California Pending Home Sales Cool Down in November, C.A.R. Reports

LOS ANGELES--()--California’s pending home sales slowed down in November as seasonal factors kicked in and shrinking housing affordability remained an issue, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) said today.

Pending home sales data:

  • California pending home sales dropped in November, with the Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI)* falling 13.4 percent from a revised 104.8 in October to 90.7 in November, based on signed contracts. The monthly decline was on par with the average October-to-November monthly change of -13.1 percent observed in the last six years.
  • Pending sales were down 1.2 percent from the revised 91.8 index recorded in November 2013. The yearly decrease was significantly lower than the six-month average of -5.8 percent from May 2014 to October 2014.

Equity and distressed housing market data:

  • The share of equity sales – or non-distressed property sales – dipped in November. Equity sales made up 90.5 percent of all sales in November, down from 91.1 percent recorded in October. Equity sales have been more than 80 percent of total sales since July 2013 and have risen to or above 90 percent for six straight months. Equity sales made up 86.5 percent of sales in November 2013.
  • Conversely, the combined share of all distressed property sales edged up in November, up from 8.9 percent in October to 9.5 percent in November. Distressed sales were down nearly 36 percent from a year ago, when the share was 13.5 percent.
  • Fourteen of the 41 reporting counties experienced a month-to-month decrease in the share of distressed sales, with 20 of the counties recording in the single-digits, including Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Orange, San Benito, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Sonoma counties — all of which registered a share of five percent or less.
  • Of the distressed properties, the share of short sales edged up to 4.8 percent in November from 4.6 percent in October, but remained at levels last seen in February 2008. November’s figure was nearly half the 8.6 percent recorded in November 2013.
  • The share of REO sales also inched up in November to 4.3 percent from 3.9 percent in October but down from 4.5 percent in November 2013.
  • The supply of distressed and equity properties improved in November. The Unsold Inventory Index of REO sales increased from 3.2 months in October to 3.8 months in November. The supply of short sales rose from 5.7 months in October to 6.7 months in November, and the supply of equity sales improved from 3.8 months in October to 4.4 months in November.

Charts (click links to open):

Share of Distressed Sales to Total Sales

(Single-family)

 
Type of Sale  

Nov.
2014

 

Oct.
2014

 

Nov.
2013

Equity Sales   90.5%   91.1%   86.5%
Total Distressed Sales   9.5%   8.9%   13.5%
REOs   4.3%   3.9%   4.5%
Short Sales   4.8%   4.6%   8.6%
Other Distressed Sales (Not Specified)   0.4%   0.4%   0.5%
All Sales   100.0%   100.0%   100.0%
 

Single-family Distressed Home Sales by Select Counties

(Percent of total sales)

 
County  

Nov.
2014

 

Oct.
2014

 

Nov.
2013

Alameda   3%   5%   6%
Amador   7%   12%   20%
Butte   9%   10%   9%
Calaveras   19%   12%   NA
Contra Costa   3%   2%   6%
El Dorado   7%   11%   13%
Fresno   16%   15%   26%
Glenn   29%   24%   41%
Humboldt   12%   13%   18%
Kern   10%   10%   18%
Kings   17%   19%   31%
Lake   19%   16%   25%
Los Angeles   9%   7%   13%
Madera   18%   22%   10%
Marin   2%   4%   6%
Mendocino   13%   10%   26%
Merced   17%   10%   21%
Monterey   9%   9%   14%
Napa   7%   3%   10%
Orange   5%   4%   7%
Placer   8%   8%   13%
Plumas   11%   9%   NA
Riverside   13%   11%   17%
Sacramento   12%   12%   16%
San Benito   3%   13%   16%
San Bernardino   16%   14%   20%
San Diego   6%   5%   5%
San Joaquin   11%   12%   21%
San Luis Obispo   6%   6%   6%
San Mateo   1%   1%   5%
Santa Clara   2%   2%   4%
Santa Cruz   6%   5%   9%
Shasta   19%   14%   20%
Siskiyou   24%   26%   22%
Solano   9%   11%   29%
Sonoma   5%   5%   10%
Stanislaus   10%   13%   23%
Sutter   21%   12%   28%
Tulare   17%   21%   20%
Yolo   8%   5%   14%
Yuba   16%   9%   25%
California   10%   9%   14%

NA = not available

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*Note: C.A.R.’s pending sales information is generated from a survey of more than 70 associations of REALTORS® and MLSs throughout the state. Pending home sales are forward-looking indicators of future home sales activity, offering solid information on future changes in the direction of the market. A sale is listed as pending after a seller has accepted a sales contract on a property. The majority of pending home sales usually becomes closed sales transactions one to two months later. The year 2008 was used as the benchmark for the Pending Homes Sales Index. An index of 100 is equal to the average level of contract activity during 2008.

Leading the way...® in California real estate for more than 100 years, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (www.car.org) is one of the largest state trade organizations in the United States with 165,000 members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate. C.A.R. is headquartered in Los Angeles.

Contacts

CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
Lotus Lou
(213) 739-8304
lotusl@car.org

Contacts

CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
Lotus Lou
(213) 739-8304
lotusl@car.org