2020 Tahoe Truckee Market Report: January-October

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Market Trends

Coldwell Banker
2020 Real Estate Market Report
North Lake Tahoe -Truckee
Residential Properties – Single Family Homes and Condominiums
Activity January – October 2020
                                                                                                                   
Residential Sales Summary 2020
 
Total Residential Sales:  
The Tahoe Truckee real estate market is still going strong!!
 
The last 5 months has been, by far, the busiest period our market has ever seen.  In mid May activity surged and has maintained at record levels since.
 
Prior to 2020, the record for number of sales in a single month was 182 (August 2017).  We have blown by that number in each of the last 4 months.  In July 292 residences sold (60% higher than the old record).  In August 265 residences sold (46% higher than the old record). In September 288 residences sold (58% higher).  And, in October, 266 residences sold (46% higher).  
 
Do you want some more perspective on how busy things have been?
 
The 266 October sales represent a 60% increase over the 166 sales in October 2019.  It is also 83% higher than the 10-year average for October.
 
Year to Date (January through October) 1,683 residences have sold.  That is already more sales than the entire year of 2019 (when there were 1,399 sales)!!  It is also a 46% increase over the same period last year (1,155 sales) and brings us to 154% of the 10-year average for the period (1,090).  For perspective, at the end of May, we were at just 86% of the 10-year average for closed sales YTD. 
 
Active Residential Inventory:
 
Active Listings:  There are currently 230 residences actively for sale, down from 510 at this time last year.  Contrary to what you might think at first glance, the number of new listings in 2020 is actually up almost 20% compared to the same period last year.  Typically, the number of new listings dwindles after Labor Day.  However, this year, properties are still coming on the market in hopes of taking advantage of the strong seller’s market.  There were twice as many new listings, 293, in September as there were in September 2019 (141).  There were also twice as many listings in October  (231) as October 2019 (115).  So, despite significantly more homes coming on the market, our active inventory is less than 50% of what it was a year ago (and typically is at this time of year).
 
Current Pending Sales:  To achieve record sales, you have to have record numbers of residences going into contract . . .  currently 310 residences are in contract.  Here are the numbers of how many residences have been going into contract each month this year . . .
 
190 Residences went into contract in May of 2020 (compared to 110 in May 2019)
318 Residences went into contract in June of 2020 (compared to 125 in June 2019)
298 Residences went into contract in July (compared to 150 in July 2019)
315 Residences went into contract in August (compared to 170 in August 2019)
281 Residences went into contract in September (compared to 170 in all of September 2019)
219 Residences went into contract in October (compared to 130 in October 2019)
 
Current inventory represents about 1 month of supply, relative to the last 5 months of activity.
 
Coldwell Banker Ranks #1:  Among all brokerages in North Lake Tahoe and Truckee, Coldwell Banker continues to rank #1 in total number of sales.  For the previous 12 months, Coldwell Banker represented 13.54% of sales.  This represents 30% more transactions than our next closest competitor (10.4% of sales). 
Median and Average Sales Prices:   These numbers are changing dramatically.  For the period January through June, the median sales price was $674,500 (up slightly from $669,000 last year) and the average sales price was $986,430 (up slightly from $975,296 last year).  Since July, we have jumped to a median of $825,000 (up 22% compared to the first half of the year) and an average of $1,202,645 (up 22%).
 
Sales Under $500,000:  For the period January through October, residences priced under $500,000 represented just over 19% of sales or 318 properties sold.  For the same period in 2019, 27% of sales were in this range. 
 
Mid-Range Market Sales $500,000 to $999,999:  For the same period, there were 836 sales between $500,000 and $999,999, representing 50% of total sales.   For the same period in 2019, 49% of sales were in this price range.
 
Luxury Home Sales Over $1 Million:  529 properties have sold over $1 million, representing 31% of total sales.  This is up 91% from the 277 sales in the same period in 2019 (which made up 24% of total sales).
 
What’s Going On Looking Forward?
 
In most years, activity slows in late fall.  219 residences going into contract in October represents a significant slowdown from the summer months, when close to 300 residences went into contract each month.  While this is a slowing of activity, it is still 68% more new contracts than in October 2019.  So, we are experiencing the “normal” seasonal slowdown, but the activity is still abnormally high for the time of year.  All indications say this will continue to be the case in the coming months – slower than the summer activity, but still very busy for the time of year.  When does this end?  Or, does it end? Who knows?
 
Why is this happening?
 
The residential real estate market is solid around most of the country for one primary reason . . . right now, HOME is more important than ever.  People are spending more time in their homes than they have before.
 
In Tahoe, we have a major amplifier to that.  The profile of our typical buyer has evolved.  People have always wanted to be in Tahoe, but that typically meant buying a vacation home (historically 80% of homes here have been non primary residents).  People from the tech industry started to have the ability to move up here, permanently, as much as 20 years ago.  In the last 10 years, high speed internet started to allow other professionals to make Tahoe and Truckee home.  Even Doctors and Lawyers could consolidate their live meetings into a couple days a week in the Bay Area, and then work from home (in Tahoe) the other days, while keeping their family here full time.  The Coronavirus has accelerated that evolution, as people across many industries have been forced to use technology to work from home and realized they can do it productively.  Also, the businesses themselves are now far more comfortable with employees working remotely.  This has driven demand for homes in Tahoe to all new levels.  People want to be here now . . . and, as long as Lake Tahoe and Truckee is more affordable than the Bay Area, that trend is not likely to change.
 
Contact Me Today to Find Out More about the Opportunities Available in the North Lake Tahoe-Truckee Market.
 
Note: Data on this page is based on information from the Tahoe Sierra Board of Realtors, MLS.  Due to MLS reporting methods and allowable reporting policy, this data is only informational and may not be completely accurate.  Therefore, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage does not guarantee the data's accuracy.  Data maintained by the MLS may not reflect all real estate activity in the market.  CA-BRE License # 1908304