C.A.R. Forecast 2008

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www.irvinehousingblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/car-forecast-2008.pdf

C.A.R.'s California Housing Market Forecast for

2008:Statewide median price down, pace of sales

decline moderates after tumultuous 2007

LOS ANGELES (Oct. 10) – Home prices throughout most of California will post

modest declines next year while sales of existing homes will stabilize from the

precipitous decrease experienced in 2007, according to the CALIFORNIA

ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (C.A.R.) "2008 California Housing Market

Forecast" released today. The forecast will be presented this afternoon during

the CALIFORNIA REALTOR® EXPO 2007 (www.realtorexpo.org), running

from Oct. 9-11 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. The trade

show attracts nearly 12,000 attendees and is the largest state real estate trade

show in the nation.

The median home price in California will decline 4 percent to $553,000 in 2008

compared with a projected median of $576,000 this year, while sales for 2008

are projected to decrease 9 percent to 334,500 units, compared with 367,500

units (projected) in 2007.

“Tighter credit standards, affordability concerns, and a continued standoff

between buyers and sellers will contribute to continued weakness in the market

going into next year,” said C.A.R. President Colleen Badagliacco. “Now is not

the time for homeowners to ‘test the waters’ – only serious sellers should put

their homes on the market in what will continue to be a challenging sales

environment.”

“Sales could decline more steeply in 2008 if the current liquidity crunch in the

mortgage markets has a longer-than-expected duration or if interest rates

unexpectedly increase,” she said

“Geographically, more affordable regions such as the Central Valley and

Inland Empire will experience greater softness in the resale market because of

the large number of new homes coming onto the market in recent years,” said

C.A.R. Vice President and Chief Economist Leslie Appleton-Young. “Higher

priced regions of the state, such as the San Francisco Bay Area and parts of

San Diego, Los Angeles, and Orange counties will react more to affordability

constraints.”

“By price-range, the highest-priced markets – those with medians over $1

million -- will show less stress,” she said. “The lower-priced markets will

continue to face fallout from the subprime crisis, tighter underwriting standards,

and competition from new home developments where price-cutting has been

even more severe.”

C.A.R. economists also projected a 23 percent decline in sales this year to

367,500 units compared with 2006, and a 3.5 percent increase in the statewide

median price to $576,000. However, the projected increase in the 2007

statewide median stands in contrast to the situation in most counties, regions,

and communities of the state, where slight to modest year-to-year percentage

declines have become more prevalent and will continue next year.

Historically, the last time the sales level fell below 2007’s projected 367,500

units occurred in 1995, when annual sales totaled 342,540 units. Sales last fell

below 2008’s 334,500-unit forecast in 1985, with 328,270 units. The last time

the statewide median price fell was a 0.5 percent decline in 1996. The most

recent statewide median price decline greater than 4 percent was a 4.5 percent

decline in 1993.

Leading the way...® in California real estate for more than 100 years, the

CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® (www.car.org) is one of the

largest state trade organizations in the United States, with nearly 200,000

members dedicated to the advancement of professionalism in real estate.

C.A.R. is headquartered in Los Angeles.

Download PDF for tables.
 
IR, here are your tables:

CARtables.jpg
 
Interesting that the OC did not peak until April of this year. .Most of the worst hit area peaked in mid-2005. . looks like the OC may another 2 years to go.
 
2008 forecasts for next weeks:

UCLA Anderson Forecast Presents: Orange County Economic Outlook for 2008

WHEN: 7:00 to 10:30 a.m., Monday, October 29, 2007.

WHERE: Hyatt Regency Irvine, 17900 Jamboree Rd., Irvine

Cal State Fullerton 2008 Economic Forecast Conference

When: Monday, Oct. 22

11 a.m. registration, 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. lunch and program

Where: Hyatt Regency Irvine, 17900 Jamboree Rd., Irvine

To me the most respected local forecast is the UCLA Anderson, but I remember that both had bad timing predicting the OC housing downturn earlier, anyway it will be good that the highly educated IHB team analyze the forecasts documents and attend the event (graphrix?), if this idea flies, I'll be contributing some digital "greens" in your tip jar, if not, well the local media will have some headlines and a summary of both events, as they have done it in the past.
 
Roo,

I do not know if there is a direct correlation but I believe there is some. More people came into the OC later in the game because of the old "OC property never goes down" trick. I think there were a lot of knife-catchers in the OC 2006 and early 2007 while the other areas like the IE and Sac had ran out of entry level buyers by end of the 2005.
 
If you want a laugh, check out Gary Watts' 2008 forecast that appears in today's Register Marketplace. It basically says "I was completely wrong for 2007, but it's not my fault, I couldn't have foreseen some things that happened. Anyway, I foresee the market to pick up again in 2008." Couldn't make this stuff up if I tried.

Housing slump should end soon, real estate expert Watts says

"Mission Viejo real estate economist and broker Gary Watts remains upbeat in his 2008 outlook for Orange County even as he acknowledged that his 2007 forecast was too optimistic.

“The numbers for September and October may be our darkest hour, and then things are going to improve,” Watts said.

Watts didn’t issue a price forecast, saying there’s too much uncertainty. However, he said that if house prices follow historical trends, they should go up by 3 percent to 5 percent next year while condo prices should drop slightly.

A year ago, Watts forecast a 7 percent gain in home prices this year. Prices are flat through August and are down in the latest weekly figures from DataQuick Information Systems.

Watts said he missed the mark in 2007 because he expected inventory to decline this year and summer sales to be higher. He also thought the Federal Reserve would lower interest rates earlier in the year, and he didn’t foresee the subprime mortgage meltdown."
 
"Watts said he missed the mark in 2007 because he expected inventory to decline this year and summer sales to be higher. He also thought the Federal Reserve would lower interest rates earlier in the year, and he didn’t foresee the subprime mortgage meltdown."

So basically he was wrong about everything in 2007.
 
2699, over a year ago I said on my blog that this is exactly what Watts and the other shills would do. "We'd have been right except that we didn't forsee [fill in the blank]."

They'd have gotten away with it if not for those meddling kids!

scooby.gif
 
Ah a flashback from the past is in order here. Here is that wacky Gary in December 2005.

"Gary Watts, an economist and broker in Mission Viejo, was the panel member most bullish on Orange County. He said home prices will shoot up 15 percent next year."

"Anyone waiting for a major spike in foreclosures to buy a discounted home should forget it, said broker Watts. "They're not going to see it," he said.Anyone waiting for a major spike in foreclosures to buy a discounted home should forget it, said broker Watts. "They're not going to see it," he said."

BTW has anyone ever found proof that he called the peak in the 90s? I have been searching for two years now and I have found nothing.
 
" BTW has anyone ever found proof that he called the peak in the 90s? I have been searching for two years now and I have found nothing."

Interesting. I have repeated this idea without knowing if it is true.
 
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