Lake Tahoe Real Estate Market Report: Aug 6-12

Active Inventory Summary:

Active Listings: The inventory for residential Lake Tahoe real estate went down slightly from the previous week to 1,035 residential Lake Tahoe properties for sale; 774 single family homes and 261 condominiums for sale.  The inventory is leveling off as the sales activity has increased and the new listing are being offset with the sales.  Coldwell Banker has over 15% of the active listings in the market and continues to be the market leader for listings.

Lake Tahoe Foreclosures-Short Sale Active Listings: Of the active listings, there are 107 properties listed as Lake Tahoe short sales, (10.3%) and 13 properties listed as Lake Tahoe foreclosures, (1.3%).  The total percentage of distressed Lake Tahoe real estate listed for sale, (11.6%) is vastly different than the percentage of distressed properties sold on a year to date basis which is over 33% of sales.

Months of Inventory: Based on the current inventory and sales for the previous 30-day period, the market has a little over 8-months of inventory available.

Sales Summary:  Year-To-Date

Total Sales 2012 Vs 2011:

Total Sales: For 2012, there has been 748 residential Lake Tahoe real estate sold in the market as compared to 667 for the same period in 2011 which is a year over year increase in sales of over 12.1%.  Of the total sales in the market this year, 600 have been single family homes, while 148 or 20% of the sales are condominiums.  I n 2011 for the same period, condominiums represented 30% of the sales which is significantly higher than what we are experiencing in 2012.

Lake Tahoe Foreclosures & Short Sales: Of the properties sold this year, 131 have been Lake Tahoe Foreclosures, (17.5%), and 117 have been Lake Tahoe Short Sales, (15.6%) which results in just over 33% of the Lake Tahoe properties sold being distressed properties.  In 2011 for the same period, there were 138 Lake Tahoe foreclosure sales and 101 short sales or just over 35% of the total sales.

Sales Price Range: For the year, there has been 487 residential Lake Tahoe real estate sold priced below $500,000, 200 properties sold between $500,000 and $1,000,000 and 61 properties sold over $1,000,000.

Median and Average Sales Prices: The median sales price for Lake Tahoe properties sold year to date is $391,000 while the average sales price is $539,468. For the same period in 2011, the median sales price was $400,000 and the average sales price was $520,527 which is a (2.3%) decline in median sales price and a 3.6% increase in the average sales price from 2011 to 2012.

Last Week’s Sales: For the week of August 6^th, a total of 21 Lake Tahoe properties sold which was down significantly from the prior week’s sales of 38 properties.  Of the Lake Tahoe real estate sold last week, five (5) properties sold at a price above $1,000,000.

Pending Sales: Currently there are 221 pending residential Lake Tahoe real estate sales in the market which is up slightly from the previous week.  Currently 19% of the pending sales are distressed properties with 20 being Lake Tahoe short sales and 23 being Lake Tahoe foreclosures.

Market Activity Summary:

Total sales for the month of August through the 12^th is up 34% from last year with 43 properties sold month to date as compared to 32 properties sold for the same period in 2011.  Sales activity is brisk and on a number of the transactions the market is seeing multiple offers which have not been the case in the past few years.  On a year to date basis, there have been 748 residential properties sold as compared to 667 for 2011 which is an overall favorable increase of 12%.

Thus far in 2012, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is #1 in the entire market in terms of both residential units sold, (345 properties) and sales volume sold, ($138 million).

The median sales price for residential Lake Tahoe real estate has decreased from last year by (2.3%) to $391,000, while average sales prices have increased by 3.6% to $539,468.  All indications seem to be indicating that the North Lake Tahoe and Truckee market may be nearing or at the bottom of the market based on the sales activity and sold price trends we have experienced in the past 60-days.

The hottest segment of the market continues to be homes priced under $500,000 as over 65% of the sales or 487 Lake Tahoe properties have sold in this price range which is similar to 2011 where 444 properties sold in this price range or 67% of sales.

Lake Tahoe Luxury homes sales, homes priced above $1,000,000, are up 15% from 2011.  There have been 61 Lake Tahoe luxury homes sold which represents over 8% of sales this year as compared to 53 properties sold last year in this segment.  The median sales price for Lake Tahoe luxury homes in 2012 is $1,400,000 as compared to a median price of $1,580,000 in 2011 which is down (11%). Conversely, the average sales price of lake Tahoe luxury homes in 2012 is $2,075,438 as compared to $1,950,101 in 2011 which is an increase of over 6%.  Coldwell Banker is the market leader for Lake Tahoe Luxury homes sold over $1.0 million with 16 properties sold or 26% of luxury sales for the year for a sales volume of $23 million.

The mid range market sales, $500,000 to $1,000,000 are up 18% from last year with 200 Lake Tahoe properties sold in this segment or 27% of sales as compared to 170 properties sold or 25% in this range in 2011.

In the area of distressed Lake Tahoe real estate we are seeing similarities with the national trend of more banks supporting short sales as compared to last year.  For 2012, Lake Tahoe short sale properties closed have gone up by 16% with 117 closed short sales in 2012 as compared to 101 closed Lake Tahoe short sales in 2011.  Conversely Lake Tahoe Foreclosures closed in 2012 have gone down (5%) with 131 Lake Tahoe properties closed in 2012 as compared to 138 properties closed in 2011.  Overall, distressed Lake Tahoe real estate sales, (Foreclosures and Short Sales) represent over 33% of the sales in 2012 which is almost identical to 2011.

The active inventory of residential Lake Tahoe real estate went down slightly from last week to 1,035 residential Lake Tahoe properties for sale.  There are 774 single family homes and 261 condominiums listed for sale in the market.  On a year over year bases, residential listings are down 33% from last year at this time.

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? With the existing inventory of residential Lake Tahoe real estate in the market, homes priced at 12-year lows and some of the lowest interest rates in history, savvy real estate investors are taking advantage of this market and acquiring homes in many of the Lake Tahoe and Truckee resort communities.  Now may be one of the best times for Buyers considering an investment in a vacation home or investment property in the North Lake Tahoe area.

Contact Olja Mihic, Lake Tahoe Realtor Today to Find Out More about the Opportunities Available in the Tahoe-Truckee Market.

Note: Data on this page is based on information from the Tahoe Sierra Board of Realtors, MLS.  Due to Lake Tahoe MLS reporting methods and allowable reporting policy, this data is only informational and may not be completely accurate.  Therefore, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage does not guarantee the data’s accuracy.  Data maintained by the MLS may not reflect all real estate activity in the market.  DRE License # 1908304