Real estate porn goes conservative

From Bloomberg:

Home buyers in pricey markets are now scared to dream

Rising home prices in hot housing markets are robbing buyers of a favorite pleasure: looking at pictures of homes they can’t afford. Or at least, that’s one way to read a blog post published by real estate brokerage Redfin.

Traditionally, buyers browsing online listings have looked at homes that cost more than they are planning to spend, said Redfin. That dynamic has held true in such cities as Philadelphia and Chicago, where prices have remained stable in recent years. But in cities such as San Francisco and Boston, where inventory is scarce and prices have increased sharply, buyers are starting their searches at lower price points.

Denver is another good example. In 2014, the median price for listings viewed on Redfin was $359,000. That was 26 percent higher than the $285,000 median listing price for the city. So far this year, the difference between viewed listing prices ($379,000) and median listing prices ($337,000) is 13 percent.

There are a couple reasons buyers may start their search by aiming high. We all like to look at stainless steel appliances and killer views, whether or not we can afford them. More practically, it’s smart pricing strategy. If you want to spend $300,000 on a house, you might shop for homes that list for $330,000 and make a lower offer. The research looked at nine large U.S. cities to see whether real estate searchers were using that logic.

Why would buyers target their search below the local median listing price? Eric Scharnhorst, the Redfin data scientist who compiled the numbers, thinks it’s more likely that buyers are adapting their pricing strategies to hot markets where bidding contests have become the norm. “In a city where you need to compete, you start looking at homes for $280,000 with the exception that you’ll wind up spending $20,000 more,” he said. A simpler theory: In these markets, more people want to buy relatively cheap homes, even though few are available. Whatever the reason, homebuyers in the most competitive markets seem to be abandoning the urge even to peek at the high ceilings, Italian appliances and outdoor kitchens of their fantasies.

This entry was posted in Demographics, Economics, Humor, National Real Estate. Bookmark the permalink.

14 Responses to Real estate porn goes conservative

  1. Essex says:

    would still rather buy at the bottom of my budget than the top.

  2. Comrade Nom Deplume, Newspeak Editor says:

    [98] [prior] hughesrep

    See 99 and 100, prior thread.

    We can debate reasonable, probable, plausible, whatever qualifier you want, but it has happened and the elements are there for it to happen again.

  3. Hughesrep says:

    Saw that. Great. Thanks.

    Joe Biden to introduce Lady Gaga tonight at the Oscars. Two questions. Is he arriving via bitchin Camaro?

    Shouldn’t we wait until after the election and let the people decide who should introduce Lady Gaga at the Oscars?

  4. Comrade Nom Deplume, Newspeak Editor says:

    [3] Hughes

    If he arrives via bitchin camaro, I might just watch for once.

  5. Hughesrep says:

    Don’t google it.

  6. Comrade Nom Deplume, Newspeak Editor says:

    I’ve gotten off the fence. I now support a $15 min wage

  7. Comrade Nom Deplume, Newspeak Editor says:
  8. Juice Box says:

    Re#8 – Nom that is pretty good bait, problem is the Oscars are on Tonight, you might as well go double check your .223 inventory this evening to make sure there is enough for end of times.

  9. Comrade Nom Deplume, Newspeak Editor says:

    [9] juice

    It can’t be end of times if oscars are still on.

    And I’ve been stocking .556

  10. Comrade Nom Deplume, Newspeak Editor says:

    Of course with the oscars on, we know that anon, Otto, Fabian, and yome are preoccupied

  11. Comrade Nom Deplume, Newspeak Editor says:

    Spurs win, Gooners lose, Dook loses. A pretty good day

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