Home price gains in September rose over record August levels, evidence of residual summer buying activity, according to the first market report of the month to be released.

Late Summer Sales Keep September Prices Hot

October 7, 2013 in Beyond Today’s News, Housing Markets, Market Activity, Market Trends, Recovery Signals 1 Comment

Home price gains in September rose over record August levels, evidence of residual summer buying activity, according to the first market report of the month to be released.

All regions saw small up-ticks in yearly price gains as Clear Capital’s Home Data Index (HDI) Market Report said September prices rose to 10.9% year-over-year. In August, national yearly home price growth reached 10.2%, the last time Clear Capital reported double digit yearly price growth since the middle of 2006, the height of the bubble.

Clear Capital’s August prices remained 32.5% off their previous highs and only in line with 2002 prices. Additionally, the low tier price segment of the housing market saw quarterly gains of 2.0%, the lowest since April 2012, indicating the sector that kick started the recovery is already on a path of moderation. From its peak rate of growth in April 2013, rates of growth for the low tier segment, or home sale values in the bottom 25th percentile, have fallen from 4.1% to 2.0%.

“While national and regional rates showed more of the same in September, an interesting dichotomy is unfolding beneath the surface,” said Dr. Alex Villacorta, vice president of research and analytics at Clear Capital. “Strong performances in San Francisco and Detroit remind us that in a dynamic market, the only constant is change. For about a year and a half now, we’ve been focused on First-In, First-Out recoveries characterized by hard hit markets attracting investor interest, like Miami, Phoenix and Las Vegas. Now as the recovery matures, we see homebuyers re-engaging in markets that haven’t fit the typical investor profile.

“As demand calibrates to local economic environments, markets will start to find their natural equilibriums with moderating gains ahead. This should invite new markets, such as San Francisco and Detroit to share the spotlight as their recoveries continue to evolve,” he said.

Highest Performing Major Metro Markets
Qtr/Qtr Rank	Metropolitan Statistical Area	Qtr/Qtr % +/-	Yr/Yr	REO Saturation
1	San Francisco, CA – Oakland, CA – Fremont, CA	4.4%	28.3%	6.3%
2	Detroit, MI – Warren, MI – Livonia, MI	4.3%	23.3%	31.7%
3	Sacramento, CA – Arden, CA – Roseville, CA	3.9%	27.7%	11.0%
4	Las Vegas, NV – Paradise, NV	3.9%	32.2%	19.8%
5	San Jose, CA – Sunnyvale, CA – Santa Clara, CA	3.9%	25.7%	2.8%
6	Atlanta, GA – Sandy Springs, GA – Marietta, GA	3.6%	26.1%	21.2%
7	Birmingham, AL – Hoover, AL	3.5%	10.4%	20.6%
8	Los Angeles, CA – Long Beach, CA – Santa Ana, CA	3.4%	22.2%	9.2%
9	Chicago, IL – Naperville, IL – Joliet, IL	3.4%	21.5%	20.2%
10	Riverside, CA – San Bernardino, CA – Ontario, CA	3.2%	21.8%	15.9%
11	Miami, FL – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Miami Beach, FL	3.2%	20.4%	21.9%
12	Bakersfield, CA	3.0%	20.8%	16.7%
13	Columbus, OH	2.9%	6.7%	23.6%
14	San Diego, CA – Carlsbad, CA – San Marcos, CA	2.8%	19.6%	7.9%
15	Oxnard, CA – Thousand Oaks, CA – Ventura, CA	2.7%	18.2%	7.1%

Top

Lowest Performing Major Metro Markets
Qtr/Qtr Rank	Metropolitan Statistical Area	Qtr/Qtr % +/-	Yr/Yr	REO Saturation
1	Charlotte, NC- Gastonia, NC – Concord, NC	-0.1%	-0.4%	17.1%
2	Louisville, KY	0.2%	1.0%	18.5%
3	Raleigh, NC – Cary, NC	0.2%	1.1%	11.3%
4	Hartford, CT – West Hartford, CT – East Hartford, CT	0.3%	4.0%	4.0%
5	Rochester, NY	0.4%	3.7%	2.2%
6	St. Louis, MO	0.4%	-0.2%	23.3%
7	Dayton, OH	0.4%	4.8%	22.2%
8	New Orleans, LA – Metairie, LA – Kenner, LA	0.4%	3.4%	12.3%
9	Virginia Beach, VA – Norfolk, VA – Newport News, VA	0.7%	5.0%	9.8%
10	Dallas, TX – Fort Worth, TX – Arlington, TX	1.0%	6.8%	12.4%
11	Baltimore, MD – Towson, MD	1.0%	5.5%	7.2%
12	Pittsburgh, PA	1.0%	5.2%	4.5%
13	Richmond, VA	1.2%	8.8%	11.1%
14	Philadelphia, PA – Camden, NJ – Wilmington, DE	1.3%	5.2%	4.6%
15	Providence, RI – New Bedford, MA – Fall River, MA	1.3%	11.7%	6.0%

The Clear Capital Home Data Index Market Report is built on information from recorder/assessor offices, enhanced by adding the company’s proprietary streaming market data. It reflects nationwide coverage of sales by aggregating this data at ten different geographic levels, including hundreds of metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) and sub-ZIP code boundaries. It includes equally-weighted distressed bank owned sales (REOs) from around the country.