Black Knight reported in its October Mortgage Monitor that the percentage of cash utilized in home purchases is declining. Less cash is flowing towards home purchases.
Specifically, in the third quarter of 2015, cash sales declined from 32 percent in Q3 2014 to 28 percent in Q3 2015. For reference and perspective, the peak was 43 percent in 2012. And cash purchases on condominiums is now below 50 percent, touching down on a five-year low.
So less cash is being used to buy houses and condos.
Interest rates are going up — sometime, but very soon. (Probably tomorrow.)
At the end of Q3 2015 — September of this year — the US has seen 41 consecutive months of house prices increasing.
And finally, Black Knight also reported that the Home Price Index shows the 2015 volume of residential home sales are up 4 index points from 2014, a 7 percent increase in traditional home sales.
So how do you counsel your prospective homebuyers who typically start looking on the Internet 12-plus months in advance before moving?
Could you make the case to buy now in Colorado, as house prices will keep increasing in the Higher State? According to Black Knight, Colorado’s home prices have appreciated 10 months in a row, now 19 percent above the peak levels of 2006.
Or do you hold on to your cash and treat it as inventory?
In the state of Missouri, September house prices declined 1.9 percent from 2014. The St. Louis metro area was hit with an average decline of 4 percent.
Can you make the argument that you should buy in the Show Me state?
Better still: Buyers should show agents their inventory of cash, and you can advise when and where to buy.
