San Francisco Real Estate housing bubble and renting versus buying!
A reader asks:I keep reading in newspapers and magazines about a San Francisco housing bubble and wonder if I should buy now or just keep on renting. What is your opinion?
Our answer:
About our San Francisco Real Estate market... You've heard of supply versus demand? Low supply and high demand equals a great seller's market. The San Francisco Real Estate market is somewhat unique to other places in the United States in that there are a lot of factors that help create a strong market. One is that there are not many places to build. San Francisco is land locked by the bay on the north and east sides, the Pacific on the west and incorporated cities to the south. And because the city government is so restrictive, it is hard to get building done, thus decreasing the supply. With lots of cultural events, beautiful architecture and great weather most of the year, San Francisco is a much sought after place to live. This increases the demand. These two facts keep the San Francisco Real Estate market in pretty good shape most of the time. (Check our website to look at our history of market reports to see the numbers for the past several years and you will see what we mean.)
Now for the bubble. What bubble? What we have been experiencing with soaring prices, multiple offers driving home values up and up; this is not a normal market. Up until recently, the average marketing times for properties have been anywhere from hours to 10 days to 2 weeks! And over asking price sales have been common. When a frenzied pace like this begins to slow down, it's easy to assume that there is a bubble as things settle back toward a "normal" market.
As of this writing, according to the Realty Times in its June 16th, 2006 edition (and other sources such as the California Association of Realtors have said it as well), marketing times in San Francisco and other hot areas are changing: "...The market has shifted from a Seller's market to a more normal market, requiring 6 months or more to sell a home, far removed from the market of just a year ago. With 5-6 months worth of inventory, price negotiations between buyers and sellers are common place..." This actually could mean that buyers have move leverage than they have had in the recent past. Our suggestion? Make an offer!
In our opinion, there is no reason to rent when you can buy, as long as you buy something you can afford. Here's what Fox News contributor, Jonas Ferris, said in a March 2005 article on MaxFunds.com, "The main reason investors should worry about real estate bubbles is this: most experts say that real estate bubbles are simply impossible..." and about buying versus renting and investing in real estate he says, "...There are three main reasons real estate has generally been a successful investment for most people: 1) by buying a home, investors are effectively paying themselves rent 2) a mortgage is essentially a forced savings program paid into each and every month 3) because of the nature of the investment, real estate investors tend to avoid the poor decisions they make when they invest in other major asset classes..."
- Janis Stone and Mick Orton
posted by SFResidence.com @ 7:54 AM
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