IRVINE, CA—RealtyTrac has released its September and Q3 2014 Residential & Foreclosure Sales Report, which shows that U.S. residential properties, including single family homes, condominiums and townhomes, sold at an estimated annual pace of 4,402,741 in September, a decrease of 1% from August 2014 and a decrease of 19% from a year ago.
The median sales price of U.S. residential properties—including both distressed and non-distressed sales—was $195,000 in September, up less than 1% from August and up 15% from September 2013. September was the 30th consecutive month where U.S. median home prices increased on an annual basis, and the 15% annual increase is the biggest annual percentage increase since October 2005.
“Median home prices nationally in September were boosted by a new low in the share of distressed sales during the third quarter, resulting in fewer home sales on the lower end,” said Daren Blomquist, vice president of RealtyTrac. “The share of homes selling above $200,000 is up 7% from a year ago, and the share of homes selling above $500,000 is up 15% from a year ago. “Some of the biggest increases in median prices are in markets in the Midwest, Southeast and Inland California, where home prices are still considered a relative bargain for both investors and owner-occupant buyers,” Blomquist added. “Meanwhile, many of the fastest-appreciating real estate markets last year have now settled into a more sustainable pattern of single-digit appreciation.”
Median home prices increased less than 10% from a year ago in 59 of the 102 metropolitan statistical areas with a population of 500,000 or more tracked in the report. Major metros with single-digit appreciation included Los Angeles (9% increase), where annual home price appreciation has been in single digits for four consecutive months; Phoenix (6% increase), where annual home price appreciation has been in single digits for six consecutive months; San Diego (7% increase), where annual home price appreciation has been in single digits for four consecutive months; Denver (6% increase), where annual home price appreciation has been in single digits for nine consecutive months; and Portland (7% increase), where annual home price appreciation has been in single digits for five consecutive months.
“We are experiencing the normal seasonal slowdown, but the market is still very strong in Northern Colorado,” said Doug Dodds with RE/MAX Alliance, covering the Denver market. “Our feeling is that prices will not deflate but rather level off at least until spring.”
Markets with the biggest annual increases in median home prices in September included Detroit (35% increase), Austin, Texas (28% increase), Cincinnati (27% increase), Cleveland (25% increase), Stockton, CA, (21% increase), Miami (18% increase), and Charlotte (15% increase).
Short sales and distressed sales—in foreclosure or bank-owned—accounted for 12.7% of all sales in the third quarter, down from 14.2 percent in the previous quarter and down from 14.5% in the third quarter of 2013 to the lowest level since RealtyTrac began tracking short sales and distressed sales combined in the first quarter of 2011. Metro areas with the highest share of combined short sales and distressed sales were Las Vegas (34.9 percent), Stockton, Calif., (31.8 percent), Modesto, Calif., (31.2 percent), Lakeland, Fla., (26.1 percent), and Jacksonville, Fla., (26.1 percent).
Short sales nationwide accounted for 3.8% of all sales in the third quarter, down from 4.2% of all sales in the second quarter and down from 4.7% of all sales in the third quarter of 2013 to the lowest level since the first quarter of 2011. Metros with a high percentage of short sales in the third quarter included Las Vegas (10.5%), Lakeland, FL, (10.4%), Cape Coral FL (10.4%), Orlando (10%) Tampa (9.7%), Miami (9.2%), Palm Bay, FL (9%), Jacksonville, FL (8.4%) and Sarasota, FL (8.2%).
Sales of bank-owned properties nationwide accounted for 7.8% of all sales in the third quarter, down from 8.8% of all sales in the previous quarter and down from 9.0% of all sales in the third quarter of 2013 to the lowest level since the first quarter of 2011. Metro areas with the highest percentage of bank-owned sales in the third quarter were Stockton, CA, (26.1%), Modesto, Calif., (25.2%), Las Vegas (23.2%), Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif., (19.7%), Bakersfield, Calif., (18.5%), Phoenix (18.5%) and Sacramento (16.2%).
Sales at the public foreclosure auction accounted for 1.1% of all sales nationwide in the third quarter, down from 1.2% in the previous quarter but up from 0.9% in the third quarter of 2013. Metro areas with the highest percentage of auction sales in the first quarter were Lakeland, Fla., (4.9%), Miami (3.9%), Orlando (3.7%), Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Fla., (3.5%) and Tampa (3.4%).
The median sales price of a distressed residential property—in foreclosure or bank-owned when sold —was $130,000 nationwide in September, 37% below the median non-distressed sales price of $205,000.
Major markets with the biggest percentage difference between distressed and non-distressed median prices were Pittsburgh (72%), Milwaukee (67%), Cleveland (64%), and Memphis (59%).
“Even as the share of distressed sales decreases, the average discount on distressed properties continues to be substantial because the primary factors driving that discount are still in place,” said Blomquist. “Distressed properties are typically in poor condition and have a highly motivated seller—whether that seller is the distressed homeowner in foreclosure or the bank that has repossessed the property through foreclosure.”
Report methodology: The RealtyTrac U.S. Residential Sales Report provides counts and median prices for sales of residential properties nationwide, by state and metropolitan statistical areas with a population of 500,000 or more. Data is also available at the county level upon request. The report also provides a breakdown of cash sales, institutional investor sales, short sales, bank-owned sales and foreclosure auction sales to third parties. The data is derived from recorded sales deeds and loan data, which is used to determine cash sales and short sales.
Short and Distressed Sales by State — Q3 2014
| State | Short Sales Percent of Sales | REO Sales Percent of Sales | Foreclosure Auction Percent of Sales | Total Short & Distressed Sales Percent of all Sales |
| U.S. Total | 3.8% | 7.8% | 1.1% | 12.7% |
| Alabama | 3.8% | 6.3% | 0.5% | 10.6% |
| Alaska | 0.0% | 4.0% | 0.4% | 4.4% |
| Arizona | 4.0% | 16.8% | 0.9% | 21.7% |
| Arkansas | 3.0% | 6.1% | 0.1% | 9.2% |
| California | 3.2% | 12.4% | 0.5% | 16.0% |
| Colorado | 1.6% | 8.6% | 0.2% | 10.4% |
| Delaware | 3.8% | 4.0% | 0.4% | 8.2% |
| District of Columbia | 3.1% | 1.0% | 0.2% | 4.3% |
| Florida | 9.3% | 10.7% | 3.1% | 23.1% |
| Georgia | 3.3% | 11.4% | 2.4% | 17.1% |
| Hawaii | 0.3% | 2.0% | 0.4% | 2.6% |
| Idaho | 0.0% | 5.5% | 1.3% | 6.9% |
| Illinois | 7.2% | 7.4% | 0.8% | 15.4% |
| Iowa | 2.3% | 5.3% | 1.0% | 8.6% |
| Kansas | 0.0% | 1.1% |
| 1.1% |
| Louisiana | 3.1% | 6.0% | 0.6% | 9.7% |
| Maine |
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| Maryland | 6.3% | 2.6% | 0.5% | 9.4% |
| Michigan | 5.3% | 13.1% | 0.4% | 18.8% |
| Minnesota | 1.9% | 9.4% | 0.2% | 11.4% |
| Mississippi | 0.0% | 2.1% | 0.5% | 2.6% |
| Missouri | 0.0% | 6.4% | 0.6% | 7.1% |
| Nebraska | 2.6% | 2.2% | 0.3% | 5.0% |
| Nevada | 9.3% | 20.4% | 1.3% | 30.9% |
| New Hampshire | 0.0% | 2.9% | 0.0% | 2.9% |
| New Jersey | 5.5% | 1.6% | 0.6% | 7.7% |
| New Mexico | 0.0% | 6.1% | 0.4% | 6.5% |
| New York | 2.5% | 1.0% | 0.3% | 3.8% |
| North Carolina | 2.3% | 5.6% | 1.2% | 9.1% |
| Ohio | 3.8% | 10.8% | 1.4% | 16.0% |
| Oklahoma | 3.0% | 3.0% | 0.8% | 6.8% |
| Oregon | 1.9% | 5.4% | 0.2% | 7.4% |
| Pennsylvania | 3.5% | 3.0% | 1.1% | 7.5% |
| South Carolina | 2.9% | 5.0% | 1.2% | 9.1% |
| Tennessee | 3.7% | 6.3% | 0.3% | 10.4% |
| Texas | 0.0% | 5.0% | 1.1% | 6.1% |
| Utah | 0.0% | 5.5% | 1.1% | 6.6% |
| Vermont | 0.7% | 1.0% |
| 1.6% |
| Virginia | 2.1% | 4.6% | 0.6% | 7.3% |
| Washington | 2.9% | 6.4% | 1.0% | 10.4% |
| West Virginia | 0.9% | 1.0% | 0.0% | 1.8% |
| Wisconsin | 2.3% | 4.2% | 1.0% | 7.6% |
| Wyoming | 0.0% | 3.9% |
| 3.9% |
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