Tahoe Donner Market Trends – 1st Quarter 2010

Tahoe Donner 1Q2010TD logoTahoe Donner Summary (Complete Report)

Low Inventory. The number of listings for Tahoe Donner single family homes for sale in the Tahoe Sierra MLS was 79 as of April 11, 2010. This is a slight increase over last quarter at this time, only a 5.3% increase in inventory of single family homes. This number is still low compared to previous years at this time of the year. We expect to see the usual increase in inventory over the next few months as we approach the summer season.

Lower priced homes are continuing to sell the best. The median sales price for single family homes in Tahoe Donner for Jan 10 through Mar 10 was $502,000. This represents a decrease of -17.8%, or $108,750, compared to the prior quarter and a decrease of -10.0% compared to the same period in the prior year. We still have lots of buyers looking for homes in the lower price ranges.

Market Activity decrease. The number of single family homes sold in Tahoe Donner, as recorded in the Tahoe Sierra MLS, for Jan 10 through Mar 10 was 38 homes. This represents a decrease of 52.5%, or 42 homes, compared to the prior quarter and an increase of 11.8%, or 4 homes, compared to the same period in the prior year. The market activity decreased during the last quarter, which is not too unusual for the 1st quarter of each year.

Homes are selling at about 93% of their asking price. The average listing price for single family homes in Tahoe Donner for Jan 10 through Mar 10 was $595,798. This represents a decrease of 10.9%, or $72,860, compared to the prior quarter and a decrease of 10.5% compared to the same period in the prior year. Of course, there was also a decrease in the average median sales prices of homes, thus the prices of homes may not actually be decreasing at this point. This data just shows us that more lower priced homes sold during this last quarter, which lowers the average sales prices of sold homes. Single family homes in Tahoe Donner sold at an average of 93.1% of their last listed price, during Jan 10 through Mar 10, compared to the same period in the prior year when the homes were selling at an average of 92.4% of their last listed price.

Percentage of bank owned and short sales, to standard sales, continue to increase. 28.9% of total single family home sales in the 1st Quarter 2010 were bank owned and short sale homes as compared to 18.8% of the total single family home sales in the 4th Quarter 2009.

Continued decrease in the average $/sq.ft. of sold homes.Average price per square foot for Tahoe Donner homes sold during the 4th Quarter was $255, a decrease of -4.9% (at $268/sq.ft.) compared to last quarter (4th Qtr 2009), and a decrease of -1.5% (at $272/sq.ft.) compared to the same period last year. Note: If you are a buyer of property, please remember that the sold price/sq.ft. is generally higher for smaller homes and lower for larger homes.