Softening Market could lead to Deals... or not!

So analysts are projecting a soften market this year. That is not to say they expect prices to reverse but more likely that the rate of appreciation will soften. Rising rates are the biggest culprit in this, but wages have also fallen behind real estate prices as well.

On the coast many people are looking for vacation homes, second homes, etc. Rising rates makes the cost of such more expensive and thus leads to fewer buyers in the market. The Long Beach Peninsula isn't a large market and doesn't have a deep supply of buyers. This could be an issue. For buyers thinking about the coast, now is the time, rising rates tend to hurt buyers more than rising prices, and even in a declining price market higher rates hurt buyers more. Declining prices in Washington State are not on the minds of any analysts I have seen.

Cash buyers tend to fare better in rising rate markets, but if prices also continue to rise cash buyers a better off buying as soon as they can. Take a peek at this article from one of my other blogs...

Analyst Projections are Softening for 2018

The overall Portland Metro area has already seen a slowdown in the rate of price appreciation in the first 1/3 of 2018. There is near unanimous analyst agreements that market conditions will soften as the year progresses. For buyers that may not seem like the case especially resale buyers in places like Portland, where inventory remains critically tight.

A low inventory definitely tips the scales towards sellers int he supply and demand view of economics, but demand in real estate is a little different than demand in many other commodities. Demand for real estate is almost always high, but the problem isn't that there aren't ready and willing buyers, there are plenty; the problem is that there are many "able" buyers.

The greater Portland-Vancouver market has seen housing price growth so outstrip income growth that many ready and willing buyers are simply no longer able. Many sellers still believe they can list their home for a sky high price because they have a "rare" commodity. But having something rare still requires having more buyers than sellers. For example, if I have a rare and desirable item that I price so high no one can afford it, I will not sell it, even if it is the only one on Earth.

One real classic trap that I see seller's right now falling into is the chasing down the market. Last year a seller could float a high price above market and get away with it. Buyers outnumbered sellers so much that someone would always step up and make an offer close enough to close. But now I am seeing, and the analysts have confirmed, that strategy is leading to a series of price reductions from sellers.

A series of price reductions puts buyers in a position of strength against sellers. As interest rates rise the pool of eligible buyers shrinks. Sellers are well advised to price their home at market pricing because higher interest rates reduce the buying power of prospects for the home. Remember inventory IS in short supply, but recent conditions have also reduce the supply of "able" buyers. This local market is moving into a neutral status where it is neither a seller's or buyer's market. I still think current conditions tend to favor sellers, but another few upticks in interest rates could level the field.

For younger buyers that have never seen a mortgage rate above 6 percent, I'll tell you this. The 50 year average rate on a home loan is still above 6%. Young people have seen these historic low rates as the "norm" when in fact this has been an abnormal decade for interest rates which are now beginning to normalize. Paying 6% on a mortgage loan is still reasonable when compared to the long term averages.

That however does not mean the buyers shouldn't try to score a house while rates remain lower than 6%. Interest rate is a much bigger impediment to buying a house than price. Interest rates will likely rise faster than prices this year, so buyers should focus on their ability to pay, not trying to grind out the lowest price on a house.

So overall Clark County, Washington saw roughly 10% growth in the median home price from 2017 to 2018, most analysts are projecting 2018-19 growth to be about 1/3 that in the 3% range. So prices are still rising, but not at the rate they were last year. Incomes are the limiting factor. For buyers, the price slowdown may feel like a reprieve, but combined with the up creep in rates the purchasing power will make the market "feel" like it's rising just as fast as last year.

Sellers need to be cautious, analysts are not the end all be all. Market conditions can be fragile, and they are in my opinion fragile right now. If national and local economic indicators remain strong most of the analyst projections will likely pan out, but any negative economic factors could lead us back to a buyers market. Sellers: A bird in the hand is better than two in bush, in 2018.