[photopress:ei.jpg,thumb,alignright]I keep thinking about Dustin’s question regarding being able to go back into previous years, to determine if there were more or less active listings than today. Haven’t come up with the right answer yet, but came up with this random observation.
On 11/20/06 at 3:55:13 p.m., NWMLS was up to 191,000 listings taken. Last year at about the same time, 11/20/05 at 4:14:29 p.m., only 172,054 listings had been entered by NWMLS members.
Of course, that doesn’t tell us what we want to know, as NWMLS took on more territory over that time, so the increased number of listings could simply be new territory covered. But at the same time they cracked down harder on the same house having more than one listing number, so it could balance out. But they have not eradicated the ability to have a new listing number.
Seems to me this mls system of numbering in sequence could be useful, if somehow the mls would assign numbers by county, in sequence. If they would not permit different numbers for one address ever. If you couldn’t list in two areas at the same time, causing one listing to look like two. Some tweaking would be needed, but it could be done.
Another would be for someone much more geeky than I to reassign listing numbers, through some auto function, like the way Asset Realty Group seems to have a system to capture all “new listings”. They could capture only King County, and have their separate program assign new numbers in sequence, or simply count them.
Seems like the mls system of starting over every year, so that 24xxxxxx swithces to 25xxxxxx to 26xxxxxx as we say “Happy New Year!” is a little “old hat”, since it’s been around for as long as I can remember. Perhaps a different numbering system would provide agents with an analytical tool worth having.
Just a random thought, before I go bake 8 pumpkin pies, while reviewing the two offers on my desk. Sometimes having two offers at once is not as good as having one at a time. At least they have two different response times. I think I can “leap frog” them…
There’s definitely more homes for sale in my area, Ventura, CA than there were over the past few years. For example, at the height of the market there were about 35 condos for sale on average in the city of Ventura. Sometimes it would fall below 30. Right now the number is approaching 200. On the up side, buyers looking to enter the market are able to choose a bit more leisurely, and they are doing some tough negoitating, too. Buyers that would have had a tough time getting in the market last year, are able to negotiate seller paid points, closing costs, repairs, etc. In the multiple offer era a no down payment buyer was left to buy the least desireable properties because there was always a more qualified buyer for the best priced and desireable properties.
I hear ya. I’ve been checking on South Bay. A property I bought in Manhattan Beach for $545,000 in 2000 and sold in 2001 for $679,000 was sold in April of 2006 for $1,335,000. It is now on market at $1,399,000. I’m watching that one to see if he gets less than the $1,335,000 he paid, to see if prices are rolling back.
However, when I worked there, fall and winter always felt like “the market was turning” until we hit April again…so it’s hard to call.
When I was there in July, the far end of “the strip”, Redondo, was weaker than the more prestigious side.
I’m reserving my opinion on this market in other parts of the Country until May.
Here, we are pretty much into normal fall/winter. Lots of buyers not wanting the lots of listings on market. Lowballers out looking to steal a deal. Generally crappy time of year getting low offers on my listings and not finding the right house for my buyers. Been here before.