Home Prices and Sales - St Louis Real Estate News

Will Paying A Higher Commission Rate Get Your Home Sold Faster?

By Dennis Norman, on July 23rd, 2014

During the 30+ years I have been in the real estate business I have debated this topic with my peers more times than I can possibly count and, it’s safe to say, rarely did we reach a consensus. The topic of commissions is a very sensitive one in this industry and there are strong opinions on both sides of the fence as to whether offering a higher commission rate to the selling agent will in fact get a home sold faster.

Before I go further I should pause and give some quick background info on real estate commissions and how Continue Reading →

St Louis Home Sales and Prices Increase From Year Ago

By Dennis Norman, on July 22nd, 2014

St Louis Home Sales as well as St Louis home prices have increased in the past year 3,179 homes sold in June 2014 in the St Louis core market (St Louis city and the counties of St Louis, St Charles, Jefferson and Franklin) an increase of 3 percent from June 2013 when there were 3,086 homes sold. During this same period, St Louis home prices increased 5.81 percent from a median price of $155,000 in June 2013 to a median price of $164,000 in June 2014, according to the latest data available from MORE, REALTORS.

As Continue Reading →

The Importance Of Pricing Your Home Right From The Start

By Dennis Norman, on July 21st, 2014

While the St Louis real estate market is recovering from the aftermath of the housing bubble hurst, the market is still very price sensitive and therefore I cannot over emphasize the importance of pricing your home right from the outset at the beginning of the listing.

However, many sellers fear this strategy as they think no matter what price they list at the buyer will still offer less than the asking price. I will address this issue by saying that is simply not true. Buyers today, in my humble opinion, are more educated and savvy than homes buyers were during Continue Reading →

Ten Best Buyers Markets In St Louis

By Dennis Norman, on July 14th, 2014

The St Louis housing market continues to improve however, as I always say, real estate is very local so markets vary widely from city to city and neighborhood to neighborhood. Not that long ago, most of the neighborhoods in St Louis were buyers markets, according to our Market Action Index however, over the past year or so, many have moved into seller’s market territory. This doesn’t mean there aren’t any buyers markets left however, and in the table below I bring you the Ten Best Buyers Markets In St Louis based upon our Market Action Index.

Search ALL St Louis Continue Reading →

St Louis Home Prices and Sales Market Update VIDEO-July 2014

By Dennis Norman, on July 10th, 2014

More than 15 neighborhoods in the St Louis area are HOT SELLERS MARKETS while more than 15 are HOT MARKETS FOR BUYERS. If you are a home buyer, seller or investor, wouldn’t it be good to know where these areas are? Or, if you are a homeowner that has considered selling your home, wouldn’t it be good to know if your neighborhood is currently a sellers market? Well, you can find out all of this and much more with just a 5 minute investment of your time by checking out our July 2014 5-Minute Market Update Video below.

Many areas Continue Reading →

Consumer Confidence In Housing Market Increasing But Normal Housing Market Still In The Distance

By Dennis Norman, on July 8th, 2014

Consumers continue to gain confidence in the housing market but not enough to return us to a “normal” housing market, according to the June 2014 Fannie Mae National Housing Survey. In the survey consumers are asked, among other things, what their expectations are with regard to home prices and, while the expectation is for home values to increase 2.4% in the next 12 months, this is slightly lower than indicated in the previous few months. When asked about the expectation with regard to mortgage interested rates, 55% of the consumers think interest rates will rise in the next year, this Continue Reading →

The Best Place In St Louis To Buy Rental Property

By Dennis Norman, on July 3rd, 2014

I’ll begin with a disclaimer. I realize this is a VERY subjective topic and there are about a hundred different criteria one may use to determine the best area to invest in rental property however, having said that, I attempted to do a broad brush analysis from 30,000 feet. I decided to look at which area, in general, offers the best return on investment when it comes to rental property. For the sake of my analysis, I looked at single family homes as rental properties since they are the most common investment by individual investors.

To determine the best rate Continue Reading →

Pending Home Sales Rise In May But Lagging Behind Last Year

By Dennis Norman, on June 30th, 2014

Pending homes sales increased in May, up 6.1 percent from April, however was still 5.2 percent below the period a year ago, according to the report just released today from the National Association of REALTORS (NAR).

Lawrence Yun, the chief economist for NAR, said he expects home sales to continue improving throughout the balance of the year however still expects 2014 to see fewer home sales than 2013 due to the “ sluggish first quarter”.

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New Home Sales In Midwest Up Almost 6 Percent In May From Last Year

By Dennis Norman, on June 26th, 2014

New home sales in the midwest region during May 2014 increased 5.7 percent from a year ago, according to the latest information from the U.S. Census Bureau. New homes sales in the midwest region of the U.S. were at a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 74,000 homes during May. New home sales for the month before, April 2014, were adjusted downward to an annual rate of 73,000 homes after first being reported at a rate of 84,000 homes.

The midwest region had the smallest month over month, as well as year-over-year, increase in new home sales of the four U.S. regions Continue Reading →

St Louis Foreclosures and Short Sales Fall By Over 25 Percent

By Dennis Norman, on June 24th, 2014

St Louis Foreclosures, and short sales, in May 2014 accounted for just 8.5% of all home sales in the St Louis core market (city of St Louis and the counties of St Louis, St Charles, Jefferson and Franklin), according to data released just this morning from RealtyTrac. This is a decline of 26.7% from May 2013 when foreclosures and short sales in St Louis accounted for 11.6% of all home sales.

Search St Louis Foreclosures For Sale

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St Louis Lofts Making Comeback

By Dennis Norman, on June 24th, 2014

St Louis Lofts are making a comeback both in popularity and price, according to the latest data available from Mid America Regional Information Systems (MARIS), the St Louis REALTOR® MLS. As the charts below show, loft sales in St Louis peaked in 2006 (when all real estate peaked) with sales of lofts hitting 218 for the year and the median price of lofts sold that year coming in at a record $215,700. After 2006 however, sales fell year after year finally hitting a low in 2010 when only 67 lofts were sold, a decline of almost 70% from the peak. Continue Reading →

Sunset Hills Most Expensive Homes for Sale (Slideshow)

By Dennis Norman, on June 23rd, 2014

Sunset Hills is certainly gaining in popularity as more people discover just how convenient the location is to many areas of St. Louis. Sunset Hills has easy access to both Interstate 270 as well as Interstate 44 making almost any St Louis destination a short trip. We opened an office in Sunset Hills last year that I have been working out of a lot, and since working from there I have myself discover the convenience of being located at 270 and 44.

Sunset Hills real estate consists of a variety of architectural styles and settings with something for almost everyone. Continue Reading →

St Louis Home Prices Increased Four Percent In Past Year on Fewer Sales

By Dennis Norman, on June 23rd, 2014

St Louis Home Prices rose 4 percent from May 2013’s median sales price of $150,000 to May 2014’s median price of $156,000 for the 5-county core St Louis housing market which consists of the City of St Louis and the counties of St Louis, St Charles, Jefferson and Franklin, according to the latest data released by MORE, REALTORS. As the table below shows, the city of St Louis saw the biggest gain in median home prices with the median sales price increasing over 27% from May 2013 to May 2014.

St Louis Home Sales are still Continue Reading →

The St Louis Luxury Home Market

By Dennis Norman, on June 20th, 2014

The St Louis Luxury Home Market is concentrated within the central corridor of the St Louis area with the highest median home prices (of homes listed) currently being found in Frontenac, with a median price of $1,326,654, followed by Ladue, Town and Country, Clayton and Creve Coeur.

Like the rest of the St Louis real estate market, The St Louis Luxury Home Market suffered when the housing bubble burst a few years ago but is it on the road to recovery like the bulk of the St Louis housing market? To address this, I looked at the market from several Continue Reading →

Mortgage Default Rates Fall Almost 30 Percent From Year Ago

By Dennis Norman, on June 17th, 2014

Mortgage default rates, as tracked by the S&P/Experian Consumer Credit Default Indices, on first mortgages were at .92 in May 2014, down from 1.01 the month before and down almost 30% (29.7%) from May 2013 when the first mortgage default rate index was at 1.31. The default rate index on second mortgages is improving as well with the index for May 2014 at .57, down from .63 in April and from .60 in May 2013, according to the report.

This is good news for the housing market and consistent with the trend we have seen lately of lower delinquencies and Continue Reading →

St Louis Inventory of Homes For Sale Drying Up In Many Areas

By Dennis Norman, on June 13th, 2014

The inventory of homes for sale in several St Louis neighborhoods is down to the lowest level we have seen in years. It would be great if that was the result of skyrocketing home sales however, it’s really a combination of home sales and a lack of sellers. While there are many different reasons people are not choosing to sell right now, I believe it is a lack of equity that is holding back many homeowners from selling, particularly in the lower price ranges. Last month I did an article about the fact that 40 percent of St Louis homeowners Continue Reading →

St Louis Home Prices and Sales Market Update VIDEO-June 2014

By Dennis Norman, on June 12th, 2014

St Louis home prices have, in some areas, recovered to around 95% of home prices during the peak of the housing bubble. Get the specifics on this as well as much more in our June 2014 5-Minute Market Update Video below.

Many areas of St Louis have become sellers markets due to increasing demand and lack of inventory. If you have considered selling, or perhaps tried and failed in the past year or so, now is the time to consider it again. Give us a call and we’ll be happy to let you know the value of your home in Continue Reading →

New Home Construction Needs to Increase to Match Job Growth According to REALTORS®

By Dennis Norman, on June 10th, 2014

New home construction is not keeping up with demand in most of the U.S. and could even lead to “persistent housing shortages and affordability issues unless housing starts increase to match up with local job creation”, according to a newly released analysis by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR).

Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist, discussed in the report the relationship between new jobs and increased demand for housing saying “Historically, there’s one new home construction for every one-and-a-half new jobs,”. Yun goes on to say “Our analysis found that a majority of states are constructing too few homes in relation Continue Reading →

Almost Half Of Consumers Surveyed Think Home Prices Will Rise In Next Year

By Dennis Norman, on June 9th, 2014

Forty-eight percent of Americans surveyed feel home prices will increase in the next twelve months and only 7 percent think home prices will decline, accordion to Fannie Mae’s May 2014 National Housing Survey which was just released. As for the economy, consumers weren’t so optimistic as, according to the report, 57% of those surveyed feel the economy is headed the wrong direction.

Other highlights from the Fannie Mae National Housing Survey for May 2014:

Continue Reading →

St Louis Home Prices Close to Recovering Lost Ground After Peak

By Dennis Norman, on June 5th, 2014

St Louis Home Prices are close to regaining what was lost after home prices peaked during the boom and then crashed and burned, according to the latest data from MORE, REALTORS. As the table below shows, home prices in the three major St Louis counties (St Louis, St Charles and the city of St Louis) have recovered to about 95% of what they peaked at during the boom. The outlying counties of Jefferson and Franklin have been slower to recover.

Find your home’s market value online in LESS THAN A MINUTE!

(We work hard on this and Continue Reading →

St Louis Home Prices Have Risen and Fallen In Past Year – Varies By Zip

By Dennis Norman, on June 2nd, 2014

St. Louis home prices have risen in the past year for the metropolitan area as a whole somewhere around 8 percent, according to Clear Capital’s home price index. As the chart below shows though, St Louis home prices over the past year have performed quite differently in different zip codes. As the chart shows, the highest performing zip codes in the St Louis area saw home prices increase about 20% in the past year while the lowest performing zip codes saw prices fall by a couple of percent in the last year.

(We work hard on this and sure would Continue Reading →

Distressed Home Sales in St Louis Metro Area Fall Almost 30 Percent From A Year Ago

By Dennis Norman, on May 29th, 2014

Distressed home sales in St Louis accounted for just under eleven percent (10.7%) of all home sales in the St Louis MSA in April 2014, according to data released just this morning from RealtyTrac. This is a decline of 29.1% from April 2013 when distressed home sales in St Louis were responsible for 15.1% of all home sales. Distressed home sales include short-sales (when sellers sell for less than they owe with the agreement of their lender), REO’s (bank-owned real estate acquired through foreclosure and now being resold) and foreclosure auction sales (when homes are actually sold at foreclosure).

Since Continue Reading →

St Louis Area Home Prices Rose Just Over 2 Percent in Past Year

By Dennis Norman, on May 27th, 2014

St. Louis area home prices (the five county “core” market consisting of St Louis city and the counties of St Louis, St Charles, Franklin and Jefferson) increased 2.2% from April 2013 to April 2014. The median home sales price in April 2013 for the 5 county core St Louis housing market was $139,900 and in April 2014 the median sales price was $143,000.

When we drill down to the county level, as the table below shows, the city of St Louis fared the best in the past year with the median sales price of homes increasing 32.62% and Franklin County Continue Reading →

New Home Sales In the Midwest Up 35 Percent From Year Ago

By Dennis Norman, on May 26th, 2014

New home sales in the midwest in April increased 35.5 percent from a year ago, according to the latest information from the U.S. Census Bureau. New homes sales in the midwest region of the U.S. were at a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 84,000 homes, an increase of 47.4% from March’s rate of 57,000 homes.

The midwest region had the largest increase in new home sales in April from the month before and was the only region in the U.S. that had an increase in home sales in April 2014 from April 2013.

See St Louis New Continue Reading →

St Louis Home Sales Lagging Behind Last Year

By Dennis Norman, on May 22nd, 2014

St Louis Home Sales this year continue to be at a slower pace than last year with a total of 7,946 homes sold through the end of April, a decline of 11.5% from the same period last year when there were 8,978 homes sold in the St Louis core market (city of St Louis and the counties of St Louis, St Charles, Jefferson and Franklin). During April 2014, there were 22,457 homes sold in the St Louis core market, a decline of 9% from a year ago when there were 2,710 homes sold.

St Louis Home Continue Reading →

St Louis Home Prices and Sales Market Update VIDEO-May 2014

By Dennis Norman, on May 21st, 2014

The St Louis real estate market continues to show signs of improvement with lack of inventory begin the biggest problem in many markets. If you have considered selling, or perhaps tried and failed in the past year or so, now is the time to consider it again. Give us a call and we’ll be happy to let you know the value of your home in today’s market or, try our new online home valuation site and find your homes value in under a minute – go to StLouisHousePrices.com and find your home’s value now! Get complete information on the market Continue Reading →

St Louis Home Sales in 2014 Lagging Behind Last Year

By Dennis Norman, on April 25th, 2014

St Louis Home Sales are off to a slower start in 2014 than they were last year with a total of 5,467 homes sold during the first quarter of 2014 in the St Louis core market (city of St Louis and the counties of St Louis, St Charles, Jefferson and Franklin), a decline of 12.8% from last year when there were 6,268 homes sold during the same period. For March 2014, there were 2,194 homes sold in the St Louis core market, a decline of 19% from last March when there were 2,709 homes sold.

Continue Reading →

St Louis Distressed Home Sales Down From a Year Ago

By Dennis Norman, on April 24th, 2014

St Louis distressed home sales declined during the first quarter of this year with distressed home sales (foreclosures, REO’s and short sales) in the 5-county core St Louis market (city of St Louis and counties of St Louis, St Charles, Jefferson and Franklin) accounting for 15.0% of all home sales, This is down 18.5% from the first quarter of 2013 when St Louis distressed home sales accounted for 18.4% of all home sales, according to newly released data from RealtyTrac. As the table below shows, all the counties that make up the core of the St Louis real estate market Continue Reading →

New Home Sales Slide In March

By Dennis Norman, on April 23rd, 2014

New home sales here in the midwest slid over percent (21.5) in March from the month before making the midwest the region of the US with the biggest decline in new home sales from February with the west being next with a decline of 16.7 percent. This is on the heels of a 36.7% increase in home sales in February from the month before. Nationally, new home sales in March 2014 were down 14.5 percent from the month before, according to a report just released today by the U.S. Census Bureau. On a year-over-year basis, new home sales in the Continue Reading →

Where in St Louis can home buyers find a good deal?

By Dennis Norman, on April 16th, 2014

Everyone loves a deal! When it comes to buying a house, over the past few years there have been many “deals” out there as a result of the housing market meltdown. However, now that the worst of it is over, and many markets have already started recovering, the question for many are “where in St Louis can home buyers find a good deal?“. This is not easy to answer and what is a “good deal” for a home buyer looking for a place to call home for the foreseeable future is not necessarily going to be viewed in the same Continue Reading →