Real Estate Year in Review

One of the homes sold this year.

At least once a year, sometimes more often, I like to take a look at the BAREIS MLS (Bay Area Real Estate Information Services Multiple Listing Service). I like to compare current listings and sales to the previous year to see if what feels like is happening conforms to what is really happening. I looked at last year for the whole County, then specifically at Anderson Valley, which in the MLS includes Comptche to Yorkville. I also looked briefly at the coastal MLS to see what that looked like. I’m required to state: This information is based on sales reported in Bay Area Real Estate Information Services, Inc. (BAREIS) and is not verified and is subject to change. Listings represented may not have been listed or sold by Anne Fashauer/North Country Real Estate.

Last year in BAREIS MLS there were 862 sales of all types - residential, mobile home, lots and land, multi-unit (2 or more units) and commercial. Of that 862, 663 were residential sales; 37 were mobile homes; 120 were land; 13 multi-unit and 29 were commercial. I did not look at prices due to the volume and because this is the overall County, which includes high priced areas such as the Coast and Anderson Valley as well as lower priced areas such as Laytonville and Willits.

Anderson Valley had 17 total sales in 2019. Of those, 15 were residential, four were land, one was a multi-unit property and two were commercial sales. Sale prices of the residential properties ranged from $310,000 to $3,600,000. More than half of the sales were between that one at $310,000 and under $600,000, with three sales in the $300,000’s, three in the $400,000’s and three in the $500,000’s. There was one sale in the $600,000’s, two in the $800,000’s, two in the $900,000’s and one at $3.6 million. The four land sales were $265,000, $300,000, $685,000 and $3.9 million. The one multi-unit sale was the old Ice House in Navarro and the two commercial sales were Brutocao and the Live Oak.

This year’s sales figures are through November 15, 2020 - the date I’m writing. Thus far we have had 822 sales in the whole County. 604 residential; 42 mobile; 144 lots and land; 18 multi-unit, and 14 commercial sales. It will be interesting to check in at the beginning of January to see if we reach the same numbers as last year. Last year at this time there were a total of 770 sales in the County, so we are well ahead of that already.

In Anderson Valley this year we have had 15 total sales - eight residential and seven land. Prices for residential sales have been one in the $300,000’s, two in the $400,000’s, one each in the $500,000’s and $600,000’s; one in the one millions, one in the two millions and one near $6 million. Land sales have ranged from $115,000 to $600,000, with most of those between $225,000 and $450,000. This time last year there were 18 total sales at this time, quite a bit more when you consider that we don’t have a lot of sales in general. However, there are several properties currently under contract that are likely to close this year. Of the 17 residential listings in the MLS right now, six of those are in escrow; of the 19 land listings, five of those are in escrow. Not surprising, most of the escrows are for property in the $500,000’s for residential and the land escrows range from the $200,000’s to the $400,000’s.

As I mentioned, I looked briefly at the coastal MLS and what I saw there indicated that there have already been 30 more sales this year than last.

Overall, residential properties prices under $600,000 are the fastest to move. The upper end of the market traditionally takes longer to sell and this current market isn’t showing much difference there. Of the 11 active listings (not under contract) five are priced at or above $1,000,000. My feeling has been that the market is busier this year than last and these numbers agree with that. However, while volume is up, I am not yet seeing prices rising or those high end properties moving any faster than usual.