Berkshires Real Estate Market Value Opinions can often reflect serious Conflicts of Interest

Sellers of real estate tend to seek the advice of one or more Realtors ® to provide a market value opinion upon which to base a listing price.  Home valuation advice from Realtors® can be fraught with conflict of interest. The Realtor® is strongly motivated to get the seller’s signature on the listing (collecting a fee when and if the property sells) and the seller can be easily convinced that their home is worth more than actual current market value of similar homes. 

One of the most common problems seen in the real estate trade is “buying the listing”. What this means is that the agent that suggests the highest list price to a seller typically walks away with the listing. Once the Realtor® has the contract signed, the Realtor® then begins to work the price down to the point at which the property will sell.

“Buying the listing” occurs so often that every agency and Broker has a story to tell.  Our agency recently had firsthand experience with such a story, which involved another local Realtor® and seller.  This particular seller had asked several agents to provide them with a market value estimate for the home.   After doing a comparative analysis of the local Berkshire Market and previously sold homes similar to the seller’s the Harsch Associates agent had suggested its selling price would be approximately $320,000.

 A competing agent priced it substantially higher and obtained the listing at a starting price of $495,000. This seller became another unwitting victim of “buying the listing”. Both agents are very active in the community.   The difference in this transaction was the vanity pricing which netted a new listing for the agent who gave the highest valuation to the seller.

Once listed there followed a series of price adjustments over the course of the next 10 months.  The starting price of $495,000 reduced to $439,000 and then dropped again to $399,000, and finally down then down to $349,000.  At which point a buyer was found and the home was sold after 11 months at $316,800. 

Was a conflict of interest readily evident?  Was harm done related to the conflict of interest?  Yes it was.   Placing a time value on money reveals that at 1.5% carrying cost monthly for an unsold home and the additional 10 months on the market cost the seller $47,520.  That is if we value the home at the sale value of $316,800.  In fact, in this seller’s case, time was important.  The seller wanted a rapid sale for undisclosed reasons.   It is reasonable to argue that the seller lost on this sale related to the vanity or “buying the listing” price given by the agent who obtained the seller’s listing. 

In a recent article by Prudential Real Estate, the author concluded that an unsold home costs 1.5% of its value, per month to own. This includes all costs such as debt service (or the value of money), upkeep, insurance, taxes, etc.  This seller lost an extra eight months opportunity to sell because his house was overpriced at the outset.  

Overpricing cost the seller time and money because when homebuyers search for a Berkshire home, they tend to search within a selected price range.  Whether it is in Williamstown or Stockbridge, Lenox or Great Barrington pricing your home above what it is actually worth in the current Berkshires market means that your home will never appear in a net search result unless the buyer is willing to spend above the market value.  In this buyer’s market, the willingness to spend above value is very unlikely. 

Beware of an agent who suggests a price that far exceeds what another agent has quoted to you. 

Get and use a Berkshire County bank approved licensed appraiser and appraisal to utilize as your definitive guide to the loan value of your property.   Look at the local tax assessor’s valuation of your property.  Consider seriously selecting the agent whose opinion is closest to that of the appraiser and within a reasonable dollar number of the assessor’s valuation.    That Realtor® is more attuned to the market and more likely to sell your home in the shortest time for the best price.  If a bank loan falls through because your property is overpriced, you have lost valuable time, opportunity and money.

If you do decide to list with the agent that suggests the highest price, oblige them to indicate the period within which they will sell at the higher price.  Hold the agent to that promise by limiting the listing term.  If the agent in our example above who listed at $495,000 would have been obliged to place a time limit on the contract, the Realtor® might have considered pricing the listing within true market value.   The only winner in this particular situation was the Realtor® who “bought the listing” by feeding the seller a price, which seemed to be a potentially wonderful windfall waiting to happen which then turned into a tornado that cost the seller an additional $47,000 in lost carrying costs and valuable time without offers on the market.   Price to sell not to hold.   Harsch Associates Berkshire Real Estate Agency offers the most complete comparative market analysis and encourages the seller to seek an approved Berkshire home appraiser and read the entire appraisal report before discussing it with several agents.  Having a list of questions such as “how will you as an agent and your agency market my home”  “how often will you report to me the activity that my listing has received”  “will you do a custom video of my home and make it available to all potential buyers” and finally “in this market how long will it take to get offers and possible close on the sale of my home at this price.”    Selling your property is serious business.  Know the facts before you sign on the dotted line and make a commitment with your money and time. 

Paul Harsch, President of Harsch Association Berkshire Real Estate Agency

Williamstown MA,  www.harschrealestate.com

courtesy of   http://therealdeal.com/newyork/articles/sizing-up-vacation-destinations–2

A roundup of how some of the biggest second-home markets around the region are faring

May 01, 2010 07:00AM

By Sarah Ryley

From left: Fire Island, Martha’s VineyardFrom the splashy beaches of the Hamptons to the rolling hills of the Berkshires, the vacation home markets popular with New Yorkers have been hit hard by the downturn.

But as the 2010 summer season gears up, reports indicate that things are turning around as the economy stabilizes and the threat of rising interest rates brings more buyers out of the woodwork.

This month, The Real Deal examined eight vacation home markets around the region. Of those, the South Fork of Long Island and Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., show the sharpest recent rebounds in sales.

Rental figures are harder to come by, but anecdotally brokers across the eight markets said early leasing is up this year, while prices in most places are still below peak. This means last year’s rock-bottom deals will be harder to come by in low-inventory places like Fire Island, which brokers said they expect to be fully booked. However, in other areas, like the Berkshires, there are more rentals available as for-sale listings languish on the market.

In general, the tea leaves indicate that this summer might be the last to make that unbelievable deal. Below is a rundown of the region.

Catskills

2009 median sales price: $209,000

Percent change from 2008: -13%

Percent change from 2007: -18%

Real estate prices continue to inch downward in Ulster County, one of four counties that make up the area known as the Catskills (pictured), known for its mountainous vistas and quaint towns like Woodstock and Kingston. In February, the median sales price was $207,000, compared to last year’s overall median of $209,000.

The lower prices, along with the Obama administration’s homebuyer tax credits, have brought more middle-class buyers from the city back into the market, said Tim Sweeney, a partner at Prudential Nutshell Realty. “For the first time in a year and a half, I am hearing people say, ‘I want to be close to a bus stop,’” he said. This has made homes in the center of towns more popular.

He said rentals aren’t as big in the Catskills, offering little help to struggling home-owners. “We had numerous sellers last year who wanted to rent to alleviate the hit of their mortgage payments. That didn’t work very well because we don’t have a lot of [seasonal] renters,” said Sweeney. “The bed-and-breakfasts do very well.”

Source: Median sales price for Ulster County from the NYS Association of Realtors

The Berkshires

2009 median sales price: $173,000

Percent change from 2008: -8%

Percent change from 2007: -18%

Once an exclusive summer colony for New York’s wealthiest, home prices have fallen in Massachusetts’ hilly Berkshire County in recent years. The median sales price in 2009 was exactly the same as in 2004 — $173,000 — yet the number of yearly purchases plummeted 39 percent during the same time. Sellers are willing to cut deals or rent out their homes while they sit on the market, said Paul Harsch of Harsch Associates. He has one sprawling estate just outside of Great Barrington listed for $2.25 million, 23 percent less than its original price four years ago (pictured). The owner is also willing to rent it during July and August for a total of $22,000.

On the other end of the spectrum, Harsch said less-wealthy New Yorkers have been attracted to vacation or even primary homes, like a 3,000-square-foot Victorian with servants’ quarters, built in Pittsfield for a distinguished Civil War general, and listed for only $195,000.

Source: Median sales price for Berkshire County from the Warren Group

Cape Cod

2009 median sales price: $315,000

Percent change from 2008: -6%

Percent change from 2007: -18%

Although housing prices on this sandy peninsula off Massachusetts had steadily dropped since at least 2005, brokers say the market freeze has started to thaw. In March, “sales were up 65 percent from February, and 26 percent from the previous March,” said Lynette Helms, president of the Cape Cod and Islands Association of Realtors.

Meanwhile, she said, the number of summer rental bookings was down roughly 5 percent during the first quarter of this year compared to last year, although activity increased in April. Helms noted that people are still looking for bargains. “Three years ago, people wanted the oceanfront, or a home with all the amenities. Today, they’re scaling back. The biggest trend is to the larger properties where several families can vacation together.”

In response, she said, the owners of more luxurious properties are lowering their prices. Last year her firm, Real Estate Associates on the Upper Cape, listed a five-bedroom mansion with 360 feet of private beach frontage for $6,500 a week. The home (pictured) didn’t rent. This year, the owners dropped the price to $5,500.

Source: Median sales price for Barnstable County from the Warren Group

Martha’s Vineyard

2009 median sales price: $592,500

Percent change from 2008: -9%

Percent change from 2007: -15%

Dukes County, consisting of Martha’s Vineyard and the tiny Elizabeth Islands, most of which are owned by the Forbes family, has seen one of the sharpest housing price rebounds in Massachusetts. According to the Warren Group, the median sales price in February was $688,000 — 64 percent higher than it was a year earlier.

Real estate prices on the island, accessible only by aircraft or ferry, have been somewhat buoyed by exclusivity and scarcity, with only 13 sales during February. “It’s quiet, and all the buyers are making low offers,” said Rob Kendall, owner of Kendall & Kendall Real Estate. But, he said, since many of the properties are inherited, their wealthy owners are in no hurry to sell. “We have about $10 million in offers out right now that are just not going anywhere.”

Landlords who depend on summer renters are dropping prices, however, said Patty Kendall, head of the firm’s rental division. Homes generally rent for between $5,000 and $40,000 a week, with prices 15 percent off from their peak. For example, she said, one Chilmark estate with a tennis court and pool (pictured) rented for $16,000 per week in the past, but this year the asking rent is around $13,000.

Source: Median sales price for Dukes County from the Warren Group

Long Beach Island

2009 average sales price: $851,000

Percent change from 2008: -13%

Percent change from 2007: -12%

Long Beach Island, a primarily family-oriented summer colony along the Jersey Shore, saw a significant rebound in average sales price last quarter, to $941,470 compared to $851,000 last year. (Median sales data wasn’t available for the 18-mile-long barrier island. Averages tend to be higher than medians, which might make this market look disproportionately costlier than others.)

David Cowles, an agent with Prudential Zack Shore Properties, represented a family that tracked an ocean-adjacent Beach Haven bungalow (pictured) for a year before finally buying it — after the seller dropped the price by $550,000, to $1.4 million.

“It was their perception that the price wasn’t going to get any lower, and that somebody else was going to buy it,” said Cowles.

Rental activity increased nominally this season, with more people interested in properties under $5,000 a week, said leasing agent Donna Diorio of Prudential. She said her clients “may look to spend a little less, but they can’t give up that vacation totally.”

Source: New Jersey MLS data compiled by Prudential Zack Shore Properties

Fire Island

2009 median sales price: $690,000

Percent change from 2008: -2%

Percent change from 2007: -11%

New York’s 31-mile-long Fire Island — inaccessible to cars during the summer and to the postal service year-round — weathered the housing crash better than the East End. Prices fell only 11 percent between 2007 and 2009, and prices appear to have inched upward recently (although with fewer than 5,000 homes on the island and few sales, trends are admittedly hard to pin down).

Carin Roth, head of Fire Island Real Estate, said renters are more confident this summer than last. “Last year, my old Wall Street clients were saying things like, ‘I think the world is going to end,’” which meant fewer expensive season-long rentals. “This year, people are looking for the full summer again.”

Since there are so few homes, Roth said sellers are generally slower to lower prices than in other markets. She has a newly constructed five-bedroom house in Ocean Beach (pictured) that’s been on the market for two years, asking $2.3 million. The seller will hold out until he gets his price, because “his house is the only oceanfront for sale for a couple of miles,” explained Roth.

Source: Median sales price from Long Island Real Estate Report

The Hamptons/Montauk

2009 median sales price: $810,000

Percent change from 2008: -7%

Percent change from 2007: -14%

The Hamptons and Montauk saw a stunning recovery in housing prices and activity last quarter. There were 466 sales recorded, at an average of $1.7 million during the first quarter of 2010, compared to 208 sales averaging $1.5 million during the first quarter of 2009, according to Corcoran.

But storm clouds are brewing. A shocking 6,396 home-owners on the South Fork are 30 to 90 days delinquent paying their mortgage, and 83 percent of those homeowners are in some stage of bankruptcy, said John Brady, a Prudential Douglas Elliman broker who specializes in short sales. Brady commissioned the data from the credit rating firm Equifax to help identify potential clients.

He has a newly constructed East Hampton mansion (pictured), originally listed in 2005 at $5.7 million, now listed for $3.9 million. He’s negotiating with four lien holders to accept an even lower price.

Source: Median sales price from StreetEasy

North Fork

2009 median sales price: $347,500

Percent change from 2008: -25%

Percent change from 2007: -26%

Housing prices on the North Fork — the less expensive and more rural version of its flashy Long Island neighbor the Hamptons — have fallen so much since the economic crash that they’re lower than they were in 2005. According to StreetEasy, the median sales price for a home there last quarter was $335,000, compared to $417,000 during the first quarter of 2005. Transactions have dwindled in comparison as well, from 229 to 30, although not all were recorded by press time.

Still, Corcoran’s Sheri Winter Clarry said more buyers have been looking to close deals lately before interest rates rise. And, she said, the summer rental market is faring better this year, with the return of the season-long rental. Rental prices, meanwhile, are down from their peak by around 15 percent.

The North Fork continues to attract budget-conscious South Forkers. That has given rise to one notable trend — “More than half of my clients are asking for pools now,” Clarry said. The owner of a three-bedroom Cutchogue home (pictured), like others, installed a pool in response. The home was also listed for sale last summer; the price has since dropped by $100,000, to $1.175 million.

Source: Median sales price from StreetEasy

Here at Harsch Associates Real Estate we offer all brokerage services and look forward to serving your real estate needs in the Berkshires, Southern Vermont and New York State.  We have over 35 years of experience and over 400 million dollars in sales from over 3000 properties.  We can find your dream home, property or business.  Call us at 413-458-5000 or visit our website at www.harschrealestate.com

The trend of adaptive reuse has caught on with a passion in larger metropolitan areas such as Boston, New York, Chicago and Atlanta. An outstanding example is   Chicago Soldier Field,   the Chicago Bears’ historic stadium.  The ability to reuse this site and adapt it to the requirements of a modern professional football stadium is impressive.    The Power House  is a fine example of adaptive reuse of a turn of the century steam plant located in Long Island City, New York.   Massachusetts boasts many adaptive reuse projects including Old City Hall,  The Apartments at Coolidge School in Watertown, MA, and The Atlas Lofts. 

The last two adaptive reuse projects are part of the Mitchell Properties LLC portfolio of adaptive reuse projects.  Their newest project coming online in 2010 is located in Williamstown MA.  Cable Mills Condominiums will be a community located in the Berkshires with stunning views of river, mountains and Williamstown.  A short two minute walk to the Taconic Golf Club, the Village center and Williams College are a few of the amenities that will make this development truly unique.  Berkshire Living Urban Style describes Cable Mills Condominiums.  The condominium residences comprise the style of the Boston Loft with the visual and sensual beauty of the Berkshires. 

Harsch Associates Real Estate a well know Berkshire Real Estate Brokerage firm is now taking reservations for Cable Mills Condominiums.  Whether a second home, a primary home, or an investment in the Berkshires you will appreciate the easy lifestyle that Cable Mills Condominiums offers. 

Harsch Associates Exclusive Broker for Cable Mills Condominiums

Washington, January 05, 2010

Contract activity for pending home sales fell after a surge of activity in preceding months to beat the original deadline for the first-time home buyer tax credit but remains comfortably above a year ago, according to the National Association of Realtors®.

The Pending Home Sales Index,* a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in November, fell 16.0 percent to 96.0 from an upwardly revised 114.3 in October, but is 15.5 percent higher than November 2008 when it was 83.1.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said a drop was expected. “It will be at least early spring before we see notable gains in sales activity as home buyers respond to the recently extended and expanded tax credit,” he said. “The fact that pending home sales are comfortably above year-ago levels shows the market has gained sufficient momentum on its own. We expect another surge in the spring as more home buyers take advantage of affordable housing conditions before the tax credit expires.”

Buyers who have a contract in place to purchase a primary residence by April 30, 2010, have until June 30, 2010, to finalize the transaction to qualify for the tax credit of up to $8,000 for first-time buyers and $6,500 for repeat buyers.

The PHSI in the Northeast dropped 25.7 percent to 74.4 in November but is 14.7 percent above a year ago. In the Midwest the index fell 25.7 percent to 82.0 but is 9.2 percent higher than November 2008. Pending home sales in the South fell 15.0 percent to an index of 97.8, but are 14.7 percent higher than a year ago. In the West the index declined 2.7 percent to 124.6 but is 21.4 percent above November 2008.

Yun projects an additional 900,000 first-time buyers will qualify for the extended tax credit in addition to about 2 million who have already purchased; 1.5 million repeat buyers also are expected to benefit from the credit.

“Many trade-up buyers, who have historically timed their purchase based on school-year considerations, will have to accelerate their buying plans if they need the tax credit to make a trade,” Yun said. Repeat buyers do not have to sell their existing home to qualify for the credit, but they must occupy the home they buy as their primary residence.

Yun added that mortgage interest rates cannot remain at rock-bottom levels for a sustained period and will likely inch higher in 2010. But the tax credit impact in the first half of the year and expected job growth impact in the second half will support home buying activity and absorb enough inventory to bring a rough balance between buyers and sellers. Home prices are expected to stabilize or even modestly rise as a result in 2010.

The National Association of Realtors®, “The Voice for Real Estate,” is America’s largest trade association, representing 1.2 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.

Our modern American legal codes regarding real estate ownership, and the English common laws that came before them, owe much of their existence to the original concepts of land ownership.  These were first adopted all the way back in the Middle Ages as the struggle between societal classes played out over land ownership and rights.  Before widespread use of printed or coined money, mutual funds, any kind of modern bank or savings accounts, ownership of shares, etc., wealth was primarily measured in terms of the land you owned.  In some societies even today that concept still is very valid and a part of 21^st century thinking.  Here in the Berkshires land ownership is very much a part of how local wealth has been held over the centuries, and is a magnet indeed for thousands of out of town investors and second home owners as well.

In essence,  everything that happens in modern real estate conveyance has its roots in the land underneath, the land itself.  When you buy a home, you are buying the land and its improvements.  When you buy a condo or coop, you may be buying with a group of people, but at the bottom of the building is the parcel of land.  And buying land just for the sake of buying and owning land is a time tested and highly valid investment strategy, especially here in the Berkshires.  The volatility and uncertainty of the times we are living in now only enhance the attractiveness of land as an asset class that merits a portion of any astute investor’s portfolio.  Putting all your resources into financial assets has been a slippery slope to say the least.  The land will always be there, underneath it all!

In the future, I hope to cover a wide variety of topics, anything from bank lending for land (there is plenty of money available for borrowers with good credit!);  understanding value;  site development and engineering;  surveying and mapping;  market trends and historical activity, and  Top Ten Tips for Land Buyers and Sellers.  I can think of dozens more, too.   You can have a look right now in the land section of our website—check it out, there is a lot of good stuff in there!  I am also open to writing about subjects that readers ask about, or to answer your questions.  I am available at phil@harschrealestate.com.  I look forward to hearing from you, and wish you a very Happy New Year! 

Posted by Phil Coleman, Realtor Sales Associate