The
Florida press reacts to the home sale numbers. The Palm Beach Post, “Even the most steadfast residential real estate bull is going to have a hard time denying the bear is in the house with Wednesday’s sales report from the Florida Association of Realtors. Now, buyers are calling the shots.”
“The slowdown has caused an astounding 49-month supply of existing homes for sale in Palm Beach County, Regional MLS records show. ‘It’s very frustrating because there aren’t a lot of buyers, and all the negotiating power is on the other side now,’ said Richard Klein, who has had his four-bedroom, three-bath home west of Boca Raton on the market for three months.”
“He has had no serious offers, even though he dropped the price $50,000. ‘The buyers who are out there now are very aggressively looking for tremendous price cuts,’ said Klein’s agent, Barbara Siegel.”
“‘In most neighborhoods where we sell property, the average sales price has dropped more than 20 percent this year,’ said broker Thomas Moffett, whose office sells property in central Palm Beach County.”
The
Sun Sentinel. “Palm Beach County existing home sales fell a whopping 53 percent in September. The county’s year-over-year median price dropped $34,500 or 9 percent last month, the Florida Association of Realtors said Wednesday.”
“Mike Larson, an analyst in Jupiter, said that builders are offering $100,000 discounts, one-day sales and other perks, which are helping lower home values across the region. Sellers of existing homes can’t match those incentives, so inventory is piling up.