By Nick Timiraos June 4, 2012, 11:30 AM for www.wsj.com
Active home buyers are increasingly concerned about rising prices, prompting a growing number to slow down their purchase plans, according to a new survey.
The findings are from real-estate brokerage Redfin, which surveyed more than 1,200 home buyers in 18 metro areas who had toured a home since March 1.
The company found that 49% of respondents believe that it’s a good time to buy a home, down from 56% last quarter. The share of buyers who think it’s a good time to sell more than doubled, to 28% of respondents.
Nearly six in 10 respondents said that low inventory remained their top concern with buying right now—by far the most predominant worry of buyers. The supply of homes listed for sale nationally is down by 20% from one year ago, and markets such as Phoenix, Orlando and Oakland, Calif., have around half as many homes for sale as one year ago.
More than seven in 10 buyers said they had faced a competing offer when making an offer for a home.
Given those experiences, perhaps it isn’t surprising that 58% of buyers said they think prices will increase, up from 34% last quarter. Meanwhile, just 9% of buyers said that concerns about falling prices were making them reluctant to buy right now, down from 29% three months ago.
The lack of supply and the uptick in multiple offer situations is surprising to many buyers and could lead some frustrated buyers to stand back. More than one-quarter of buyers said they would stand back from the market if prices went up or they were in a multiple-offer situation, while 10% of respondents said they’d do what it takes to win a competitive bid.
The survey also found that 16% of buyers were worried about fatigue from bidding wars and that 21% were concerned about prices rising beyond what they could afford.
“The overwhelming sentiment among home buyers is that there aren’t enough good homes for sale,” said Glenn Kelman, Redfin’s chief executive. “Who would sell right now if he didn’t have to?”
Inventories are also low because banks have put fewer foreclosed properties on the market. The Redfin survey found that 57% of buyers were very interested in conventional sales, up from 48% three months ago. Buyer interest for new homes, foreclosures, and short sales showed little change from last quarter.
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Original Post: http://blogs.wsj.com/developments/2012/06/04/survey-buyers-frustrated-by-low-inventory-rising-prices/
