Miami Luxury Home Sales Surge Double Digits in October; Total Sales, Median Prices Also Increase

MIAMI, Nov. 21, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Miami-Dade County luxury $1-million-and-up home sales, total home transactions, single-family home purchases, median sale prices and dollar volume increased year-over-year in October 2019, according to the MIAMI Association of Realtors (MIAMI) and the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) system.

Miami single-family home sales are up 2.3% year-to-date compared to first 10 months of last year; condo sales are up 0.5% year-to date. Miami real estate continues seeing increased demand as months of supply and inventory trends downward for both property types.

"Miami's rise as a global city, a new federal tax law limiting deductions on state and local taxes and low mortgage rates continue boosting home sales," MIAMI Chairman of the Board José María Serrano said. "Northerners and other homebuyers are not just purchasing second homes; they are bringing businesses and moving here full time."

Miami Luxury Home Sales, Total Sales Rise in October
Total luxury ($1-million-and-up) home sales surged 13.8% year-over-year in October 2019, from 123 to 140. Single-family home luxury sales jumped 16.7% to 77 transactions last month. Condo luxury sales increased 10.5% to 63 transactions.

Total Miami-Dade County home sales increased 3.1% year-over-year, from 2,285 to 2,355. With consumer confidence rising, unemployment low, job creation high and increased migration to Florida, Miami real estate should enjoy steady growth.

Miami single-family home sales increased 6.8%, from 1,073 to 1,146. Miami existing condo sales decreased a negligible 0.2%, from 1,212 to 1,209.

The increased number of luxury transactions raised the total dollar volume for Miami real estate last month. Single-family home dollar volume rose 7.7%, from $522.9 million to $563.1 million. Condo dollar volume jumped 8.1%, from $426.2 million to $460.7 million.

According to Freddie Mac, the average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage increased to 3.69% in October, up from 3.61% in September. The average commitment rate across all of 2018 was 4.54%.

Lack of access to mortgage loans continues to inhibit further growth of the existing condominium market. Of the 9,307 condominium buildings in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, only 13 are approved for Federal Housing Administration loans, down from 29 last year, according to Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation and FHA.

A new condo approval process could increase sales in the future. The new guidance, which went into effect in mid-October, extends certifications from two years to three, allows for single-unit mortgage approvals, provides more flexibility with owner/occupancy ratios, and increases the allowable number of FHA loans in a single project. The changes, many of which MIAMI and NAR has championed, are expected to generate increased homeownership opportunities.

Almost Eight Consecutive Years of Price Appreciation in Miami
Miami-Dade County single-family home prices increased 6.8% in October 2019, increasing from $350,000 to $365,000. Miami single-family home prices have risen for 95 consecutive months, a streak of 7.92 years. Existing condo prices increased 5.1%, from $235,000 to $247,000. Condo prices have increased or stayed even in 97 of the last 101 months.

Despite the price increase, Miami, where the median price is still comparable to 2006 figures, remains a bargain compared to other global cities. In Miami, $1 million can net homebuyers 93 square meters of prime property, according to Knight Frank's 2019 The Wealth Report. Monaco (16 square meters), Hong Kong (22), New York (31), Los Angeles (36) and others offer significantly less prime land for $1 million.

Miami Distressed Sales Stay Low, Reflecting Healthy Market
Only 6.4% of all closed residential sales in Miami were distressed last month, including REO (bank-owned properties) and short sales, compared to 6.6% in October 2019. In 2009, distressed sales comprised 70% of Miami sales.

Total Miami distressed sales stayed even at 150 in October 2018 and October 2019.

Short sales and REOs accounted for 1.2% and 5.1%, respectively, of total Miami sales in October 2019. Short sale transactions increased 3.6% year-over-year while REOs decreased 0.82% percent.

Nationally, distressed sales represented 2% of sales in October, unchanged from September but down from 3% in October 2018.

Miami Real Estate Selling Close to List Price
The median number of days between listing and contract dates for Miami single-family home sales was 50 days, a 16.3% increase from 43 days last year. The median number of days between the listing date and closing date for single-family homes was 95 days, a 6.7% percent increase from 89 days.

The median time to contract for condos was 71 days, a 1.4% increase from 70 days last year. The median number of days between listing date and closing date stayed even at 113 days.

The median percent of original list price received for single-family homes was 95.9 percent. The median percent of original list price received for existing condominiums was 93.7 percent.

National and State Statistics
Nationally, total existing-home sales transactions increased 1.9% from September to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 5.46 million in October. Despite lingering regional variances, overall sales are up 4.6% from a year ago (5.22 million in October 2018).

Statewide closed sales of existing single-family homes totaled 23,440 last month, up 5.2% from October 2018, according to Florida Realtors. Florida's condo-townhouse market totaled 9,226, relatively the same level (down 0.5%) as a year ago. Closed sales may occur from 30- to 90-plus days after sales contracts are written.

The national median existing-home price for all housing types in October was $270,900, up 6.2% from October 2018 ($255,100), as prices rose in all regions. October's price increase marks 92 straight months of year-over-year gains.

Statewide median sales prices for both single-family homes and condo-townhouse properties in October rose year-over-year for 94 months in a row. The statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes was $263,000, up 3.6% from the previous year, according to data from Florida Realtors Research Department in partnership with local Realtor boards/associations. Last month's statewide median price for condo-townhouse units was $190,500, up 5.8% over the year-ago figure. The median is the midpoint; half the homes sold for more, half for less.

Miami's Cash Buyers Represent Almost Double the National Figure
Miami cash transactions comprised 32.6% of October 2019 total closed sales, compared to 37.2% last year. Miami cash transactions are almost double the national figure (19%).

Miami's high percentage of cash sales reflects South Florida's ability to attract a diverse number of international homebuyers, who tend to purchase properties in all cash.

Condominiums comprise a large portion of Miami's cash purchases as 43.9% of condo closings were made in cash in October compared to 20.7% of single-family home sales.

Seller's Market for Single-Family Homes, Buyer's Market for Condos
Inventory of single-family homes decreased 4.6% in October from 6,864 active listings last year to 6,548 last month. Condominium inventory decreased 4% to 15,295 from 15,928 listings during the same period in 2018.

Months supply of inventory for single-family homes decreased 6.3% to 6 months, which indicates a seller's market. Existing condominiums have a 13.2-month supply, which indicates a buyer's market. A balanced market between buyers and sellers offers between six- and nine-months supply.

Total active listings at the end of October decreased 4.2% year-over-year, from 22,792 to 21,843. Active listings remain about 60 percent below 2008 levels when sales bottomed.

New listings of Miami single-family homes decreased 4% percent to 1,835 from 1,912. New listings of condominiums decreased 10.9%, from 2,641 to 2,354.

Nationally, total housing inventory at the end of October sat at 1.77 million units, down approximately 2.7% from September and 4.3% from one year ago (1.85 million). Unsold inventory sits at a 3.9-month supply at the current sales pace, down from 4.1 months in September and from the 4.3-month figure recorded in October 2018.

To access October 2019 Miami-Dade Statistical Reports, visit https://www.miamirealtors.com/news/south-florida-market-intelligence?

Note: Statistics in this news release may vary depending on reporting dates. MIAMI reports exact statistics directly from its MLS system.

About the MIAMI Association of Realtors
The MIAMI Association of Realtors was chartered by the National Association of Realtors in 1920 and is celebrating 99 years of service to Realtors, the buying and selling public, and the communities in South Florida. Comprised of six organizations, the Residential Association, the Realtors Commercial Alliance, the Broward-MIAMI Association of Realtors, the Jupiter Tequesta Hobe Sound (JTHS-MIAMI) Council, the Young Professionals Network (YPN) Council and the award-winning International Council, it represents 52,000 total real estate professionals in all aspects of real estate sales, marketing, and brokerage. It is the largest local Realtor association in the U.S. and has official partnerships with 221 international organizations worldwide. MIAMI's official website is http://www.MiamiRealtors.com

SOURCE MIAMI Association of Realtors

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