Location, Location, Location: RMLSweb Statistics Have a New Home

New statistics menu makes spotting market trends easier

The RMLSweb statistical reports have moved from their previous location under Toolkit to a new Statistics menu on the navigation bar between Prospecting and Realtor Info.

In addition we have rewritten the Market Trends, Market Stats and Inventory reports to improve the searching and results of these reports. For example, Market Trends Report will now allow you to search up to 36 months back and will provide you with inventory accumulation and sale price percent change calculations.

Click the following links for more information about our enhancements to RMLSweb Statistics:

Statistics 101 – Establish Yourself As an Expert.

RMLSweb Statistical Calculations Definitions – The RMLS™ Guide to what statistics are captured and how they’re defined.

Want a trainer to come out to your office and demonstrate this enhanced functionality? Call your local RMLS™ office or e-mail training@rmls.com.



Updates to Statistical Features Coming Soon

New statistics menu makes spotting market trends easier

Keep an eye out for updates to statistical features on RMLSweb. The changes will combine most statistical reports into a new Statistics menu on the RMLSweb Navigation Bar. In addition we have rewritten the Market Trends, Market Stats and Inventory reports to improve the searching and reporting of these reports.

For example, Market Trends Report will now allow you to search up to 36 months back and will provide you with inventory accumulation and sale price percent change calculations.

Want to learn more about these new reports? Call our Training Manager, Kerry Meeuwsen at 503-872-8051.



Supra Lockbox Activity – Updated Through Week of Jan. 25-31

Activity rises in Oregon & Washington for fifth straight week

When comparing the week of January 25-31 with the week prior, the number of times an RMLS™ subscriber opened a Supra lockbox increased 9% in Washington and 1.6% in Oregon.


Click the chart for a larger view

Archive
View an archive of the Supra lockbox statistical reports on Flickr.



Supra Lockbox Activity – Updated Through Week of Jan. 18-24

Activity rises in Oregon & Washington for fourth straight week

When comparing the week of January 18-24 with the week prior, the number of times an RMLS™ subscriber opened a Supra lockbox increased 2.1% in Washington and 6.1% in Oregon.


Click the chart for a larger view

Archive
View an archive of the Supra lockbox statistical reports on Flickr.



Supra Lockbox Activity – Updated Through Week of Jan. 11-17

Up again slightly in Oregon and Washington

When comparing the week of January 11-17 with the week prior, the number of times an RMLS™ subscriber opened a Supra lockbox increased 0.5% in Washington and 4.8% in Oregon.


Click the chart for a larger view

Archive
View an archive of the Supra lockbox statistical reports on Flickr.



Is it Really the Age of the Incredible Shrinking Home?

Average square footage of sold homes increases in most RMLS areas

There’s been a lot of talk lately about the size of homes being built and purchased getting smaller. The National Association of Home Builders reported that the “the average size of a new home that was completed in 2009 fell to 2,480 square feet from 2,520 square feet in 2008,” according to the Wall Street Journal. The median home purchase shrank from 1,825 square feet in 2008 to 1,800 square feet in 2009, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

I wanted to find out if the same would hold true in RMLS™ coverage areas, though, and here’s what I found:

As you can see, only three areas that we cover in Oregon & Washington dropped (Columbia Basin, Douglas County & Union County). In Portland it grew 1.52% and it was up 1.37% in Clark County. Coos County posted the largest increase at 4.85%.

I found our numbers a bit surprising. One school of thought is that the square footage would drop because first-time buyers have dominated the market in 2009, which you would think would mean smaller houses. That would make sense to me; I was a first-time buyer in 2009 and my house is 1,088 square feet.

On the other hand, what may have actually happened is that prices on homes with large square footage dropped so much that buyers have been snapping up more space for less money.

What do you think? Is the square footage of homes you’re working with shrinking? Are buyers more interested in smaller homes now? Or are they looking to grab more space while prices are low?



RMLS Market Action – December 2009 Recap

Real estate activity in Oregon and SW Washington up in most RMLS areas

In the December 2009 RMLS™ Market Action report, sales activity was up in most areas that we cover, compared to December 2008. Though this is a positive sign, it should be taken with a grain of salt, because last December brought record lows for pending and closed sales in many areas.

Portland saw a 52.6% increase in closed sales this month and a 40.9% increase in pending listings, while Clark County closed sales were up 48.1%, and pending sales rose 33.8%. Baker County, Coos County, Curry County, Lane County, the Mid-Columbia region and Union County also saw both closed and pending sales increase over last December.

Sales volume down for the year in most areas

Given lower sales totals and lower prices, this should come as no surprise, but total sales volume for the year fell in most areas in 2009. Portland dropped from $6.3 billion in 2008 to $5.5 billion this year. Lane County was down from $740 million in 2008 to $669 million in 2009.

Notable, however, is an increase in sales volume in Curry County – up to $66 million this year from $59 million in 2008. And Clark County matched its total sales volume of $1.2 billion in 2008.

Year-end stats, Clark County shines

Clark County seems to be ahead of the pack when it comes to sales activity.  For the year, pending sales were up 19.5% and closed sales up 13.8% compared to 2008.  That’s far ahead of most areas; for example, in Portland, pending sales were up 4%, and closed sales were down 0.9%. Only Curry County outpaced Clark County in percentage of sales increase for 2009, with pending sales up 31.3% and closed sales up 23.7%.

However, the increase in sales has come at a price – Clark County saw the largest decrease (-12.6%) in median sale price for the 11 areas we cover.



Supra Lockbox Activity – Updated Through Week of Dec. 21-27

House Hunters Take Time to Enjoy the Festivities

When comparing the week of December 21-27 with the week prior, the number of times an RMLS™ subscriber opened a Supra lockbox decreased 41.5% in Washington and 42.9% in Oregon.


Click the chart for a larger view

Archive
View an archive of the Supra lockbox statistical reports on Flickr.



Supra Lockbox Activity – Updated Through December 13

Activity Dips; Perhaps House Hunters Were Holiday Gift Shopping Instead

When comparing the week of December 7 – 13 with the week prior, the number of times an RMLS™ subscriber opened a Supra lockbox decreased 9% in Washington and 11.2% in Oregon.


Click the chart for a larger view

Archive
View an archive of the Supra lockbox statistical reports on Flickr.



94.6% of Homes Sold for Below $500k in Portland in November

RMLS Portland home sales by price range, November 2009

The original deadline for the homebuyer tax credit was November 30 and it appears that this may have had an effect on home sales in November. Homes that sold for $250,000 or below (likely the price range for many first-time buyers) made up 55.3% of all sales in Portland this November, which is up 10.3% compared to November 2008.

Below is a breakdown of sales by price range: