The average price of houses in Orlando rose in May, making it the fourth successive month to touch $165,000. According to Orlando realtors, this has been a peak period since 2008.
According to reports published by Orlando Regional Realtors Association, prices inched up about 1.5 percent in April and about 13.7 percent in May compared to the rates of last year. The report of the association mainly reflects the sales which occurred in Seminole and Orange counties.
The previous time prices of homes were this high, was in December 2008. At that time the prices were $167,500 – a sharp dip from a high of $264,436 achieved in July 2007.
The statistics
Members of the Orlando Regional Realtors Association closed approximately 2,651 sales in the month of May. Sales were down approximately 1 percent in the period starting from April, standing at approximately 11 percent. The available inventory rose from about 3.9 months during April to about 4.1 months during May. This is quite below the six-month level but is adjudged normally.
Probable causes
Zola Szerences, the Association Chairman, said that sales decline can be partly attributed to investor decline. The investors went away from Orlando real estate market as the prices increased. While foreclosures add sorely required inventory injections, they are responsible for slowing the sales. Like Orlando’s short sales, transactions due to foreclosures take more time to process compared to standard transactions.
After many years of shrinking proportions, foreclosures rose about 15 percent in May this year compared to the same period of 2013. Normal sale of homes lowered a little but still comprised approximately two-thirds of total sales. Orlando short sales went down by 62 percent in the period between May 2013 and May 2014. The highest decrease was recorded in the sales of Orlando’s condo market, which fell by 24 percent from last year.
Immediate future
According to Moe Musleem of Re/MAX Legacy, the reason for such an occurrence is that a number of foreclosures are now appearing in the market as the loans are being acquired by a number of loan servicers. He added that the construction of residences has quenched a little of the demand, but not their prices. Musleem is hopeful that a greater number of foreclosures will appear in the market. Since a lot of construction projects are coming up in Seminole and Orange, a large number of properties will sit out in the market.
