California Home Sales and Median Price Higher in June

• Existing, single-family home sales totaled 443,150 in June on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, up 3.3 percent from May and 2.4 percent from June 2016.

• June’s statewide median home price was $555,150, up 0.9 percent from May and up 7.0 percent from June 2016.

• The median number of days on the market fell to 22.4 days in June from 27.1 days a year ago, the fastest pace since May 2004, when it took 21.9 days to sell a home.

• At the regional level, the San Francisco Bay Area, Inland Empire, and Los Angeles metro area all registered year-to-year sales increases of 6.1 percent, 10.4 percent, and 8.3 percent, respectively.

LOS ANGELES (July 17) – Amid the lowest housing inventory levels of the year, existing home sales in California took off in June to their highest pace in nearly four years as existing home sales and median home price recorded strong gains on both a monthly and annual basis for the second straight month, the CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) said today.

Closed escrow sales of existing, single-family detached homes in California not only remained above the 400,000 benchmark for the 15th consecutive month, they totaled a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 443,150 units in June, according to information collected by C.A.R. from more than 90 local REALTOR associations and MLSs statewide. The statewide sales figure represents what would be the total number of homes sold during 2017 if sales maintained the June pace throughout the year. It is adjusted to account for seasonal factors that typically influence home sales. The June figure was up 3.3 percent from the revised 428,890 level in May and up 2.4 percent compared with home sales in June 2016 of a revised 432,880. Year-to-date sales are running 3.2 percent ahead of last year’s pace.

“A lack of available homes for sale continues to be the largest single factor influencing California’s housing market,” said C.A.R. President Geoff McIntosh. “With active listings 13.5 percent lower than last June, we’ve now experienced a full two years in which active listings have fallen on a year-over-year basis and the lowest inventory level this year. Would-be sellers aren’t listing their homes as many of them would also face an inventory challenge if they were to turn around and buy another property.”

The statewide median price remained above the $500,000 mark for the fourth straight month and reached the highest level since August 2007. The median price was up 0.9 percent from a revised $550,080 in May to reach $555,150 in June, and was 7.0 percent higher than the revised $518,830 recorded in June 2016. The median sales price is the point at which half of homes sold for more and half sold for less; it is influenced by the types of homes selling, as well as a general change in values.

“While June home sales improved at a healthy pace, the growth in sales was primarily in the mid- to higher-end price ranges. In fact, sales in the lower price ranges were down significantly as a tight supply of affordable homes continues to plague the market and impede the sales of starter homes,” C.A.R. Senior Vice President and Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young. “This factor has disproportionately pushed prices higher at the lower end of the market, leading to eroding affordability that either prevents or delays first-time buyers from getting on the housing ladder.”

Other key points from C.A.R.’s June 2017 resale housing report include:

• The June sales increase was wide reaching as every major region in the state posted an increase over the previous month and year. The Inland Empire experienced the largest year-over-year sales gain with a 10.4 percent increase in existing home sales from last June, followed by an increase of 8.3 percent in the Los Angeles Metro Area, and a 6.1 percent rise in the San Francisco Bay Area.

• New statewide active listings have declined for a full two years straight in June, falling 13.5 percent from a year ago.

• The increase in sales, coupled with the double-digit decline in active listings, lowered June’s available housing supply. C.A.R.’s Unsold Inventory Index fell from 2.9 months in May to 2.7 months in June. The index measures the number of months needed to sell the supply of homes on the market at the current sales rate. The index stood at 3.2 months in June 2016.

• At the county level, 39 of 51 reported counties experienced a drop in the unsold inventory index compared to a year ago. San Mateo (1.3 months), Santa Clara (1.4 months), and Alameda (1.6 months) counties had the lowest inventory, followed by San Francisco (1.7 months) and Contra Costa (1.9 months) counties.

• The median number of days it took to sell a single-family home was unchanged from May at 22.4 days but was down from 27.1 days in June 2016.

• C.A.R.’s sales-to-list price ratio was 100 percent of listing prices statewide in June, 100 percent in May, and 99.5 percent in June 2016.

• The average price per square foot for an existing, single-family home statewide was $270 in June, $267 in May, and $252 in June 2016.

• San Francisco County had the highest price per square foot in June at $909/sq. ft., followed by San Mateo ($848/sq. ft.), and Santa Clara ($662/sq. ft.). Counties with the lowest price per square foot in June included Del Norte ($114/sq. ft.), Lassen ($131/sq. ft.), and Siskiyou ($133/sq. ft.).

• Mortgage rates continued to dip further since the beginning of the year. The 30-year, fixed-mortgage interest rate averaged 3.90 percent in June, down from 4.01 percent in May but up from 3.57 percent in June 2016, according to Freddie Mac. The five-year, adjustable-rate mortgage interest rates edged up in June to an average of 3.14 percent from 3.12 percent in May but was up from 2.78 percent in June 2016.