Half of South Fla. homes sell for a loss
In Port St. Lucie, 68% sold at a loss; statewide, 47% did so; in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach, 48%

 WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Feb. 15, 2010 – Nearly half of South Florida homes sold in December did so at a loss, a 4 percent increase from the previous year and a “disturbing” sign for anyone with a home on the market.

The data, released by analysts at Zillow.com, evaluated sales by region, county and ZIP code – a measure that showed 53 percent of West Palm Beach homes sold at a loss in December, while 68 percent of Port St. Lucie homes were purchased at prices lower than the previous sale.

Statewide, 47 percent of homes sold at a loss in December, nearly equal to the 48 percent in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties combined.

“This shows how deeply home values have fallen in South Florida since the peak of the market,” said Amy Bohutinsky, vice president of communications for Zillow. “It is certainly a disturbing number as far as what is happening to home sellers.”

Ken Johnson, a Florida International University professor and real estate economist, said the statistics don’t surprise him. They reflect how inflated prices had become during the boom, he said.

Also, high foreclosure rates naturally lead to lower sale prices as banks try to unload inventory. More than 500,000 Florida homes received some type of foreclosure notice last year.

“This is the market clearing,” Johnson said about the Zillow study. “It’s bad medicine and we either swallow it a little at a time or a lot at a time. This is a lot.”

Nationally, 28 percent of homes sold for a loss in December.

Zillow’s study also measured negative equity in home loans by region. At the end of December, about 41 percent of South Florida borrowers owed more on their mortgages than what their home was worth. That’s a small improvement over the 46 percent seen in the fall. About 55 percent of Treasure Coast loans were underwater, also lower than the 62 percent from the third quarter of the year.

Bohutinsky attributes the improvement to home values flattening out toward the end of the year.

The Zillow Home Value Index showed South Florida values had decreased less than 1 percent in December from the previous month to $164,400.

But Zillow Chief Economist Stan Humphries called the stabilization a brief respite “from a larger market correction that has not yet run its course.”

“While the next few months are likely to bring further home value declines in most markets, we do expect to see a national bottom in home prices by the middle of the year,” Humphries said. 

2010 The Palm Beach Post, Fla., Kimberly Miller. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

Fla.'s existing home, condo sales up in 4Q 09 Existing sales rose 44% over 4Q 08, marking the 6th consecutive quarter of increases; condo sales up 93%

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 11, 2010 – Sales of existing single-family homes in Florida rose 44 percent in fourth quarter 2009 compared to the same period a year earlier, according to the latest housing statistics from Florida Realtors®. A total of 43,926 existing homes sold statewide in 4Q 2009; during the same period the year before, a total of 30,610 existing homes sold. It marks the sixth consecutive quarter that Florida has seen higher existing year-to-year home sales, according to the state association.

Statewide sales of existing condominiums in the fourth quarter rose 93 percent compared to the same time the previous year. This marks the fifth consecutive quarter for increased statewide sales in both the existing home and condo markets compared to year-ago levels.

To gain insight into current trends in Florida’s real estate industry, the University of Florida’s Bergstrom Center for Real Estate Studies conducts a quarterly survey of industry executives, market research economists, real estate scholars and other experts. The survey noted uncertainty over the tight credit market, foreclosures and the jobs outlook.

On the positive side, private investors – both foreign and domestic – are starting to “kick the tires” in many markets, said Timothy Becker, the center’s director. In addition, investor expectation for returns is starting to fall to more realistic levels, helping to close the spread between bidding and asking prices, he said.

“These developments bode well for the transaction market when quality properties start coming to the marketplace,” Becker added.

Eighteen of Florida’s metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) reported increased sales of existing homes in the fourth quarter compared to the same three-month-period a year earlier, while all of the MSAs showed gains in condo sales.

The statewide existing-home median sales price was $140,000 in the fourth quarter; a year earlier, it was $160,600 for a decrease of 13 percent. According to industry analysts with the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), sales of foreclosures and other distressed properties continue to downwardly distort the median price because they generally sell at a discount relative to traditional homes. The median is a typical market price where half the homes sold for more, half for less.

In the year-to-year quarterly comparison for condo sales, 16,255 units sold statewide for the quarter compared to 8,410 in 4Q 2008 for a 93 percent increase. The statewide existing-condo median sales price was $105,500 for the three-month period; in 4Q 2008, it was $136,600 for a decrease of 23 percent.

Low mortgage rates remain another favorable influence on the housing sector. According to Freddie Mac, the national commitment rate for a 30-year conventional fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.92 percent in 4Q 2009; one year earlier, it averaged 5.86 percent.

NEW YORK – Jan. 29, 2010 – Increasingly aggressive mortgage lenders are seeking to collect deficiencies from former homeowners who walked away from their properties or sold them in short sales.

Many states, including Florida, give mortgage holders as long as five years to seek a deficiency judgment. If granted, the bank gets up to 20 years to collect and the option to renew for another 20 years if the debt isn’t paid.

About one-third of U.S. states, including California and Arizona, prohibit collection efforts after foreclosure, but homeowners usually waive that protection in a refinance.

Most states allow collection on unpaid home-equity loans.

Banks are most likely to try to collect from people who walk away from a property on which they are still making payments.

“The bank is going to pull your credit report, and if you’re current on your other bills, they are going to come after you and potentially ruin you,” said Larry Tolchinsky, a Florida real estate attorney.

Existing sales rose 33% over Dec. ‘08, marking 16 months of increases; condo sales up 91% year-to-year ORLANDO, Fla. – Jan. 25, 2010 – Florida’s existing home sales rose in December, marking 16 months that sales activity has increased in the year-to-year comparison, according to the latest housing data released by Florida Realtors®.

Existing home sales rose 33 percent last month with a total of 14,630 homes sold statewide compared to 11,013 homes sold in December 2008, according to Florida Realtors. Statewide existing home sales last month increased 4.3 percent over statewide sales activity in November.

Florida Realtors also reported a 91 percent increase in statewide sales of existing condos in December compared to the previous year’s sales figure; statewide existing condo sales last month rose 22 percent over the total units sold in November.

Seventeen of Florida’s metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) reported increased existing home sales and higher condo sales in December. A majority of the state’s MSAs have reported increased sales for 18 consecutive months.

Florida’s median sales price for existing homes last month was $140,400; a year ago, it was $155,300 for a 10 percent decrease. Housing industry analysts with the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) note that sales of foreclosures and other distressed properties continue to downwardly distort the median price because they generally sell at a discount relative to traditional homes. The median is the midpoint; half the homes sold for more, half for less.

The national median sales price for existing single-family homes in November 2009 was $171,900, down 4.4 percent from a year earlier, according to NAR. In California, the statewide median resales price was $304,520 in November; in Massachusetts, it was $285,000; in Maryland, it was $245,569; and in New York, it was $210,000.

According to NAR’s latest outlook, home sales are seeing a boost from the federal homebuyer tax credit. “There are many more potential buyers who can enter the market in the months ahead,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “Activity should ramp up for another surge in the spring when buyers take advantage of the expanded tax credit, which hopefully will take us into a self-sustaining market in the second half of 2010. In all, 4.4 million households are expected to claim the tax credit before it expires, and balance should be restored to the housing sector with inventories continuing to decline.”

In Florida’s year-to-year comparison for condos, 5,968 units sold statewide last month compared to 3,132 units in December 2008 for an increase of 91 percent. The statewide existing condo median sales price last month was $107,000; in December 2008 it was $130,300 for an 18 percent decrease. The national median existing condo price was $178,000 in November 2009, according to NAR.

Interest rates for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 4.93 percent last month, significantly lower than the average rate of 5.29 percent in December 2008, according to Freddie Mac. Florida Realtors’ sales figures reflect closings, which typically occur 30 to 90 days after sales contracts are written.

Among the state’s larger markets, the West Palm Beach-Boca Raton MSA reported a total of 849 homes sold in December compared to 638 homes a year earlier for a 33 percent increase. The market’s existing home median sales price last month was $247,900; a year ago it was $246,000 for an increase of 1 percent. A total of 763 condos sold in the MSA in December, up 45 percent over the 527 units sold in December 2008. The existing condo median price last month was $111,400; a year earlier, it was $112,900 for a decrease of 1 percent.

Related: Dec. existing-home sales down, prices rise; 2009 sales up, says NAR