A service of Scott P. Rogers, Associate Broker, Funkhouser Real Estate Group 540.578.0102 | scott@HarrisonburgHousingToday.com
July 2019 Harrisonburg & Rockingham County Real Estate Market Report
July 10, 2019
Despite June 2019 being an extremely active month of home sales compared to most other months this year, sales were slower in June (136) than in any of the three previous months of June. This caused the mid-year number of home sales (625) to be 4.43% lower than during the first half of last year. Despite slower home sales, the median price keeps on climbing. The median sales price in the first half of 2019 was $219,900 - just over 2% higher than last year’s $215,315. Furthermore, homes keep selling more quickly than before with a median “days on market” of 21 days in the first six months of this year as compared to 22 days last year.
The green charts above shows trends in detached home sales -- as compared to the orange charts which show attached home sales, comprised of duplexes, townhouses and condominiums. Over the past year, the pace of detached home sales has declined slightly (-0.86%) while the pace of attached home sales has fallen slightly more (-3.31%). The median sales price of detached homes has actually declined about 1% over the past year as compared to the 4% increase in the median sales price of attached homes.
It continues to hold true that each year almost twice as many homes sell in Rockingham County as compared to the City of Harrisonburg. Over the past 12 months, that trend continued - though we have seen a 3% drop in the pace of City home sales and only a 1% drop in the pace of County sales. The median sales price fell about 3% in the City over the past year while it increased 3% in the County. The median sales price continues to be a good bit higher in the County ($225,000) than in the City ($185,000). The lower City median sales price is likely a result of the majority of our area’s townhouses, duplexes and condos being located in the City.
Perhaps it was inevitable - there was NO way we’d see as many home sales this June as compared to the unbelievably strong month of home sales last June. In fact - the total number of home sales this June (136) ended up being the lowest number of sales in a June anytime in the past four years. I suppose it was good that May home sales were the highest of any of the past four years. Now, we wait for July and August - to see whether we will experience another uptick or if home sales will remain cooler in these later summer months.
This colorful graph offers another way to look at the overall sales trends for the past few years in the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County housing market. As shown above, our local housing market experienced small incremental growth between 2013 and 2015 before seeing a sharp uptick in home sales in 2016. Home sales then remained steadily above 1,250 sales per year between 2016 and 2018. Thus far, we are tracking true to the past three years and we seem likely to see another year with over 1,200 home sales, depending on how these next few late summer months progress.
This graph shows a rolling 12 month trend line of the number of homes sold in the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County area, as well as the median price of the homes that sold during these time frames. Each data point shows one year’s worth of home sales, which eliminates the volatility of evaluating sales figures on a monthly basis. The annual pace of home sales peaked in May 2017 at 1,340 home sales, then declined for a year and has been fluctuating around 1300 sales/year over the past 12 months -- but the median sales price has continued to (mostly) steadily increase over the past three years.
This graph provides an overall indicator of the state of our housing market, showing both the number of homes being sold each year since 2003 (yellow bars) as well as changes in the median sales price during the same time period (blue line). After six years in a row (2011-2016) of an increasing pace of home sales, we then saw a 4% decline in the pace of home sales in 2017. This trend reversed itself in 2018 with a 3% increase in the pace of sales. We have now also completed our seventh year in a row of seeing an increase in the median sales price in our area. The median sales price of all residential sales was $211,750 in 2018 -- up 7% from last year.
The single family home market in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County improved significantly between 2015 and 2016 with a 20% increase in the number of homes sold but then took a step backwards in 2017 with a 9% decline. In 2018, sales started charging forward again with a 6% increase in the pace of sales. Median sales prices of single family homes has increased for each of the past four years -- though the pace of those increases slowed in 2018 to only 2%. The median sales price of single family homes last year was $228,000 -- the highest median sales price on record for Harrisonburg and Rockingham County.
Townhouse (and duplexes and condo) sales took a small step backwards last year after six years of steady increases in the pace of sales. At year-end, 2% fewer attached dwellings (361) had sold in 2018 as compared to in 2017 when 370 sold. Despite a slight slow down in the pace of sales -- possibly caused by very low inventory absent much new construction -- the median sales price continues to climb, now up to $167,800. Here is yet another record broken -- the median sales price of $167,800 (seen in 2018) was the highest we have ever seen in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. And in 2019 it is climbing even higher - eclipsing $170K.
Most housing market analysts consider six months of inventory (active listings) to be an indicator of a balanced market (between buyers and sellers). The “BUYERS” trend line above is illustrating how many buyers are buying in a six month period. The “SELLERS” trend line above is illustrating how many sellers are in the market (active listings) at any given time. Over the past several years we have seen a steady increase in buyers and a declining number of sellers. In June 2016, these two trajectories crossed, and there are now many more buyers buying in a six month period than there are homes for sale -- though the buying pace has leveled off.
In addition to monitoring home values by overall median sales prices in our market, it can be insightful to examine the median price per square foot of homes that are selling. The graph above shows the median price per square foot of all single family homes sold over the past 15 years. The value trend captured by this graph is quite similar to the trend shown in the single family home median sales price during the same time, which validates that assumed set of changes in home values. Over the past several years (2015 through 2018) we have seen increases in the median sales price as well as the median price per square foot of single family homes.
Price per square foot of single family homes certainly varies for many reasons, including the age, location, lot size and structural characteristics of each home sold. However, there are some similarities in homes of similar sizes. Looking at 2019 figures, this graph illustrates that the median price per square foot of larger homes (2500+ SF) is a good bit lower ($116/SF) than that of homes with less than 1500 SF ($149/SF). These values cannot be used as an absolute standard against which the value of any home can be measured, but they can provide some helpful guidance when trying to determine the value of a home.
This graph shows the average list price to sales price ratio (red line) over the past 15 years as compared to the overall pace of home sales. At the peak of the housing boom (2004-2006) sellers were able to obtain a median of 99% of their asking price --- up from a median of 98% in 2001 before the pace of home sales started escalating. Then, when the pace of home sales slowed (through 2010) this metric dropped to 96%, where it stayed for three years. Sellers started selling for slightly more in 2013-2015 when they could obtain 97% of their list price. This increased to 98% in 2016, held steady in 2017, and returned to 99% in 2018.
New home builders experienced a steady decline in new home sales between 2005 and 2010 -- dropping 78% from a peak of 186 to 41 sales in a year. Even if we use a starting point of 2001 (not shown above; before the housing boom) we still find a 70% drop between 2001 and 2010. The number of new home sales per year has not crept up much since that time -- staying between 38 and 54 new home sales per year. The past three years, however, were QUITE different. There were a total of 82 new home sales in 2016, 77 in 2017, and 82 again in 2018. This was a welcome sign for new home builders -- and buyers -- though things seem to be cooling in 2019.
Contract activity spiked in April of this year with 158 contracts -- the highest number of contracts seen in a month of April in many years -- but then this pace of contract activity cooled a bit in May. Of note - the 146 contracts seen in May 2019 is higher than two out of the three past months of May - only being surpassed by the shocking month of 171 contracts last May. June contracts were about as we’d expect them, at 122 contracts signed. This was a slightly slower month of contracts as compared to the past few months of June - but not by much. We are likely to see a somewhat slower pace of contract activity over the next few months.
Over the past several years, inventory levels have dipped lower and lower and lower. This has not, though, been accompanied by a decline in the pace of home sales. So -- if just as many (or more) buyers are buying, how are they doing it if inventory levels are so low? They’re doing it with speed. The pace of home sales can increase, with inventory levels declining if the median “days on market” is also declining, which is definitely the case in our local market. So, plenty (maybe, maybe not) homes are being listed for sale, but they are then going under contract quickly, which keeps inventory levels low but the pace of home sales high.
This graph examines the differences in inventory levels over time when examining only single family homes as compared to attached dwellings (townhouses, duplexes, condos). The number of detached homes for sale has decreased by 15% over the past year, while the number of attached homes (townhouses, duplexes and condos) for sale has decreased by 47% over the past year. Last year inventory levels peaked at the end of May and we seem to be seeing a similar trend this year as inventory levels started to decline during June.
Inventory levels have fallen 18% in Rockingham County over the past year and have fallen an even more drastic 36% in the City of Harrisonburg during the same timeframe. Of note -- while there are approximately twice as many home sales in the County than in the City -- there are more than three times as many homes for sale in the County than in the City. As such, the low inventory levels are much more of an issue in the City right now if we look at both sellers (supply) and buyers (demand). This is likely leading to the faster increases in median sales price in the City, and the lower median days on market in the City.
Declining inventory levels are contributing to an overall decline in the time it takes to sell a home in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County. The current median “Days on Market” is 23 days for homes that have sold in the past year. Remarkably, 54% of homes that have sold in the past year have gone under contract within 30 days of having hit the market. Combine that with those that went under contract during the second month on the market, and you’ll find that 68% of homes that sell go under contract within 60 days. The graph to the right, above, shows the length of time that each active listing has been on the market for sale.
The pace of home sales in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County varies significantly based on price range. The graph above shows the average number of home sales per month (given a 12-month average) as we have passed through the past two years. Home sales have been declining over the past several years in the “under $200K” category -- though likely because of limited inventory, and fewer properties existing in this range based on increasing home values. We have seen year-over-year increases in all other price ranges -- with the most significant comparative increase in the pace of home sales being in the $300K - $400K price range.
Inventory levels shift up and down seasonally, but we are also seeing differences in year-over-year trajectories in each of the four price ranges outlined above. Inventory levels of homes under $200K and those between $200K and $300K have both fallen dramatically (-43%, -28%) over the past two years. Some of those homes have appreciated into higher price segments, as inventory levels in the $300K - $400K price range have not changed in the past year. The only price range where we have seen an increase in inventory levels is the $400K+ price range where inventory levels have increased 3%.
With so many home sales (lots of buyers) and so few homes on the market (not so many sellers), there are low levels of supply in some price ranges in our local real estate market. The graph above illustrates that while it would take 9 months to sell all of the homes currently for sale over $400K if the same number of buyers bought each month as have been buying (on average) over the past 12 months and if no new listings came on the market -- but it would only takeo one month (!!) to burn through the under $200K inventory. Many consider a six month supply to be a balance between buyers and sellers.
With the exception of 2016, we have seen between 78 and 84 lot sales of less than an acre for each of the past six years. This is a sharp decline from the 260 - 400 lot sales seen in 2002-2005, but it is an improvement over where things were (58-63 sales) between 2009 and 2012. From a value perspective, the sales prices of these “less than an acre” lots have also been rather stable -- fluctuating no further than between $53K and $60K over the past ten years. That is, of course, after a meteoric rise and then fall to/from $100K. This year, we are seeing many fewer lot sales, but at a much higher median sales price!
Parcels of land larger than one acre in Harrisonburg or Rockingham County increased in pace during 2017 to 88 land sales -- marking the highest year of sales since 2005 -- but then declined again in 2018 to 79 lot sales. The median price per acre also declined in 2018 to $14,818. Of note -- some aspects of this “median price per acre” calculation are affected by which parcels actually sell in a given year. We saw an increase in buyer demand in 2017, which seems to have lead to a further increase in the median price per acre, and then a decline in demand in 2018 accompanied by a decline in prices.
The graph above is a comparison of two imprecise measures -- but the comparison can still be helpful. The blue bars show the number of home sales recorded in the HRAR MLS -- this does not include private sales that did not involve a Realtor, nor new home sales directly from a builder. The red bars show the number of recorded Trustee Deeds. Some foreclosed properties then show up again as REO properties. The foreclosure rate in our local market area has been trending downward -- sharply in 2018 -- and the pace of home sales is increasing much more quickly, despite having slowed slightly in 2017.
As shown in the top graph above, for most of the past three years, home buyers have seen tremendously low interest rates -- almost always under 4% except in late 2016 and during just about all of 2018. Encouragingly, the average mortgage interest rate has decline significantly over the past eight months and is now well below 4%. The second graph above illustrates trends in the local unemployment rate -- which has shown a general downward trend over the past several years to a current level of 3%. A low local unemployment rate and relatively low mortgage interest rates help our local housing market remain stable.
