Market News
October 2, 2018
Proposition 10: Possibly the Worst Approach to California’s Current Housing Crisis
Proposition 10 is a statewide ballot initiative in the November 2018 election that aims to repeal the Costa-Hawkins Housing Act. While Proposition 10 has become a polarizing issue, it is critically important to understand what it does and does not do.
September 7, 2018
The Bay Area Has the Fewest Underwater Homes in the U.S. in 2018
Homeowners in five Bay Area cities are doing the best in America when it comes to accruing equity, helping to propel a Silicon Valley community to near the top of a list of the country’s leading estate markets.
August 16, 2018
Finally, More Bay Area Housing Inventory Arrives After 16 Months of Declines
The Bay Area’s decline in home sales (including single-family and condominiums) improved in July, with only 3 percent less activity year over year after a 13 percent decline in June. Compared with last summer (May through July),sales were slower in Santa Clara, Napa, Sonoma, Marin, and San Mateo counties. Sales activity declined by 19 percent in Marin County and by 13 percent in Santa Clara County. Sales of homes priced above $1 million — and especially those above $3 million — continued to fare better than they did last year. Only Marin County saw a decline in sales of homes priced between $2 million and $3 million, down by 7 percent year over year.
August 9, 2018
California Housing Affordability Drops to 10-Year Low in the Second Quarter
• Twenty-six percent of California households could afford to purchase the median-priced single-family home in the second quarter, down on both a quarterly and yearly basis. • Thirty-seven of 45 tracked California counties were less affordable than they were in the second quarter of 2017. • In the Bay Area, affordability declined year over year in five counties, improved slightly in two, and was unchanged in two.
July 27, 2018
Southern California home sales crash, a warning sign to the nation
• Sales of both new and existing houses and condominiums dropped 11.8 percent year over year, as prices shot up to a record high, according to CoreLogic. • The median price paid for all Southern California homes sold in June was a record $536,250, according to CoreLogic, a 7.3 percent increase compared to June of 2017. • In the past, California, one of the largest housing markets in the nation, has been a predictor for the rest of the country.
July 19, 2018
Are Bay Area Housing Markets Getting the Jitters? June’s Median Price Growth Doesn’t Suggest So.
Executive Summary: Bay Area home sales dropped by 13 percent year over year in June. Sales in Sonoma and Napa counties slowed by more than 20 percent, while activity in San Francisco, Marin, and Alameda counties declined by about 10 percent. Sales of homes priced at less than $1 million fell at the fastest rate seen in two years, down by 28 percent, driven by 50 percent drops in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Sales of homes priced above $1 million continued to grow; however, June’s increase was the smallest seen in a year.
July 9, 2018
San Francisco house prices grew the fastest ever in the first half of 2018 as the tech boom shows no signs of slowing
The average price of a house bought in San Francisco rose by $205,000 in the first half of 2018, the largest six-month increase in history, according to MLS data compiled by local real estate agency Paragon.
June 19, 2018
California’s Unemployment Rate Maintains Record Low in May
California continued to create jobs in May, with the unemployment rate remaining at an all-time row. Pacific Union Chief Economist Selma Hepp offers her perspective on the latest employment trends in California, the Bay Area, and Los Angeles.
June 12, 2018
The Bay Area’s Median Home Price Climbs to $1 Million in May
The Bay Area’s median home price reached $1 million in May, a 17 percent year-over-year increase, with Silicon Valley continuing to post 30 percent appreciation. Homes sales activity matched last May, with San Francisco showing the strongest gain, up by 7 percent year over year. Napa County sales were slower than last year. Higher-priced sales rose up by about 30 percent.