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December 2024 East Bay Market News

December 2024 East Bay Market News

The Big Story

2024 wrap-up and the year ahead

Quick Take:

  • Elevated mortgage rates dominated the housing market in 2024, and 2025 may look similar if inflation starts to ramp up again. Corporations are already increasing prices before more tariffs kick in despite record profits over the past four years.
  • During November 2024, the average 30-year mortgage rate rose 9 bps, adding to the 64 bps increase in October. Since September 2024, the Fed has cut rates by 75 bps, and we expect another 25 bps cut at their December meeting, barring a significant uptick in November inflation data.
  • Sales rose 3.4% month over month, up slightly from last month, which saw the lowest level of sales in modern history. At the same time, inventory rose to its highest level since 2020. Higher inventory levels created more opportunity for sales, although we don’t expect sales volume to increase significantly until spring 2025.

Note: You can find the charts & graphs for the Big Story at the end of the following section. 

*National Association of REALTORS® data is released two months behind, so we estimate the most recent month’s data when possible and appropriate.

 

Higher mortgage rates and higher prices

The 2024 housing market was marked by low sales volume, rising inventory, elevated mortgage rates (6.73% on average in 2024), and record high home prices. Low sales volume is easily explained with the combination of high prices, high rates, and the buying boom that happened from June 2020 to June 2022. Record high prices along with a high mortgage rate not seen in 20 years priced buyers out of the market. In June 2024, the median home price reached an all-time high of $426,900 and has since decreased to $400,000, which is in line with the normal seasonal contraction expected in the second half of any calendar year. The all-time high median home price coincided with mortgage rates averaging 6.92%, which equated to the highest monthly mortgage payment ever. Since June, the median home price has declined 6.3%, and we expect prices to continue to decline in December 2024 and January 2025 — the normal seasonal pattern.
 
As we close out 2024, the economy is doing well by just about every economic metric we typically use: strong job growth, low unemployment, lower inflation, and positive real GDP,to name a few. Interest rates have stayed elevated, which makes the cost of borrowing money higher and, in a sense, slows the economy.. However, even though interest rates have remained higher, the economy hasn’t slowed much while inflation has declined, which was the Fed’s desired effect. As we look forward to 2025, there isn’t much choice but to consider the anticipated economic effects that may come with the administration change.
 
Since last month’s letter, the incoming Trump administration’s stated economic policies haven’t wavered, so tariffs on at least three major trade partners — China, Mexico, and Canada — could go into effect in early 2025. Tariffs raise the price of goods for the importing country and, as corporate profits show, corporations are not willing to accept any downturn in their profits. In Q3 2024, corporate profits reached the highest level in history. For better or worse, we live in a global economy, and the U.S. is a net importer of goods, so corporations will increase prices to offset the tariff (tax) on the goods they import. The U.S. auto industry is particularly vulnerable to tariffs. If car prices rise by 25% almost overnight, sales will drop, causing a spiral of layoffs. Fresh produce is a major agricultural import for the U.S., especially from Mexico and Canada, so food will become more expensive after the tariffs. At the same time, immigrant labor is the backbone of U.S. agriculture and construction, which could be affected by new immigration policies. During Trump’s interview with Kristen Welker, he did not guarantee that tariffs won’t raise prices for the American people — because prices will rise. With inflation comes higher interest rates, so we believe, at best, that mortgage rates will stabilize around 6.5%. At 6.5% interest, a mortgagor pays 32% more per month than the same mortgage at 4%, meaning that fewer buyers will be in the market with a higher interest rate.
In short, there is a high probability that goods and construction costs will become significantly more expensive and that the U.S. will experience a labor shortage in agriculture and construction. Broadly, home prices will probably remain stable in the coming year with lower price growth than we’ve seen in the past four years, but new construction costs could dramatically increase along with delays from fewer workers.
 
Different regions and individual houses vary from the broad national trends, so we’ve included a Local Lowdown below to provide you with in-depth coverage for your area. As always, we will continue to monitor the housing and economic markets to best guide you in buying or selling your home.
 
 

Big Story Data

The Local Lowdown

Quick Take:

  • Median home prices rose slightly in November, which is normal for the East Bay this time of year. Prices generally contract in the second half of the year, and we expect prices to decline through January 2025.
  • Total inventory decreased 24.5% month over month, as new listings fell more than sales. We expect inventory to decline and the overall market to slow over the next two months.
  • Months of Supply Inventory still indicates a sellers’ market in the East Bay for single-family homes, but for condos, MSI implies the market is now more balanced.

Note: You can find the charts/graphs for the Local Lowdown at the end of this section.

Median home prices rose slightly month over month in the East Bay

In the East Bay, home prices haven’t been largely affected by rising mortgage rates after the initial period of price correction from May 2022 to January 2023. Low, but growing inventory and high demand have more than offset the downward price pressure from higher mortgage rates. Year to date, in November, the median single-family home and condo prices rose across the East Bay. Year over year, for single-family homes, prices rose 4% in Alameda and 2% in Contra Costa, and for condos, prices were up 15% in Alameda and 10% in Contra Costa. Prices typically peak in the summer months, and the mild contraction after the post-summer peak has fallen in line with expectations. Home prices will likely decline slightly for the next two months.
 
High mortgage rates soften both supply and demand, but home buyers and sellers seemed to tolerate rates near 6% much more than around 7%. Mortgage rates fell significantly from May through September, but rose significantly in October. Now, rates are far closer to 7% than 6%, so we expect sales to slow further.

Inventory, new listings, and sales fell

The 2024 housing market has looked progressively healthier with each passing month. We’re far enough into the year to know that inventory levels are about as good as we could’ve hoped, although single-family home inventory is still lower than we would like. In 2023, single-family home and condo inventory followed fairly typical seasonal trends, but at significantly depressed levels. Low inventory and fewer new listings slowed the market considerably last year. Even though sales volume this year was similar to last, far more new listings have come to the market, which has allowed inventory to grow. Condo inventory even reached a four-year high in September before declining in October and November. For single-family homes, inventory is up slightly year over year, but inventory fell significantly month over month as new listings declined at a greater magnitude than sales.
 
Typically, inventory begins to increase in January or February, peaking in July or August before declining once again from the summer months to the winter. It’s looking like 2024 inventory, sales, and new listings will resemble historically seasonal patterns, and at more normal levels than last year.

Months of Supply Inventory in November 2024 indicated a sellers' market for single-family homes and a balanced market for condos

Months of Supply Inventory (MSI) quantifies the supply/demand relationship by measuring how many months it would take for all current homes listed on the market to sell at the current rate of sales. The long-term average MSI is around three months in California, which indicates a balanced market. An MSI lower than three indicates that there are more buyers than sellers on the market (meaning it’s a sellers’ market), while a higher MSI indicates there are more sellers than buyers (meaning it’s a buyers’ market). The East Bay market tends to favor sellers, especially for single-family homes, which is reflected in its low MSI. For condos, MSI has trended higher in 2024, causing a shift from a sellers’ market to a buyers’ market, then back to balanced. Although single-family home MSI has moved slightly higher in 2024, it’s still low, indicating a sellers’ market.

Local Lowdown Data

 

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