Archive for November, 2011
Ocala Real Estate Market Report October 2011
| $10,000 to $100,000 | 205 |
| $100,001 to $200,000 | 67 |
| $200,001 to $300,000 | 6 |
| $300,001 to $500,000 | 3 |
| $500,000 plus | 2 |
| Total residential sales | 283 |
| Foreclosures | 73 |
| Short Sales | 41 |
| Farms | 12 |
| Active Listings | 3782 |
Ocala area home sales were down in October compared to last month. In September there were 360 sales which is 77 more than October. Almost all of the difference was in the sub $100,000- range. Foreclosures are way down from the spring of the year with only 73 sales this month. Inventory is holding steady after a huge drop in the first months of this year.
Have Ocala home prices bottomed out and will there be a big rebound as in this article in today’s Ocala Star Banner? I don’t see how prices can go much lower but I also think several things have to happen before prices will go up too.
1. Out of area buyers have to be able to sell their existing homes.
2. Ocala unemployment has to go way down from the current 12% so locals can buy a house. You can’t buy a house, no matter how cheap, without income.
3. Inventory has to go down considerably in order for prices to rise. More than 6 months inventory is a buyers market. Inventory would have to drop from todays 3700 units to around 2000.
4. The foreclosure inventory, especially newer foreclosures, need to be sold off. Unemployment has to go down to keep more homes from being foreclosed. Banks have to stop using foreclosures and short sales as comparables when doing appraisals. Never ending foreclosures killed the Ocala real estate market.
I do think there is a growing pent up demand for new homes, especially in the 55+ communities. However buyers don’t seem to understand that builders can’t compete on price with current resales.
We are entering Snow Bird season which is great for home selling in Ocala. Winter is an excellent time to sell and if you’re sick of northern winters it’s a great time to buy.
Statistics used for this blog post are from the Ocala Marion County MLS and are deemed to be accurate at the time this blog was written but are not guaranteed. All information is time sensitive and subject to change without notice. Home sales are for Marion County only and do not include FSBO, homes sold by builders or by auction that were not listed on the MLS, commercial properties or vacant land.
Ocala Florida weather November 2011
November weather is great here in Ocala. The month starts with highs approaching 80 and by the end of the month highs should be in the low 70′s. This is the dry season. We only get a couple of inches of rain during the entire month of November. The humidity is gone and won’t be back until late May.
Although hurricane season technically doesn’t end until the end of November, I think the season is basically over by the end of October. Once again Florida escaped without a direct hit.
If you live up north and dread the winters then why not move to Ocala. Winter is the best time of year here. It’s basically in the 70′s with no humidity from mid October until Memorial day. We have the lowest median home prices in Florida and our property taxes and home owners insurance are a lot less than south Florida.
