Orange County Housing Report

End of Year Expectations

Seven more weeks until the slowest season of the year starts, the Holiday Market.

Before the blink of an eye, everyone will be gathering for a day of gratitude, family, feasting, and football. That is correct, Thanksgiving is less than two months away. From there, it will be turkey leftovers, calendars filled with holiday parties, Amazon, UPS, and FedEx trucks will be parked in front of every door, and families will gather again and swap gifts with the ones they love. The holiday season is around the corner. 

From now through the week before Thanksgiving, it is the LAST HURRAH before housing transitions from the Autumn Market to the Holiday Market, the slowest time of the year for real estate in terms of supply and demand. The holidays are filled with distractions. As a result, the hunt for a home takes a back seat for many buyers and fewer homeowners take advantage of selling their homes regardless of how incredibly hot the rest of the year will be for real estate. The overall speed of the market cools slightly, and the market time increases a little bit.

 

 

 

 

The supply of homes available to purchase will plunge as many unsuccessful sellers throw in the towel to enjoy the holidays and hold off until the Spring Market. It is hard to imagine that there are that many homeowners lingering on the market, unable to sell, given how hot housing is right now. Yet, there are 513 sellers today, 24% of the current active inventory, who have been exposed to the market for more than two months. Also, November and December are when the fewest number of homeowners opt to list their homes for sale during the year. The five-year average number of homes coming on the market from 2015 to 2019 (intentionally omitting 2020 due to the skew from COVID) for November is 2,275 homes, 46% less than the annual height in May of 4,177. In December it drops to 1,533 homes, 63% less than the height in May. With both sellers throwing in the towel and fewer homeowners coming on the market, the inventory plunges. From 2015 to 2019 the inventory dropped, on average, by 23% by year’s end.

 

Excerpt taken from an article by Steven Thomas.

About the Author

The real estate industry continues to evolve, and I pride myself on being on the cutting edge, finding new ways to work with clients to achieve their real estate goals.

My real estate experience coupled with insight of industry trends ensures that I stay one step ahead of other realtors. I enjoy making sense of the complex real estate market in Southern California, and look forward to teaming with you and exceeding your expectations.

My passion for winning stretches back to my time playing professional baseball, and I know that hard work pays off-let me hit a home run for you! I’m committed to delivering your dream home or selling your current property at a winning price.

Affiliations: California association of Realtors, National Association of Realtors, Relocation Specialists.