Category — Market Update

CLEARWATER, FLORIDA – An improving state economy, population growth and stronger demand are creating opportunities in the state’s residential, commercial and land markets, according to three experienced Realtors in Florida.

“To succeed in 2012, you need to think about how trends in the national economy tie into your local market,” said Clark Toole, president and chief operations officer (COO) of Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate Inc. in Florida. Speaking on the state’s residential market, Toole said, “Florida is such a diverse state, both geographically and culturally, that you really need to do your homework.”

Toole was one of three expert practitioners who spoke at Florida Realtors® 2012 Real Estate and Economic Forecast Conference in Orlando earlier this week.

Cynthia Shelton, 2009 president of Florida Realtors and a director at Colliers International in Orlando, discussed the commercial market, and Dean Saunders, accredited land consultant and broker-owner of Coldwell Banker Commercial Saunders Real Estate in Lakeland, covered the market for land and undeveloped property.

Toole said that key trends affecting the Florida residential market include strong demand from international buyers, a growing population – 348 people a day net growth in 2010-11 – and an upswing in employment.

Reviewing Florida’s housing market, Toole said that inventories of for-sale homes have fallen to 7.4 months on a statewide average, and just 5.4 months for listings priced under $250,000. He added that lender-owned properties (REOs or “real estate owned”) now constitute about 6 percent of inventory, but 40 percent of sales. Short sales, where the market value of the home is below the mortgage loan value, make up about 31 percent of current inventory and 18 percent of sales.

Toole added that property management and leasing will be an increasingly important segment of the market in 2012, reaching $11 billion or more, due to the large numbers of investor buyers and “dark” multifamily buildings with few owners.

Turning to the state’s commercial markets, Shelton said investors are increasingly interested in buying office, retail and industrial properties. Vacancy rates, while high, have stabilized, along with rental rates. “Core assets (essential to businesses) are selling and lenders – including the life insurance companies – are lending again,” she said.

Shelton added that lenders are getting more realistic regarding the pricing needed to dispose of their distressed commercial properties. “There are great opportunities for Realtors to find owner-users with the funds to purchase buildings they have been renting,” she said.

Looking ahead to 2012, Shelton said she expects more tenants to come into the Florida commercial markets, helping to stabilize conditions. “I think Florida has bright days ahead, as more people seek to own investment real estate in our market.”

Saunders said the state’s land market is also highly diverse, ranging from cropland, pastures and timberland to transitional and infill land located in suburban and urban locations. “Land has both an investment angle and a romantic angle,” he said. “You can own it, walk on it and enjoy it.”

Overall, Florida has about 34.7 million acres of land, with only 3 million acres now developed, he said. Local, state and federal governments own about 10 million acres.

“As real estate professionals, you have to understand how the various types of land are affected by global trends and local market conditions,” Saunders said. “For example, the price of a citrus grove is closely tied to the commodity market, and a lot of investors are now active in that sector on a national level.” However, Florida has seen a 34 percent decrease in its citrus acreage in the last six years, he added.

For the next few years, Saunders expects little demand for transitional land on the edge of the state’s cities. “There is a lot of existing commercial space that needs to be absorbed first,” he said. “There is pent-up demand for residential lots, but when that demand will be released is a big question.”

In the 2012 land market, Saunders said the biggest opportunities are likely to occur in the agricultural sector, as institutional investors purchase productive cropland to diversify their portfolios. “Take a look at alternative energy producers, as well,” he added. “They may be interested in buying acreage to support their biomass energy facilities.”

© 2011 Florida Realtors®

CLEARWATER, FLORIDA – Sometimes what people think may be happening and what is actually occurring in the real estate market does not coincide. So let’s look at the facts, and hear what some experts in the field have to say about Florida’s economy and real estate.

At the recent Florida Realtors’ 2012 Real Estate and Economic Forecast Conference, Chief Economist Dr. John Tuccillo stressed the slow but steady upward trends in Florida housing and employment, both of which have been overlooked. With prices at attractive levels, investors are back in the market and the distressed property market has stabilized. International demand has risen over the last year, adding to the positive trends in Florida real estate. Realtor panelist Clark Toole agreed, citing the increases in population and employment as positive drivers for the state’s economy.

In Florida and nationwide, restrictions on credit have slowed the real estate market’s recovery. While the average credit scores of approved loans under “normal” circumstances are around 720, in 2009 and 2010 the average was around 760. Easing credit conditions to “normal” could increase sales 15-20% higher. Dr. Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, shared his belief that there will be a 10% price increase in South Florida as bargain hunters and foreign buyers boost sales – taking advantage of prices that are too good to pass up.

Even experts outside the industry agree that Florida should have positive growth in 2012. While Florida employment growth has been weak and its recovery sluggish, Mark Vitner, senior economist at Wells Fargo, also had encouraging remarks on the state. He pinpointed tourism and healthcare as leaders in the employment recovery. International visitors to Florida’s many vacation destinations have boosted tourism, while concurrently stepping up as investors in the state’s housing market. Vitner indicated specific areas in the state where prices have bottomed-out and employment has turned around.

The Florida recovery is a marathon, not a sprint. Although the pace is frustrating at times, this slow and steady improvement is good for Florida. The state is moving in the right direction. Realtors can encourage positive thinking about the real estate market with their clients and back up their case with the facts. The national consumer sentiment number of 67.7 beat last month’s 64.1 and the analysts’ forecast, showcasing that consumers’ attitudes are brighter across the U.S. Consumer sentiment has improved each of the last four months. As perceptions shift to better match reality, sales and your business should change for the better.

– Erica Cross, research analyst, Florida Realtors

CLEARWATER, FLORIDA – The Malott Group

Two national studies – one from Realtor.com and one from Trulia – suggest that some Florida markets are poised for a real estate rebound.

“This is a positive trend for Florida,” says John Tuccillo, Florida Realtors chief economist. “While Trulia and Realtor.com aren’t completely accurate in home prices and sales – mainly because they base their numbers on only homes listed on their website – it’s useful to look at visitor behavior and note the trends. If Trulia says more visitors are doing a home search in the Miami market, for example, it probably follows that Miami is experiencing an upswing in demand.”

Realtor.com’s Top Ten Turnaround Report

In Realtor.com’s “Top Ten Turnaround Report,” six Florida cities were considered good bets for an upswing in sales. Realtor.com, which is owned by The National Association of Realtors®, says it created a formula to rank a city’s turnaround potential based on recent price appreciation, changes in inventory, median age of inventory, number of Realtor.com searches by visitors and area unemployment.

Realtor.com attributes the Florida cities’ success to year-over-year home price increases, reductions in inventory, lower unemployment rates and, in some cases, an upswing in international buyers.

Realtor.com’s turnaround list includes:

1. Miami: Ranked No. 1 in the report, Miami hit the top based on “a healthy inventory that is only half the size from a year ago,” a lower foreclosure rate than the national average, and an increase in condo sales.
2.  Orlando: While No. 2, Realtor.com says Orlando had more home searches than any other city when compared to the total number of listings. It also had a significant drop in the number of foreclosures.
3. Fort Myers-Cape Coral: Median prices in Fort Myers-Cape Coral have increased year-over-year, foreclosures are down, inventory is lower and foreign buyers are attracted to the area’s real estate prices.
4. Phoenix-Mesa, Ariz.
5. Fort Lauderdale: Inventory has decreased and prices have increased, says Realtor.com.
6. Sarasota-Bradenton: About one in 10 foreign buyers look in Sarasota-Bradenton for a home, Realtor.com says. Listing prices have increased and inventory has decreased.
7. Lakeland-Winter Haven: According to Realtor.com, the number of distressed sales has decreased significantly and prices have gone up.
8. Boise City, Idaho
9. Fort Wayne, Ind.
10. Ann Arbor, Mich.

Trulia’s Metro Movers Report

Trulia has debuted a new report that analyzed its home searches.

In one study, Trulia looked at the number of people who searched for housing in a city – including renters – and compared it to the number of city residents looking elsewhere for a home. An area with a high number of inbound searches and a low number of outbound searches, Trulia reasons, suggests an increased demand for housing.

According to the study, the North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota area had six times more searches by inbound people than outbound people, landing it in the list’s No. 1 position, but four other Florida cities also made the top 10 list:

1. North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota
2. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA
3. Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville, SC
4. Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach
5. Cape Coral-Fort Myers
6. West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Boynton Beach
7. Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
8. Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
9. Las Vegas-Paradise, NV
10. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford

Trulia also looked at the Chicago and New York City markets to see where residents wanted to move. Three Florida cities ranked in the top 10 for Chicago residents: Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater (No. 4), Cape Coral-Fort Myers (No. 6) and Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford (No. 10).

In New York City, five Florida cities made the list: Miami-Miami-Beach-Kendall (No. 2), Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford (No. 3), West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Boynton Beach (No. 5), Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach (No. 6) and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater (No. 7).

© 2011 Florida Realtors®