Friday, January 19, 2007 at 06:47AM
Gary Watts Comes to SD
I'll probably delete this, but I thought it made for good entertainment. Gary Watts, famed realtor from the OC, submits this report for San Diego - note that there's no prediction on future appreciation:
The Year in Review
Last year, was the year for real estate to catch its breath - especially after two very “wild party” years of 2004 and 2005! With the aftermath of the hurricanes, oil prices rising, continued credit tightening by the Federal Reserve, increased fighting throughout the Middle East and the media’s factual but not accurate appraisal of the real estate market, it was remarkable that prices actually rose throughout most the year! Here is a look at quarter by quarter:
First Quarter:
1. Employment numbers stayed strong and the economy grew at a 5.6% pace.
2. The Federal Reserve continued to raise the discount rate, putting upward pressure on mortgage rates.
3. Number of sales (compared to last year) declined -17% yet . . .
4. Overall appreciation rate in San Diego grew at 4.9%.
Second Quarter:
1. The Federal Reserve raised the discount rate to 5.25% causing mortgage rates to rise over 6.5%.
2. It was clear that the buyers were pulling back as the sale volume declined 30.5%.
3. To make matters worse, inventory of homes (which usually decline) rose dramatically.
4. The bad news about the market began hitting the media in July.
5. Appreciation rates declined but were still positive at 3.6%.
Third Quarter:
1. The Federal Reserve decided to put a pause on interest rate hikes.
2. Buyers waited to see if home prices would fall further as listing inventory reached peak levels.
3. Sales volume declined 32% when compared to last years figures.
4. It was now taking 30% longer than last year for properly-priced property to sell.
5. With fewer buyers and unrealistic sellers, the housing market began to react poorly.
6. Housing prices turned negative with declines averaging -2.8%.
Fourth Quarter:
1. With the Federal Reserve still on pause from the summer, mortgage rates began to decline.
2. As mortgage rates fell below 6%, buyers began to return to the market place.
3. Although sales declined 22.5%, this was a much lower number than expected.
4. Sales volume from January through November had declined 25% compared to 2005.
5. Listing inventory was reduced to approximately 19,000 properties by year end.
6. Prices continued to decline as homes and condos ended the year -6.2% vs. 2005.
Source: Sales data from DataQuick and San Diego Association of Realtors
So What Were The Final Numbers?
Well, it depends upon what type of report your clients are reading! There are month to month reports, same month vs. last year, cumulative, and actual sales. So what type of statistics are your clients seeing? Here is a look at the four most common sources that report on housing appreciation.
DataQuick Informational Systems:
This number is used the most by the media in southern California. They track the sales of all properties on a monthly basis and report the median price changes. They also report the cumulative difference year to date. The numbers on the previous page all come from this source on a month to month basis. If you use their cumulative report, the numbers are as follows: (through November):
Orange County 6.2%
San Bernardino 14.8%
Riverside 8.6%
San Diego .04%
LA 8.7%
Case-Shiller:
This is one of the newer indices used by the commodity markets. Referred to as the Case-Shiller Indexes (CSI), it forecasts single-family and condo home prices and identifies long-term influences on prices, such as income trends and demographics, and cyclical factors such as joblessness and changes in mortgage rates.
Orange County 7.1%
San Diego -1.0%
LA 7.1%
Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight:
This is a quarterly report from the government that tracks gains and losses on single family homes and condos sold or refinanced in a county. It involves only government-sponsored mortgage buyers it oversees, which are the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans with a limit of $417,000. These are for the 3rd quarter.
Orange County 11.3%
San Bernardino 14.2%
Riverside 14.2%
San Diego 3.21%
LA 15.98%
First American Real Estate Solutions:
This is the newest of the indices; it measures sales of both single family homes and condos against the amount sellers paid when they bought the property. The yearly percentages are based upon length of ownership.
Since 2000
Orange County 16.1%/5.16 years 101.7%
San Bernardino 24.9%/3.75 years 107.9%
Riverside 18.8%/3.4 years 83.3%
San Diego 12.1%/5.15% 110.7%
Los Angeles 18.4%/4.25 years 113.8%
So Why Do You Feel So Bad? . . . Could It Be The Media?
Newspapers are losing subscribers and television is losing viewers. Viewers’ reactions to media presentations of past events have shown the media that if they want to hold their viewers’ or readers’ attention, they can do so by portraying fearful “impending events” and instilling anxiety in their audiences!
They present information in a way that creates this anxiety or fearfulness. In so doing, it is important to be factual but not necessarily accurate! They use bold headlines to grab the viewers’ attention, but the content often misleads or tells another story. Here are some very good examples:
Remember all the fuss over Y2K? How about Killer Bees, West Nile Virus and the Mad Cow disease?
What happened with last year’s “serious” lack of vaccines for one of the “worst” flu seasons? Where did SARS and the Bird Flu. . . fly to?
What They Do With Real Estate:
Housing Prices Continue to Decline!
Only the rate of appreciation was declining but home prices are pretty much now holding their own. The
median profit earned on a property held for 5 years in San Diego was $232,000!
Supply of Unsold Homes Rises to 6 Months!
In the U.S., the average supply has historically been around 6 months and 3 to 4 months for So. Ca.
In San Diego, your 10 month supply of homes has now decreased to a 7 month supply.
Home Sales Decline By __-25%___%!
Again, historically, our home sales are still about a ½ million units higher than any other time except for
the period between mid-June of 2003 and mid-June of 2005.
Foreclosure Activity Rises!
They have to be up after hitting a record low! The truth is that 99% of all loans in the U.S. are not in
foreclosure and the remaining 1% that were foreclosed upon had the following breakdown:
* 80% were classified by federal lenders as Professional Thieves and were turned over to the FBI.
* 20% were classified by lenders as Fraud for Property that resulted in unethical lending practices.
* Ca. Defaults:
Historical 32,762
Low: 12,145- 3Q’04
High: 59,987 – 1Q’96
Current: 26,705
(Note: There are 7.81 million homes and condos in the State)
* Through November, San Diego averaged only 158 monthly foreclosures and that represents .06%
of sales and 19.24% of all Notices of Default filed.
Affordability Index at Record Low – So Few Can Afford to Buy!
Home ownership is at a record high of 70% while the baby boomers percentage is 80%! This index is
archaic and does not account for a world that changed dramatically in 1979.
Source: American Bankers Association, Mortgage Bankers Association, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae
Why The World Changed in 1979!
Baby Boomers Impact
From 1945 to 1979, incomes increased at the same rate for all tax brackets. By 1979, the early baby boomers had been in the workplace for over 10 years. They were the most educated generation to enter the work force, and they had the skills for our changing world. With both spouses working, dual incomes would have a tremendous effect upon future wealth. Since 1979, a larger percentage of our population is becoming more and more affluent! From 1980 to 2004, the median income rose by 18% but . . .
- the top 20% of incomes grew by 59%, while the bottom 20% of incomes grew by a measly 7%!
- the top 1% of incomes grew by 200% - earning more than the entire bottom 50% of wage earners!
- today, the top 10% of wage earners receives 45% of all household income.
- the top 85% of the nation’s wealth resides with the richest 15% of Americans; the bottom 50% holds only 2.5% of the nation’s wealth. Just 1% of investors hold 53% of all shares in the stock market!
Over the next decade, there will be a 25% increase in the population over 50 years of age. They have more money than any preceding generation, due to having dual incomes, equity growth, and record inheritances (60% goes to the top 40%)! This age group is spending $2 trillion dollars annually! Last year, 78 million boomers turned 60, with 25% planning on not retiring. They found a way to mix leisure with work and are not ready to fully retire – they have money and income and they are still investing in real estate.
They are part of a major buying wave, as 75% plan on moving to either the west or the south for warmth. Already, 80% own their own home with 25% of those owning additional property. This helps to explain why, in 2005, 27.7% of all sales were for investment purchases and 12.2% of all sales were for 2nd homes!
They or their parents are also in the process of transferring their wealth to their children and grandchildren. These newest home buyers make up the largest group of the 3 buying waves. They are presently 23 to 33 years
of age, and will total 1.2 million new households per year for the next decade! They are purchasing at a median age of 26, yet those purchasing under 25 years of age now represent 14% of the first time home buyers market.
And let us not forget the wave of buyers that represent the normal buying market. This group is projected to grow at a rate of 1.17 million per year for the next 7 years. They include 1st time home buyers (median age 29) and those purchasing upscale homes (median age 45).
Add to this the immigrants purchasing real estate and you can see that the U.S. home buying market will remain strong. In the past 12 months, the U.S. population grew by 2.9 million persons. By 2030, there will be 80 million more people living in the U.S.! From 1980 to 2000, over 6.2 million minority households joined the ranks of middle-income earners, and they are purchasing housing.
Immigrant children who arrived with their parents in the ‘80’s and ‘90’s, are now buying homes.
These 2nd generation Americans, if history repeats itself, will out-earn their parents.
As 1st time buyers, they represent 35% of the 1st time resale market.
Source: 2004/2005 Census, Federal Reserve, Internal Revenue Service, NAR
Impact
Immigration of new buyers is largely due to a U.S. policy of family reunification. Today, there are 34 million immigrants, making up 12% of our total U.S. population and representing 28.4% of all households.
Presently, Latinos are the fastest growing segment of the U.S. housing market.
Asians will become the fastest growing segment of the U.S housing market over the next decade, largely concentrated on the West Coast.
Adding more pressure to the already strained housing market are the “single” players in home-ownership. Single or unmarried homeowners are remaining single longer. Divorced parents are also maintaining larger homes for their “floating children”. Single female buyers represent 21% of the market, while single men make up 9% of the market.
San Diego Homeownership: 58.2% (cities with 65,000 + in population)
Final Note on Housing: Those Who Own and Those Who Don’t
1. We are the youngest of the home-building nations. History does repeat itself! Every country has gone through a cycle whereby it breaks into two parts: those who own a home and those who don’t.
2. When this happens, rental rates begin to soar. We are in the beginning cycle of this event, as evidenced by the fact that the national rental rate increased 5.3% in the last 12 months. Since 2001, the rise in rental rates has outpaced inflation.
3. Obviously this becomes a great benefit to those who own homes and rental properties – especially when the U.S. occupancy rate is now at 96.2% and San Diego is at 95.8%!
More on Wealth
There are now 2.9 million millionaires in North America holding $10.2 trillion in assets. There are 317 billionaires in the U.S. holding $1.1 trillion while California is home to 90 billionaires!
The Federal Reserve reports that consumers have $5 trillion dollars in liquid cash sitting in banks and savings and loans. Through June of last year, homeowners had $53.83 trillion dollars of household net worth! Other assets held by individuals include: $3.2 trillion in bonds and credit instruments, $1.1 trillion in insurance reserves, $6.7 trillion of equity in non-corporate businesses, $11.1 trillion in pension funds and $2.5 trillion in 401K’s – plus $10 billion in loose change in homes and cars!
Source: DataQuick, State EED, Southern California Governments, 2004 Census, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CAR.
Why We Will Continue To Do Well In 2007!
The National Economy
If we take a look back at this decade, we have seen a lot of really bad things happen to both individuals and businesses. Our nation has seen the crash in the Dot.Com business world, an attack on our own soil, 2 geo-political wars with serious consequences, major stock scandals, record corporate bankruptcies, the doubling of the price of oil, and as if all this were not enough . . . 17 consecutive rate increases by the Fed!
So let us look at what is happening now in our economy . . .
- Since 2003, the U.S. has created 3.9 million new businesses and over 7 million new salaried jobs. Add the existing 16 million self-employed, the 25 million part-time workers and the 25.8 million small businesses (where 75% are sole proprietorships) and you can see we are generating a whole lot of tax revenue.
- As of December, we have employed another 2 million new workers over the past 12 months. The unemployment rate of 4.5% is a 5-year record low, and since 3% of the population won’t work even if you give them a job, we are near full employment.
- These increased tax revenues have helped to reduce the originally projected deficit of $325 billion down to around $240 billion. Our tax revenues are up 14.1% over last year, and the federal debt has been reduced by 20.8%. There is a chance that a surplus may occur next year, and all but 4 states are running state budget surpluses!
- Corporate profits have doubled in the past 4 years, and this year their after-tax profits averaged 20.3% - the highest in 4 decades. This makes 18 straight quarters of double digit earnings! Corporations posted earnings of $1.42 trillion in the 3rd quarter, and after paying quarterly taxes on Sept. 15th (setting a single one day record of $85.5 billion), corporate cash is still at a historical high of $2 trillion.
- Since 1980, the Gross Domestic Product has risen 70% and is now at $13.3 trillion, helping to shrink our federal deficit. Today, debt is only 2.7% of the GDP, compared with 6.0% in ’83 and 4.7% in ’92.
- With both business and consumer spending growing, these forces are propelling the economy upward with a “one-two punch”. Our economy should continue to grow between 2.5% and 3.0%!
San Diego County …
♦ has the 6th lowest unemployment rate in California at 3.9%.
♦ as a county, ranks in the top 10 (in the U.S.) in total number of jobs with1.4 million.
♦ job creation will be 1.7% for 2007, beating LA and Orange County.
Source: Federal Reserve, IRS, U.S. Bureau of Labor, California Employment Development Department (EDD)
We Live and Work . . . Where?
Southern California
It took California nearly 155 years to grow from its low indigenous population to over 36.5 million people who now call this State home. In 2005, the state population grew by 600,000 domestic and 200,000 legal immigrants. In the next 20 years, the population is projected to double - reaching almost 60 million! In half that time, more than 3.5 million people will move into southern California. It appears the State’s allure has remained strong!
It is no wonder that with all these people, we employ 1 out of every 11 workers in the U.S. and produce 15% of the nation’s GDP. Our employment is growing at approximately 1.5% while our self-employed have grown to exceed 2.2 million! Southern California is home to over 60% of the state’s entire diversified workforce, serving the Pacific Rim through trade, a growing service sector, and expanding electronics and manufacturing. Add high-tech, the financial sector, bio-tech, construction, tourism, agriculture and government, and it is easy to see why southern California is a magnet for highly productive jobs.
In southern Calif., 95% of companies employ fewer than 50 people! Today’s technologies enable companies
to become highly productive with fewer people, ending the boom-bust cycle and its massive lay-offs.
♦ Southern California is adding 200,000 to 300,000 residents each year and ranks #6 in the U.S. for
metro areas in job creation.
♦ November’s unemployment rate for southern California was just 4.17%, with Riverside being the highest
at 4.9% and Orange County being the lowest at 3.4%. Both Ventura and San Bernardino came in
at 4.4%; Los Angeles showed 4.0%, and San Diego is at 3.9%.
♦ This year, venture capitalists have invested $2.25 billion in southern California start-up companies!
San Diego County :
♦ 23% of the homes in the county have no mortgage.
♦ 25% of homeowners, have payments which are less that 20% of their income.
♦ Median household income is one of the highest in the U.S. at $66,178
Local median Incomes;
Oceanside $55,382
Escondido $51,857
Carlsbad $78,037
San Marcos $67,313
Del Mar $87,982
♦ there are over 47,600 households making in excess of $200,000 yearly.
♦ 22% of households make greater than $100,000 yearly
♦ San Diego is home to 34,950 millionaires and 6 billionaires.
California Employment Development Department (EDD), 2005 census, Forbes
So What May Happen Next Year?
Within the last quarter, we have had Alan Greenspan tell us “most of the negatives in housing are behind us,” the Dallas Fed Governor tell us that inflation appears to be under control, stock brokers upgrading building stocks to a hold or buy position, NAR reporting existing home sales rising, and the backlog of new unsold homes falling for a 4th straight month while the Pending Home Sale Index is moving up. In the U.S., the new median home price is rising. In California, home sales have held steady at 450,000 since July. Prices are up 3.2%, with the median now at $555,290.
Although the San Diego market has seen the most declines in housing of all southern California counties, the end is very near. Interest rates should remain in the 5.75% to 6.25% range until spring when they will take a drop – following the Federal Reserve’s lead by reducing the discount rate.
2006 was the year the buyers and sellers played chicken! With the worst being over, it appears that even with San Diego losing 25% of their buyers, the so called “Bubble” in real estate did not “pop” - it was just a little leak! The Great American housing Collapse is the dog that did not bark, nor will it in 2007.
San Diego has weathered the correction phase of the housing cycle without the blood running in the street, as some bubble-bears had forecasted. The consumer is still spending and businesses are still investing. The U.S. economy will do just fine in 2007. . . and that is why I am predicting:
“A Little Bit of Heaven in 2007!”
Jim the Realtor
20 Comments
Reader Comments (20)
I'll just say that he contradicts himself in many of his statements. For instance:
"With both spouses working, dual incomes would have a tremendous effect upon future wealth. Since 1979, a larger percentage of our population is becoming more and more affluent!"
What he fails to mention is that, as more households (HHs) move to a dual-income model, the buying power of those HHs is diminished. Wealth is measured also by what one's money can buy, not simply the number of dollars in his/her account. With more HHs earning more money, that additional money is competing with other dual-income HHs, causing prices to rise (inflation).
I'd wager most of us can look at our parent's situation, pre-1979, and see that they were actually better off with one income earner than we are with dual incomes, today. Back then, a plumber, teacher, firefighter, etc. could buy a decent SFH in a safe neighborhood. Might even get a nice lot with a pool -- on ONE income. These households also had less debt and could often help their children with college expenses. They likely had good health insurance, defined-benefit pension plans and took the odd vacation. Try doing that with our "wealthy" dual-income HHs today.
"A little bit of heaven in 2007." Gary, they are busy building an 10th circle in hell just for you. Perhaps that is the rosy warm residential outlook you imagine.
I'd like to see how he addresses how that he was so far off his mark on appreciation. Not to mention, he's using the wrong aggregated median number. He's using an aggregated number of new and resale homes as well as an aggregated year basis.
Hey, douchebag, Gary, nobody buys an aggregated home... housing values went down in '06 and they're going to go down in '07 due to the worldwide credit deterioration. If you can't see that, I don't know how you can call yourself an economist. It's like me calling myself a brain surgeon after watching a Discovery Health Channel special. You don't know what you're doing, and it's obvious to the rest of the world. What you're doing is unethical and immoral. You will go to hell for this!
John Doe
All jokes aside, how much of his DATA actually has anything to do with our local market? I am guessing none......
Please do not delete this post. Go ahead and moderate comments... perhaps you could set up a side journal (maybe call it "fluff of real estate?") and just post links to topics such as this.
The cheerleading will never stop. I've... become bored with it. Once upon a time, I like Robert Cote would want to debate every single tidbit. Instead, I just go "interesting, I guess prices won't go down so I will rent until its time to move out of state." You see... if I feel priced out, I know that 90%+ of the wage earners in California are indeed priced out.
I see that the implode-o-meter hasn't budged in days... but I have no doubt it will start climbing again... soon.
Take it easy,
Neil
1. "The Year in Review"
After a good first half, the market cratered in the second half.
2. "So What Were the Final Numbers?"
If you average the whole year together, it doesn't look so bad. And just remember all that great appreciation since 2000.
3. "So Why Do You Feel So Bad? . . . Could It Be The Media?"
There's nothing wrong with the market. Negative perceptions are truly all the media's fault.
4. "Why the World Changed in 1979!"
First, the high prices hardly even effect the richest 15% of Americans, who apparently have all the money, especially those retiring baby boomers who will buy properties until their dying breath.
Second, our country has sponsored a huge wave of immigration. Many of these immigrants have bought houses using "innovative" mortage products requiring no documentation designed especially for them, driving prices up for everyone. We plan to continue the immigration tide indefinitely using policies such as "family reunification." Remember, without immigration, we would have basically a level population.
Third, we are a very rich country. Surely we can afford houses at any price.
5. "Why we will continue to do well in 2007"
We have a great economy nationally and an even better economy in Southern California. Even though that didn't prevent a housing downturn from developing in the last half of 2006, it will certainly pull us out of the downturn in 2007.
6. "So What May Happen Next Year"
Rapid turnaround. "A little bit of heaven in 2007!"
Editors Note: I don't know about a little bit of heaven, but there's sure a little bit of heaving here in 2007 at this transparent and superficial marketing spiel. Expect Gary Watt's predictions for 2007 to be roughly as accurate as his 2006 track record would indicate, i.e., very poor.
Per San Diego numbers, we bring in ~ double the average family income, yet we'd become indentured servants if we were to buy a home at the median price (~480k). That tells me that things are still way out of wack, and the worst is not behind us.
With 70% ownership, affordability at an all time low, and subprime lenders going down weekly, where are the buyers going to come from?
Don't feel bad, but Gary probably couldn't care less about people like you. You're not the kind of people he wants in SoCal anyway. You don't make enough, and don't have enough money saved.
If you don't have at least 1M liquid net worth not in real estate, and at least 500K in income, no need bother applying. Gary doesn't want you here, as is evidenced last year when he used to carry around that sign that read "For-Sale: Rich People Only".
I kid you not. That's really what the sign said. According to my income and liquid net worth, I'm upper middle class. Still not good enough for SoCal. Take your business elsewhere according to Gary.
If anyone can't see what a prick he is... here's your sign.
Jim, how do you hold your tongue?
He'll blow into town for a seminar in the next couple of weeks, a made-for-realtor show sponsored by a title company.
In the ensuing weeks when I'm trying to list a house, I'll tell the sellers the truth. Johnny Newcomer who just finished reviewing his notes from Watts' seminar, will spew these nothings on the same sellers.
The truth is a hard sell.
People, especially sellers, want to belive that because there are 90 billionaires in California, then somebody will gladly pay the ridiculous price that they want. Because Johnny Newcomer doesn't know any different, and is just happy to have a listing, he takes the OPT (over-priced turkey) and burns the valuable market time.
It'll cost the seller at least 10% by the time they figure it out.
I just lost another listing last week to an agent who has closed one sale.
How can anybody make that mistake?
It's because sellers know it all. Agents don't help by sending the postcards advertising all the sales prices. It makes sellers amateur realtors, and they decide they know what is best - and hang on every piece of what seems to be good news (relevant or not), and ignore the rest.
P.S. Inman News sends their email blast to realtors across the country twice a day. He is the only guy who does it, and you would think he'd have quite an audience. Yesterday afternoon he published the blogging award-winners, which I was lucky enough to be included with a link here.
So far 18 people have linked through. I guess blogging isn't as hot a topic among agents as I thought it could/should be.
Thanks for a nice synopsis - he really is grasping at straws this year, isn't he?
I would like some clarity on this "heaven" he talks about. He didn't provide any other details/facts.
What the hell is that supposed to mean???
Gary "In The Bag (tm)" Watts is like that guy in the FedEx commercial. The one who's always wrong. He's the anti-Cassandra. Everyone believes him, and he's always wrong.
Is he really this stupid, or does he think everyone else is?
--Shannon
I wish you would delete this post asap and return to reality. Watts is an idiot. I will not return until his delusional BS has been removed.
PS-Keep up the good work.
Coconutz!