Cash-only home sales rise in California
All-cash buyers grabbed a record 30.9% share of California house and condo sales in January. In Southern California's most expensive communities, cash deals now account for as much as two-thirds of home sales.
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By Lauren Beale, Los Angeles TimesMarch 1, 2011
Cash talks. And it's speaking loudly in California real estate these days, even in the nicest parts of town.All-cash buyers grabbed a record 30.9% share of the Golden State's houses and condos in January as low prices lured investors and others, according to San Diego research firm DataQuick Information Systems.
Cash activity has been brisk for months in foreclosure-ridden areas such as Riverside and San Bernardino. But now, the cash buyer has become a major player in Southern California's most expensive communities, where cash deals account for as much as two-thirds of home sales.
The trend is being driven by several factors, analysts say, including the difficulty of getting a "jumbo" loan from lenders still stinging from the mortgage meltdown. It also reflects speculation by wealthy investors who believe home prices are at or near a bottom.
"A lot of people think housing will outperform other financial investments," said Andrew LePage, a DataQuick analyst. "This is just a place to park their money."
In the Southland's $1-million-and-up market, 29.2% of buyers paid cash last year — the highest percentage since 1994, DataQuick statistics show. For homes selling for $5 million and up, 62.2% paid cash.
Overall, cash deals constituted 27.8% of Southern California home sales in 2010, the most since DataQuick began tracking the market in 1988. It's also more than double the 13% average for cash sales over the last decade.
The shift toward cash purchases started when foreclosures became a significant factor in the market, said Gary Painter, director of research at the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate. That's because investors buying properties on the courthouse steps don't go looking for mortgages.
"There have always been all-cash investors who think they can go in and flip a home," he said.There's just more of them now. Cash buying has reached fever pitch in parts of Orange County, where the Balboa community of Newport Beach saw the highest percentage of sales going to cash buyers last year of any $1-million-plus Southland community — 66.7%.
Chris Crocker, a Coldwell Banker broker in Corona del Mar, said well-heeled buyers are using cash to acquire investment properties and second homes or to better their portfolios.
"Buyers are looking out 10 years, and buying a trophy property for 40% off its price" before the housing downturn, Crocker said.
Within a five-mile radius, his office closed 24 all-cash deals in the $5-million-and-up price range in the last six months.
"The smart money is ahead of the game and buying before the summer selling season when they will have competition," he added.
Other big cash markets were Montecito, with 57.2% of sales, and Beverly Hills, with 45.6%.
"All-cash buyers are becoming the optimum buyer," said agent Ian Brooks of Rodeo Realty, Beverly Hills. "I just closed three deals in a row that were all cash."
Among the properties was a $1.73-million condo at the Azzurra in Marina del Rey, a 19-story building known for its collection of paintings, sculptures and photographs by artists including Andy Warhol, Ed Ruscha and Roy Lichtenstein that adorn the lobby and other public areas.
Brooks says most of his clients who pay cash are investors looking for a fast close.
"We call it land banking," he said, "because buyers are literally taking these condos and homes and they are betting prices will go up."
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Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times
Comments (19)
Add / View comments | Discussion FAQteddyphoebe at 6:46 AM March 01, 2011First, it makes no sense that buyers with this kind of cash on hand can't qualify for a jumbo loan. Also, with interest rates at nothing and the potential for big inflation on the horizon, why wouldn't a smart money legit buyer get a mortgage and hang on to his/her cash? I have to agree with those who believe this is dirty money.
StellaFox at 10:23 PM February 28, 201110% off the asking price = real estate agencies expect at least 10% benefit from having the money right now
TimothyDNaegele at 10:09 PM February 28, 2011Across the United States, home ownership has fallen to preboom levels. These trends are apt to continue and get much worse between now and the end of this decade.
See, e.g., http://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2010/09/27/the-economic-tsunami-continues-it...
Will California buck the trends, and will Southern California be an aberration? Unlikely, because there will be massive cuts in governmental services that Californians have taken for granted, such as libraries, parks, education, law enforcement and prisons, with commensurate increases in crime and an overall deterioration in the quality of many lives.
See, e.g., http://naegeleblog.wordpress.com/2010/09/27/the-economic-tsunami-continues-it...
Also, those who are buying for cash now may find that they lose large chunks of their equity in the future; and they may wish that they had sat on the sidelines with their cash, and waited until the "bottom," which may not be reached for another five years.
Home buying, cash only, real estate: All-cash home sales rise in California to over 30% -Los Angeles-Platinum Triangle-Beverly Hills-Bel Air-Holmby Hills-Sunset Strip-Hollywood Hills-Luxury Estates-Mansions-Celebrity Homes-Homes For Sale-Listings-Realtor-Real Estate – http://www.ChristopheChoo.com
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