Foreclosed Inventory & Sales Down Sharply to Close 2011

Rockville, MD – (January 10, 2012) – The following analysis of the Washington, D.C. Metro Area housing market has been prepared by RealEstate Business Intelligence (RBI), and is based on the December 2011 RBI Pending Home Sales Index™ released today.

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OVERVIEW

The number of contracts signed in the Washington, D.C. Metro Area for the month of December outpaced the five-year December average pace by 22.1%.  The 3,169 closed sales represented an 8.3% month-over-month increase from November, consistent with seasonal patterns. Inventory levels continue to shrink compared to years past, with 10,684 active listings to end the year representing the lowest level since August 2005.  Foreclosed inventory is down sharply year-over-year as 58.5% fewer foreclosed properties were newly listed compared to December 2010.

As we touched on in the November DC market analysis, there has been a significant drop-off in market activity for foreclosed properties. The top four graphics highlight this decline, but you'll also notice an uptick in short sales during the same time period. The last two graphs illustrate how these shifts can impact median sales price trends.  Note that the median sales price for "standard" sales (those not involving a short sale or foreclosure) is up 3.4% compared to November 2009 while the median sales price for bank-mediated inventory is down significantly over the same period: 23% decline for foreclosures, 20% decline for short sales.