidding wars is an escalation or escalator clause which states the buyer will pay a certain amount above the highest bid. This clause makes the offer more attractive because it guarantees it will beat the highest bid. Usually, a limit is set on the clause to avoid the buyer overspending.

 

Footing the bill for closing costs and paying the commission for both sides of the transaction is another way to sweeten the deal for the seller. Additionally, writing a “love” letter could appeal to the emotions of the seller. Trusting your agent to help you select the strategies that work best for your situation is key. 

 

In this real estate market, be ready and act fast! For expert advice on strategies to catch the seller’s attention and put your offer at the top of the list, contact Davidson Realty today at (904) 940-5000. 

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Real Estate Market Update

September 22, 2021

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Posted by in News, Northeast Florida Market Trends

“Fear does not stop death. It stops life. And worrying does not take away tomorrow’s troubles. It takes away today’s peace.” Unknown

It is easy to agree with the truth of this quote, but much harder to live it.

 

The Northeast Florida Association of Realtors market stats for August continue to show rising prices, continued high buyer demand, and low inventories of available homes. The most recent trend we are seeing is double-digit rent increases.

 

“Put simply, August trends suggest rents are making up for lost time. Rents remained low during some of the worst months of the pandemic, growing at a sub-2% pace from September 2020 to March 2021, which is also when for-sale home prices were growing by double-digits,” said Realtor.com Chief Economist Danielle Hale.

 

Many buyers are unable to find a suitable home to purchase and have been forced into the rental market. According to Apartment List, rents in Jacksonville have risen 19.7% since August 2020, and 4.4% since July 2021.

 

There were 3,787 new listings in August, up 5.7% from last August and 6.7% year-to-date. The builders are also adding more homes. Industry sources predict an 11% to 12% increase in housing starts for 2021 or about 1.55 million units. That would be up from 1.38 million housing starts in 2020, which was a 7% increase over 2019. (Business Journal article) Builders are still being delayed by materials like windows and appliances and labor shortages.

 

The good news for buyers is that the frenzy of competitiveness of the spring market has cooled a bit. Some sellers are still pricing their homes very high, but many buyers are no longer willing to pay the prices they were during the spring and the homes are sitting or the sellers are reducing the price. While 41.0% of homes sold over list price, that is down from 44.8% in July.

 

There were 3,424 pending sales down 2.0% from last August, but up 12.4% year-to-date. Closed sales of 3,200 were down 3.1% from last August, but up 15.6% year-to-date.

 

The median sales price of $300,000 is up around 14% month-over-month and year-to-date. The average sales price of $362,699 is up 14.2% month-over-month and 17.7% year-to-date.

 

There are 4,651 homes available for sale which is down 37.2% from last August and we have 1.4 months of supply available. Five to six months is a balanced market.

 

While we are seeing more homes come available, the buyer demand remains very strong. We should continue to see prices increase, multiple offers, and increased rental rates.

 

Please come join us on October 21st for our major fundraiser, Davidson Cares Clay Day. We support Builders Care, St. Augustine Youth Services, and Investing in Kids. Go to DavidsonCares.com and register or buy a raffle ticket for one of our great prizes.

 

We appreciate your support and referrals. Please let us know if we can assist you in any way.

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