Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Vacation Homes: Why It May Be Time to Buy

By JESSICA SILVER-GREENBERG  for WSJ.com  WEEKEND INVESTOR July 23, 2011

The clouds hanging over upscale vacation-home markets are starting to lift. While prices are still falling in most regions, the luxury segment is picking up, and brokers are reporting more inquiries than they have had in years.

The upshot: If you have the money and plan on staying put for the long term, now may be a good time to buy.

Five years after housing's peak, markets that once were out of sight even for well-heeled buyers are now in range. On Hilton Head Island, S.C., a three-bedroom home nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and Calibogue Sound changed hands in April for $750,000, after having sold for $1.2 million in June 2006. In Vail, Colo., a three-bedroom home that fetched $3.3 million in 2008 sold in February for $2.5 million.


Overall, the median second-home price was $150,000 in 2010, down 11% from 2009 and roughly 25% from 2006, according to the National Association of Realtors. That isn't pretty, but it is only slightly worse than the 22% drop for the overall housing market. The higher end of the market—homes in the $5 million-plus range—has held up better, says Douglas Duncan, chief economist at Fannie Mae. "At the top of the market, particularly luxury homes, prices have proven very elastic, and have sprung upward quickly," he says.

Buyers are taking heed. On Palm Beach Island, Fla., sales were up 50% in the year ending June 30. Transactions in the Hamptons, on New York's Long Island, jumped 59% in the second quarter from a year earlier. In Aspen, Colo., sales for the year ending May 31 were up 10%.

The number of people looking at properties is up as well: In Vail, Hilton Head and Palm Beach, foot traffic has jumped by at least 30% this year, according to local real-estate agents. "People have frugality fatigue," says John Burns, president of John Burns Real Estate Consulting Inc. in Irvine, Calif.

This isn't to suggest the boom is back. In general, properties situated in prime locations—on the water or near a ski slope—are selling well, but homes in less desirable spots are languishing on the market. Banks are increasingly wary of making second-home mortgages, particularly "jumbo" loans above federally guaranteed limits; 10% of banks raised their standards on such loans last year, according to the Federal Reserve. And the tax deduction for mortgage interest on second homes is at risk of being cut back.

Geography is the best guide to today's vacation markets: In some places prices are holding up, while in others they are still tanking.

The blue-chip market consists of a handful of spots where prices have stabilized and could soon rebound as sales pick up. Some, such as Hilton Head, have benefitted from tough restrictions on building, which kept inventories manageable during the bust. Prices there have risen by 4% during the past year.

The other market is still very much in crash mode. In places like Miami, Fla. and even Martha's Vineyard, Mass., prices have continued to drop as foreclosed properties flood the market. But bargains abound as sellers cut their asking prices or accept less to unload properties. In March, for example, a three-bedroom home on Palm Beach Island, Fla., listed for $4.6 million sold for just $2.5 million.

With the broader housing market still so sick, it might seem the height of folly to jump into such unpredictable investments now. Even in blue-chip markets there isn't a guarantee of price appreciation anytime soon. Indeed, over time vacation-home markets don't do noticeably better than primary-home markets. Homes on Martha's Vineyard appreciated by 40.9% over the past 10 years, edging out Boston's 40.5%. But Hilton Head's 15% gain was trounced by nearby Charleston, S.C.'s 25.4% rise.

Then again, most vacation-home buyers aren't looking to make big investment profits. More than 80% of second-home buyers surveyed by the National Association of Realtors in May reported that they bought for consumption reasons—to live in the house and enjoy it.

And many second-home buyers are wealthy enough to pay in cash, sidestepping the restrictive and time-consuming mortgage process. Last year, 36% of vacation-home transactions were all-cash deals, up from 29% in 2009, according to the National Association of Realtors. "If you have cash right now, you are in unique position," says Paul Dales, senior U.S economist with research firm Capital Economics.

If you are thinking of taking the plunge, here is a look at some prominent markets across the country.

Blue Chips

These markets are stabilizing and, in some, prices already have started to rise.

Santa Barbara, Calif.

Median home price: $695,000
Median home price five years ago: $1,000,000


Market Snapshot: Situated roughly halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, Santa Barbara is starting to reel in wealthier buyers again, says Ken Switzer, a real-estate agent with Prudential California Realty. While prices have plunged since the peak, they have steadied out over the past two years, and sales are starting to jump, according to Paul Suding, president of Santa Barbara's Association of Realtors. Strict zoning and scarce available land helped protect Santa Barbara from the overbuilding that swept much of California, he says.

Who's Buying: With interest rates near record lows, restaurant owners Dave and Leah Larson decided it was time to buy. In June, they picked up a four-bedroom ranch-style home for $1.39 million. The couple says the property seems like a great investment because it is on a street where homes recently sold for about $2 million. "We're very happy and we get the tax savings on the second home," says Mr. Larson, 39 years old.

Aspen, Colo.

Median home price: $781,000
Median home price five years ago: $802,000


Market Snapshot: Housing economists look to Aspen as a luxury-market bellwether. Dotted with upscale boutiques and four-star restaurants, the ski town is welcoming buyers with ample cash on hand, says Steven Shane of SDS Real Estate, a local real-estate broker. Sales of $1 million-and-above are on the rise—especially on the higher end. So far this year, 18 properties priced at $5 million or above have sold, up from 14 in the same period last year.

Who's Buying: Laura Stovitz, a Los Angeles lawyer, already had a second home in Aspen but couldn't resist the opportunity to trade up. In April, she sold her town house for $3 million and purchased a $6.5 million home with three bedrooms, an office, gym and adjacent guest house. She says she isn't worried about falling prices because the posh ski town seems so "European in its appeal and will likely be insulated from the domestic market's doldrums."

The Hamptons, N.Y.

Median home price: $680,000
Median home price five years ago: $1,100,000


Market Snapshot: Prices have fallen 42% since their peak, but sales are picking up, say real-estate agents. That's thanks, in part, to the return of Wall Street bonuses, says David Adamo, chief executive of Luxury Mortgage Corp. in Stamford, Conn. Despite booming sales, prices have fallen in the past year, creating opportunities for buyers, according to Clear Capital, a Truckee, Calif.-based research firm. The best deals, of course, can be found away from the water, where inventories are high and properties are sitting for longer.

Who's Buying: Jeffrey Ponzo, a retail executive, is still marveling at the deal he got on his ranch-style home with a pool and tennis court in East Quogue, N.Y. The 45-year old New Yorker closed this month on the $950,000 home; a year earlier, it was listed for $1.1 million, he says. "The return on a quality-of-life aspect far exceeds any money I might have saved if I waited for prices to fall further," he says.

Hilton Head, S.C.

Median home price: $307,000
Median home price five years ago: $574,000


Market Snapshot: Sales are up 17% for the year ending June 30, according to Jim Keilor, a real-estate agent with Hilton Head-based Alliance Group, while prices are ticking up. The vacation spot, famous for its golfing and lush beaches, didn't see the overbuilding found in places like Phoenix and Las Vegas. "We were insulated from much of the pain elsewhere because we are an island," Mr. Keilor says. Interest from buyers is back to 2006 levels, says Randy Smith, a real-estate agent on the island.

Who's Buying: Steve Race, 52, purchased a two-bedroom oceanfront home in April. The former Lockheed Martin executive, who took a buyout in February, wanted a sunny spot at a good price, but didn't want to brave the "softness" of the foreclosure-scarred Florida markets. He watched prices fall for more than two years, he says, before deciding that even if they fell further he was scoring a good deal on the two-bedroom house he bought for $500,000. Given the uncertainty of the stock market right now, he says, he would rather have his "money invested in a home with real value."

Depressed Markets

These areas are still suffering—but bargains abound.

Martha's Vineyard, Mass.

Median home price: $403,000
Median home price five years ago: $638,000


Market Snapshot: Even though this exclusive northeastern island sidestepped overbuilding during the boom, buyers still seem reluctant, says Sean Federowicz of Coldwell Banker Landmarks, a broker on the island. The problem: Martha's Vineyard is made up of six different communities, some of which have had waves of foreclosures, says Carol Shore, a real-estate agent on the island. "Even though the $22 million waterfront properties are selling, the lower-end properties are dragging down much of the rest of the market," she says.

Who's Buying: In February, Brian Roach and his wife snapped up a three-bedroom house in Oak Bluffs for $740,000, roughly 35% below the asking price. The 53-year-old financial-services executive is comforted by the island's cachet, which he believes will help prices appreciate down the road. "At some point, you see such low interest rates and good prices and you don't want to wait anymore," he says.

Vail, Colo.

Median home price: $385,000
Median home price five years ago: $562,000


Market Snapshot: Unlike its nearby resort cousin, Aspen, Vail experienced a wave of development just as the market crashed, says Josh Lautenberg, owner of Sonnenalp Real Estate in Vail. Since the peak, available inventory has shot up by 40%, he says. Although sales started picking up in 2010, there has been another dip in activity while people "wait to see if the other shoe is going to drop."

Who's Buying: Falling prices didn't discourage Peter Tempkins, a 56-year-old insurance executive, from buying a $370,000 three-bedroom home in May. "My gut feeling is that we didn't buy at the bottom, we bought one step from the bottom, and for us it was just a great time to buy a place we love," he says.

Miami, Fla.

Median home price: $130,000
Median home price five years ago: $302,000


Market Snapshot: Miami was among the biggest casualties of the housing crash, in part because a wave of speculative building swept through the market. Prices have fallen 57% percent since 2006, reports Clear Capital, and 10% from last year. But bargains are beginning to attract more foreigners—particularly wealthy Venezuelans looking for a safe haven from President Hugo Chavez, says Michael Internosia, vice president of sales for Pordis Residential, a Miami based real-estate firm, who notes that such buyers made up 35% of his sales so far this year.

Who's Buying: Sam Mandel considers himself something of a second-home veteran. Last year, the 78-year-old retired physician bought a Hamptons home in Shinnecock Bay, N.Y. In February, he purchased a home in Miami Beach's Canyon Ranch development for $985,000. The two-bedroom condominium with beach views caught his eye because it was "distinctive and will be easy to resell if need be," he says.

Palm Beach, Fla.

Median home price: $254,000
Median home price five years ago: $758,000


Market Snapshot: A condo binge during the boom has led to a glut—and shoppers are swarming on low-priced units, says Alex Villacorta, director of research and analytics for Clear Capital. That is presenting bargains at the higher end, says David Fite, owner of real-estate agency Fite Shavell & Associates. Sales are on the rise: there were 29 transactions in the first quarter, typically the busiest selling season, up from 6 in 2009 and 26 last year, says Christine Franks, president of real-estate broker Wilshire International Realty.

Who's Buying: John Reid, a 57-year-old retired financial-services executive, and his sister are taking advantage of plunging prices. The siblings earlier this month purchased a $4.75 million four-bedroom home near the ocean, in an all-cash deal. "I got the sense that prices were nearing the bottom," Mr. Reid says. "If we wanted a good deal on a fabulous home, we had to act quickly."

Write to Jessica Silver-Greenberg at jessica.silver-greenberg@wsj.com

Corrections & Amplifications
Santa Barbara, Calif., is an example of a "blue chip" residential real-estate market where prices have stabilized. An earlier version of this article incorrectly labeled the section on Santa Barbara as Santa Monica, Calif.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Time to Buy: Housing Recovery Is Under Way

Housing affordability is at its best level in 30 years, according to Ken Rosen of U.C. Berkeley's Fisher Center for Real Estate, who says now is the time to buy and that mortgage rates will be much higher in five years. Stacey Delo reports. Image courtesy of Getty Images.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Georgia Estate With Private Golf Course

The current owner is asking $20 million for this Georgia estate, which features an 18-hole golf course, six guest houses and was designed by country music legend Kenny Rogers.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Even In a Struggling Market, You Can Still Sell Your House

Published: Tuesday, 12 Jul 2011 | 3:43 PM ET By: Mark Koba

Source: Openhouseok.com
Kerry Tramel's home in Moore, Oklahoma was on the market for two years before it sold.

It took two years, but Kerry Tramel and his wife Vy finally sold their four bedroom home in Moore, Oklahoma last December.
In the process, Tramel learned a lot about how to sell—and buy—a house in a devastated real estate market.

"We paid $350,000 for it and that's what we sold if for," says Tramel, who heads a local mattress manufacturer. "I was going to do everything I could not to lose on it."

The two-story house with 3,300 square feet was originally offered at $379,000. Tramel admits he could have sold the home right away if he was willing to take less money.

"I passed up an offer of $350,000 one month after it was listed by the agent," says Tramel, who has two young children. "I thought we might be able to get more, but we didn't."

As the housing market struggles to punch its way out of an economic collapse, selling a home these days might seem like an impossible task. But some houses, like Tramel's, can be sold. It just takes patience, a little luck, and a willingness to lower your price.

Even then, it's not always under your control. A key factor still appears to be that time-worn principle—location.

"It's really based on where foreclosures and falling prices haven't hit too hard," says Mary Cassidy, a real estate agent with Bronxville/Ley Real Estate in Westchester County, New York. "Housing's hurting, but there is activity."

Areas that saw the biggest gains from the housing boom are still the slowest to recover.

"For places like Las Vegas, and Phoenix where foreclosures are still happening, home sales are going to take a long time to recover," says Bob Walters, chief economist at QuickenLoans.com. "Other areas of the U.S. have OK sales, like the middle of the country or the East Coast."

While waiting for a buyer for their house, Tramel says he and Vy became "professional house shoppers" and learned how to be a buyer as well. They saw more than 90 properties.

"We were doing both at the same time, buying and selling," Tramel says.

In the process, Tramel picked up a lot about the local real estate market.

"I noticed we didn't have the runup in homes prices that other areas of the country did and we didn't have a lot of foreclosures," Tramel adds. "Home prices haven't had that far to fall, at least from what I can see."

Eventually, Tramel found a buyer. They were renting out their current home and looking for another place to live.

"They had been looking for a long time and knew it was a buyer's market," Tramel says. "But once they knew my price was at the lowest it was going to be, we negotiated on other items such as what may stay in the house. That's how we worked things out."

That allowed Tramel and his family to find for a new home themselves.

"We found a house just a few miles away in Norman that I really loved and we put in a low bid. We put in another offer but nothing happened."

Tramel used Halloween to break the impasse.

"I purposely took my two boys to the neighborhood for trick-or-treating and I saw the owner on the porch of the house we wanted," Tramel says. "I said, 'I'm trying to buy your house' and he said 'We'd love to sell it to you. Why don't you call and we'll work it out.' So that's what we did. The real estate agents still got their commissions and we got what we wanted."

What Tramel got was a 3,900 square foot house for $475,000 that included a home entertainment theatre. It had been on the market for just two months. Tramel says the owner took a loss but was willing to do that in order to move. After both parties came to an agreement, it was just a matter of closing the deal.

"I put 20 percent down and had to go through requirements for the loan with a local mortgage banker, but it was not really that bad a process," Tramel says. "The people that bought my house got a VA loan without any down payment. Not sure how that will work out, but I intend to stay in my house for a long time. I hate moving."

While Tramel was able to move up in price and space, other sellers are looking for a way to downsize.

Cape Cod Second Home

For Judy and Vinny Capraro, selling their vacation home in Cape Cod, Massachusetts this past May was a way to cut out a long drive from their house in New Jersey—and save money.

Photo: trulia.com
The Capraro home on Cape Cod was sold after being listed for just two weeks.
 
"We had a mortgage and we didn't see any equity building in the home," says 69 year old Judy Capraro, a retired public school teacher who lives in Middletown, New Jersey.

"Even though it's a very nice neighborhood, we were 'underwater ' and owed more on the home than it was worth. Home prices have fallen somewhat," Capraro goes on to say. "It was enough at least for us to sell."

The Capraro's bought the three bedroom, two bath house in West Hyannis 14 years ago for $142,000.

Renovations and rebuilding kept costs rising, Capraro says. Even with a fixed mortgage, the monthly payment of about $2,600 didn't seem worth it to Capraro and 72 year old Vinny, who retired five years ago as superintendent of schools in Edison, New Jersey.

"It's a lot different for people in their 30s and 40s and waiting out the next twenty years for the values to go up," says Judy Capraro, who gives music lessons to supplement the couple's income. "We just didn't see that happening."

The home sold for $375,000 after being on the market for just two weeks. The original asking price was $399,000. Like Tramel, the Capraro's didn't want to lose money, but the couple got an eye opening moment they didn't expect.

"The new owner, a woman in her 40s, came in with cash for the whole deal and that made up somewhat for the difference in price," Judy explains. "We wanted to get more money and we didn't really make that much, but in a way we were lucky to sell it."

With three grown children, Capraro says she and her husband are now content with just owning their senior residence condominium.

"We have a mortgage on this place and we'll be staying here for some time," Capraro adds. "They'll have to carry me out of here."

As for Cape Cod, selling their second home doesn't rule out a return.

"We can certainly go back there and rent another house during summer months," Capraro goes on to say. "We used to rent our own house sometimes. But now we don't have to worry about cleaning up, fixing things that are broken, and worrying about the place."

For both Tramel and Capraro, selling a home in today's market came with surprises and lessons learned.

"Everybody has to give a little to sell a house," Tramel goes on to say. "You also have to be patient, if you can. Also, know what you can live with in terms of price.

"I really thought it would take a while to sell," Capraro adds. "We're glad it didn't. My advice? I'd say get a good agent who knows the area. Our agent was right down the street and had customers waiting. It's a buyer's market for sure. Just be prepared to negotiate. Being flexible helps in the end."



Monday, July 11, 2011

The Top Markets for Rental-Home Investors

By Nick Timiraos July 11, 2011, 11:53 AM ET

Associated Press

Housing markets that have seen the biggest plunges on home values have topped a new ranking of the best markets for rental-property investors.

Las Vegas, where home prices are down by more than 50% from their market peak, offers the best returns on homes maintained as rental properties, according to the report from HomeVestors of America, a property-investment firm, and Local Market Monitor, a real-estate data firm.

The ranking takes into account the potential home-price appreciation and gross rents to forecast the performance of rental properties, specifically single-family homes that are rented out.

Rounding out the top five markets are perennial economic trouble-spots Detroit and Warren, Mich. along with housing boom-to-bust cities Orlando, Fla., and Bakersfield, Calif. Home prices in those markets have fallen below their 2000 levels, creating opportunities for investors to compete with existing housing stock.

But those markets also carry sizeable risks for investors, including the prospect of continued home price weakness. Vacancies are also high—rental vacancies are at 12% in Las Vegas at 19% in Detroit—underscoring the need for job growth to pick up.

The survey comes amid fresh signs that the rental investor is increasingly dominating hard-hit markets. Home price declines first began attracting big investor activity two years ago. Many buyers looked to buy distressed homes at a discount in foreclosure auctions from banks before fixing them up and reselling them quickly.

But faced with increased competition from other home flippers, investors have increasingly turned to buying homes that they can rent out for a few years. Those sales are far more sensitive to price, requiring deeper discounts to ensure that the rental income can cover the cost of property upkeep.

Total Las Vegas home sales hit a five-year high in May, according to DataQuick, a real-estate data firm, with the market fueled by low-priced homes that can most easily be converted to rentals. Around four in 10 sales went for less than $100,000, up from three in 10 sales last year.

According to DataQuick, home re-sales activity hit a six-year high for the month of May in Phoenix, which ranked as the seventh best rental-return market in the HomeVestors analysis. Like Las Vegas, nearly 40% of sales went for less than $100,000, and absentee buyers accounted for around 45% of all purchases.

Other top rental markets, according to the survey, included Tampa, Fla.; Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Rochester, N.Y.; and Stockton, Calif.

Top 10 markets for rental-property investors

1. Las Vegas
2. Detroit, Mich.
3. Warren, Mich.
4. Orlando
5. Bakersfield, Calif.
6. Tampa-St. Petersburg
7. Phoenix
8. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
9. Rochester, N.Y.
10. Stockton, Calif.
(Source: HomeVestors/Local Market Monitor)

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Seinfeld Lists Telluride Home for $18M


Jerry Seinfeld's Telluride, Colo. home has hit the market for $18.25 million. Plus, a Montana ranch for $12.7 million and a New Jersey home designed by the architect of the Lincoln Memorial lists for $4.3 million. Candace Jackson has details.

Mortgage Aid for Unemployed Expanded

By Nick Timiraos July 7, 2011, 1:34 PM ET

Getty Images
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan

The Obama administration will require mortgage companies to extend more generous mortgage relief to help certain unemployed borrowers from losing their homes to foreclosure.

Under policy changes announced Thursday, mortgage companies that collect payments on loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration will be required to offer 12 months of forbearance for qualified unemployed borrowers. Currently, out-of-work borrowers with these loans can receive a minimum of four months without mortgage payments.

Firms that participate in the Obama administration’s Home Affordable Modification Program will also be pressed to offer up to 12 months of forbearance for unemployed borrowers, though that effort could be stymied by regulatory or contractual rules.

Housing officials said the changes could help tens of thousands of borrowers. Housing Secretary Shaun Donovan said he hoped it would “push the mortgage industry” to amend their offerings.

The foreclosure crisis was initially driven by adjustable-rate mortgages that were resetting to sharply higher payments, but over the past three years, far more homeowners have faced foreclosure because they have lost their jobs or seen their income fall. Many of those borrowers can’t easily sell their homes if they get in trouble because they owe more than the properties are now worth.

Officials said the change was prompted by a slow economic recovery that has seen longer stretches of unemployment than in past downturns. “We’ve been looking for ways we can go farther to help borrowers,” said Mr. Donovan.

Around 3,500 borrowers with FHA-backed mortgages fall behind on their payments every month due to unemployment, housing officials said, and around 17,000 borrowers last year had been offered some type of forbearance. HAMP offers a three-month break in loan payments for unemployed borrowers and has helped around 10,000 homeowners since the program began last August.

Borrowers who receive loan forbearance, where principal and interest payments are temporarily suspended, will ultimately have to pay back the past-due balance after the forbearance period ends.

At a White House town hall event on Wednesday, President Barack Obama conceded that housing has become the “most stubborn” economic problem facing policy makers. “We’ve had to revamp our housing program several times to try to help people stay in their homes and try to start lifting home values up,” he said.

The program won’t apply to loans backed by housing-finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which are under government control but answer to a separate, independent regulator. The firms offer their own forbearance programs and own or guarantee nearly half of all U.S. home loans. The FHA, by contrast, backs less than 10% of all outstanding mortgages.

The Obama administration has separately committed $7.6 billion in funds from the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program to target housing relief in 18 of the “hardest hit” states. Most states have used some of that money to provide bridge loans so that unemployed borrowers can make mortgage payments.

A separate program, funded with $1 billion through the Dodd-Frank financial-overhaul law, allows unemployed borrowers in 27 other states to receive interest-free loans to help make mortgage payments worth up to $50,000 for up to two years. Applications for that program are due July 22.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

June's Most Popular Houses

Each week readers vote on their favorite of the homes featured as the House of the day. Tour June's winners, located in Ketchum, Idaho; New Zealand; Naples, Fla.; Winnetka, Ill.; and Belize.