Las Vegas The Short Sale Capital

Las Vegas and the state may be changing from the nation’s foreclosure capital to the nations short sale capital say realtor Stuart Sheinfeld
Short sales averaged about 8% of total existing-home closings last year, but averaged 25% of the market by the end of the year and in early January
Short sales are becoming the trend as banks try to find ways to avoid letting homes go into foreclosure.
The most undervalued market is Las Vegas where homes sell for 41.4% below fair market.
The Ritz-Carlton Lake Las Vegas in Henderson will close its doors May 2.
Casino Monte Lago at Lake Las Vegas will close at midnight March 14.

SALES:
--->Resales are up BIG!
The number of existing homes sold in 2009 was 48,075, a 57% increase over 2008 and the third highest total in history. The 4,502 sales in December's made it the 3rd highest month of the year.


INVENTORY:
--->All inventory elements continue to decline.
The number of foreclosures in inventory slid to 11,248 in December. That's the lowest total since March 2008. The reason that inventory is declining is simple:
In six of the last eight months, the number of foreclosures sold was larger than the number of foreclosures created.
The 10,262 homes in resale inventory in December represents just 2.6 months of supply. December's resale inventory is the second lowest total since March, 2005.
PRICES:
--->Resale prices declined in December
Resale prices remained in their narrow range, dropping from $125,000 last month to $120,000 in December. Existing home prices have bounced between those two numbers since April.

High-rise condo stats
• Allure — 190 of 427 units unsold; 40 in default; 10 bank owned.
• Juhl — 309 of 344 unsold.
• Newport Lofts — 23 of 168 unsold; 51 in default, 12 bank owned.
• One Queensridge Place — 85 of 219 unsold; 8 in default.
• Panorama Tower 3 — 334 of 372 unsold.
• Sky Las Vegas — 79 of 405 unsold; 50 in default; 5 bank owned.
• Streamline Tower — 248 of 275 unsold.
• Turnberry Towers West — 255 of 318 unsold.
• MGM Signature 3 — 84 of 576 unsold; 105 in default; 17 bank owned.
• Palms Place — 204 of 599 unsold.
• Trump International — 977 of 1,282 unsold.

Realtor Stuart Sheinfeld has been using his new Apple IPAD to show more listings while out with clients.


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The most undervalued market is Las Vegas, where homes sell for 41.4%

America's most overvalued cities
By Les Christie, staff writerJanuary 27, 2010: 7:56 AM ET

The most undervalued market is Las Vegas, where homes sell for 41.4% below fair market.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Don't say we didn't warn you.
In January 2006, CNNMoney published a ranking of 299 U.S. housing markets, showing where home prices were most overvalued. Little was undervalued: Real estate was white-hot and prices were at or near what later proved to be their tops.
A total of 213 cities were overpriced, and Naples, Fla., was deemed the most insane, with 84% of homes valued over a fair market price, according to statistics compiled by National City Corp. and IHS Global Insight.
That finding so rankled the Naples Chamber of Commerce and area real estate agents that they hired economists to dispute the evaluation, according to Richard DeKaser, the real estate consultant who engineered the report for National City.
What a difference four years makes.
Today, Naples real estate sells at a 29% discount and the median home price is just $165,500, down from more than $390,000, according to the newly released 2010 report compiled by IHS Global Insight and PNC Financial Services (PNC, Fortune 500) (which bought National City).
Nationwide, just 87 markets are considered overvalued, and Naples is now the 15th most undervalued area. Nearly all markets -- 242 of 330 -- are considered priced below fair market.
Atlantic City, N.J., is now the most overvalued metro area in the nation. At 30.2% over fair market, it is the only city in the dangerous 30%-plus category. Almost at that cutoff is Wenachee, Wash., at 28.9%. The third most overpriced area is Ocean City, N.J.
The most undervalued market is Las Vegas, where homes sell for 41.4% below fair market, followed by Vero Beach, Fla. (-39.8%), Merced, Calif. (-37.7%), and Cape Coral, Fla. (-36.8%).
These judgments are determined by comparing median home prices, local interest rates, population densities and income, plus historical premiums or discounts that areas have exhibited over time.
San Diego, for example, with its great weather and outdoor lifestyle, usually carries a premium, while prices in cold Rust Belt cities such as Detroit generally sell for less than its income stats would suggest.
"At the risk of immodesty, I must say the whole model has performed too well to believe," said DeKaser.
"I've done some research that shows when you get a bubble, you don't just return to normalcy," he added. "You go past normalcy for a long period of undervaluation."
There are psychological reasons for that, of course. In frothy run-ups, builders make big profits and tend to over-produce, resulting in inventory overhangs that dampen price appreciation after the bubble bursts. Plus, people lose confidence.
And lenders, who were pushing out mortgages hand-over-fist four years ago are tight-fisted today, making it harder to get a mortgage and so reducing demand for homes.
The bottom line, at least for a few years, is that the average buyer should forget about home purchases as investments. The good news is that, long-term, their home values should appreciate.
Metro area Median home price Percent overvalued 2010 Percent overvalued 2006
Atlantic City, N.J. $232,100 30.2% 59%
Wenatchee, Wash. $240,900 28.9% 13%
Ocean City, N.J. $294,800 26.6% 47%
Longview, Wash. $184,700 22.3% 24%
Honolulu, Hawaii $605,300 21.9% 31%
Asheville, N.C. $172,900 21.8% 24%
Portland, Ore. $267,600 20.8% 35%
Bellingham, Wash. $280,200 20.0% 43%
Corvallis, Ore. $266,400 18.9% 14%
Salem, Ore. $201,000 18.2% 25%
Source: PNC Financial Services and IHS Global Insight
Metro area Median home price Percent undervalued 2010 Percent undervalued 2006
Las Vegas, Nev. $129,700 -41.4% 38%
Vero Beach, Fla. $123,300 -39.8% 54%
Merced, Calif. $102,300 -37.7% 77%
Cape Coral, Fla. $118,700 -36.8% 52%
Houma, La. $116,200 -34.6% -1%
Port St. Lucie, Fla. $115,600 -33.3% 72%
Warren, Mich. $117,500 -32.3% 15%
Vallejo, Calif. $196,900 -31.9% 53%
Modesto, Calif. $138,700 -31.8% 67%
Stockton, Calif. $145,100 -31.8% 72%

Short sales soar while foreclosure sales slacken - Las Vegas Sun

Short sales soar while foreclosure sales slacken - Las Vegas Sun

City Center & Las Vegas Home Sales Are Up

Las Vegas housing inventory is declining. Investors in Las Vegas & Henderson don’t seem to be going away. Some buyers are facing a daunting task of 40 offers on bank owned properties, says a local real estate agent Stuart Sheinfeld. That is why we are seeing the increased success of short sales.
Foreclosure homes aren't properly maintained and lose value when they sit empty, he said. Banks also incur longer holding costs when they complete the foreclosure process.
Short sales have become better option to foreclosure; they have to be approved by the bank for hardship reasons and usually takes a long time to complete. The bank's red tape can take four to five months for an approval of a short sale.
The $8,000 homebuyer tax credit and the extension of that have boosted the market to record sales for this time of the year. A tax credit of up to $6,500 for current home owners has created a great investment opportunity for most people. Mortgage delinquency rates were highest in Nevada 14% and Florida 12% & the Clark County population hitting the 2 million mark are 2 factors keeping the Las Vegas real estate market hot, says Stuart Shienfeld
The foreclosure Mecca, Las Vegas has experienced home prices at a 50 percent decline from their peak in 2006. The median price of a home there is $138,000, the inventory is down to a 2.5 month supply.
City Center had its grand opening and is creating a big stir. The Strip project will open in phases this month after more than five years of development and construction. The 500,000-square-foot Crystals opened on 12/10, and the 392-room Mandarin Oriental opens to customers 10/12. Aria, City Center's centerpiece 4,004-room hotel-casino, opens Dec. 16.
Aria will employ 10,000 of the 12,000 employees this should boost the Las Vegas housing market even more, says Stuart Sheinfeld

1. SUPPLY: There are 2.5 months of supply of active listings at current sales rates, the best this figure has been in 5 years
2. DEMAND: Both new and existing home sales totals are near year-long highs.
3. PRICES: Remained relatively stable.
4. Homebuilders are beginning to seek land again.
5. A stalled major commercial project (Tivoli Village) restarted construction.

Las Vegas & Henderson Housing Inventory is Declining

Las Vegas housing inventory is declining. Investors in Las Vegas & Henderson don’t seem to be going away. Some buyers are facing a daunting task of 30, 50 even 100 offers on bank owned properties, says a local real estate agent Stuart Shienfeld. The public property records show that 45 percent of the Las Vegas buyers in August purchased homes with cash. This has forced most buyers to start putting offers on short sales which can take up to 6 months to close. Short sales in Las Vegas are making up more than 50% of homes on the market; nearly 7,800 short-sale units are under contract, either contingent or pending lending approval.
With so much competition for Las Vegas real estate, new homes are becoming a viable option again. For home buyers that qualify for the $8000 tax credit new homes could be the only option. If a buyer wants to take advantage they need to be under contract within the next 30 days. The tax credit is set to expire on November 31,2009. A $8,000 tax credit is huge when the median existing home price is less than $130,000. The Realtors association has lobbied Sens. Harry Reid, D-Nev., and John Ensign, R-Nev., and U.S. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and they have lobbied for an extension of the tax credit in to 2010.
• Current Supply stays at 2.9 months
• REO inventory is DOWN
• Interest rates are averaging 5%-5.50%
• 2 months left to take advantage of the $8000.00 tax credit. Needs to close by 11/31/09
• 5 straight months of 4000+ home sales
• Over 55% of ALL NEW LISTINGS last less than a month on the market
The lack of foreclosure inventory, which is declining in Las Vegas could keep sales low & competition high. People buying in this market could look like geniuses in the next couple years.

Las Vegas Home Buying Frenzy

May Las Vegas housing data suggests that we possibly reached the bottom of the residential recession in the 2nd quarter of this year. I haven’t seen a home buying frenzy like this since 2004, says Las Vegas real estate agent Stuart Shienfeld.
Foreclosures have dominated the housing market with more than 60 percent of the sales each month being bank-owned properties.
With sales at their highest level since June 2006 the first-time homebuyers and investors snatching up Las Vegas inventory, say realtor Stuart Shienfeld.
There were 5,276 bank-owned single-family homes listed for sale in the valley and of those 2,623 had contingent offers, Smith says. That leaves an inventory of 2,653. About half of those homes don’t have offers.
The downturn in the stock market combined with the growing affordability of purchasing a home has prompted increased interest in using IRAs and 401K’s to help fund the purchase.
The number of resale homes on the market as listed by real estate agents continues to decline. During the past year, the number has dipped 36.7 percent or 8,109 units, lowering the inventory to less than 19,000 homes. The inventory has dropped for 13 consecutive weeks with 6,700 fewer properties listed during that time. The number of vacant homes is just under 7,500, a drop of 49 percent.
The number of foreclosures in May was 1,769, a 26% decrease from last year. This was the third month that foreclosure purchases surpassed the number of new foreclosures coming on the market.
New listings are down 18.1% from April 2009 and the number of units sold, are up 1.8% from last month. The average days on the market for homes are hovering for less than 60 days. That is an average of almost 65%.
There are very few REO homes that are currently available without offers to buy. You really need to move quickly to get your offer in. When you do you should offer you’re highest & best offer, says Stuart Sheinfeld. Some banks will do a multiple offer sheet and some don’t, so I wouldn’t take the chance of losing the property.

Las Vegas Existing Homes Sales Surpass Boom Levels

With super low interest rates, an $8000 tax credit & affordable home prices, existing sales soar.
April 2009 Change from March 2009 Change from April 2008
#units sold 3,198 +7.3% +78.3%

First time home buyers are taking advantage of these factors & realizing that their new home payments are cheaper than rent. FHA financing which allows buyers to only put down 3.5% on their 1st home accounted for a whopping 49% of the March sales.
Investors & 2nd home buyers were responsible for 36% of the sales in March. The big attraction for investors is that the mortgage, taxes & insurance is less than what the potential rental income for the property may be.

We are seeing more & more multiple offers on homes, sometimes as many as 10-15 offers. Stuart Shienfeld, a local realtor says, “The homes that have very little repair or upgrade work are flying off the shelves”
Time on Market April 09 March 09 April 08
0-30 Days 43.7% 37.8% 36.1%
31-60 Days 16.4% 17.9% 16.9%
61-90 Days 11.3% 14.9% 14.4%

Contact me today to find out how to take advantage of this Booming Market