March 29, 2024

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Miami homes hit record price for fifth month

Downtown Miami’s Brickell area is a magnet for urban condo dwellers.

Downtown Miami’s Brickell area is a magnet for urban condo dwellers.

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The price of a Miami house hit a record in January for the fifth month in a row while Broward prices remained stable.

In Miami-Dade, the median sales price for a single-family home hit $469,500, up more than 25% from January 2020 and up more than 3% from the December median of $454,900. In both counties, condos remained a relative bargain.

Miami-Dade’s single-family prices have been on an upward march since September that will likely continue as inventory continues to shrink, said Sherrie Porter, senior vice president and general sales manager of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices EWM Realty.

“We are seeing strong pending sales, which is an indication to us that there are still a lot of buyers who want to be in this market,” Porter said by email.

The issue, said Porter, is simply one of high land values and limited choices.

“Our peak price in 2006 for a single-family home was $374,000. This price difference is reflective of the fact that we have no land left to build.

“Our condo market has just been catching up from the last 12 years since the recession. The median price of a condo in 2007 was $260,000. Fast forward to today, the median price of a condo at the end of December 2020 was $270,000, which is just 7% over where we were 12 years ago,” she said.

The current sales flurry is driven by three types of buyers, Porter said: Millennials, first-time homeowners and junior-level executives working remotely.

Florida sees 660 new residents per day while 16 other states — including California, Conneticut and New York — are losing residents, according to U.S. Census Bureau and the Pew Research Center. “This growth will keep pressure on our inventory as well as pricing,” Porter said.

Despite rising sales prices, interest rates are giving buyers some power, Porter said, with Fannie Mae’s interest rate at 2.14% for a 30-year mortgage.

Miami-Dade

The total number of home sales increased year-to-year by 19.1%, from 1,857 in January 2020 to 2,211 in January 2021. Condo sales grew by 28.1% while single-family home sales grew by 9.1%. Miami-Dade has 11.3 months of supply of condos but only 3.1 monthly of supply for houses. A balanced market consists of six-to-nine months of inventory.

The median sales price of a condo rose by 14.3% year over year, from $245,000 in January 2020 to $280,000 in January 2021. The median price of a single-family home soared by 25.2%, from $375,000 to $469,500.

Condos closed at 94.3% of the listing price, up from 93.4% last year. Houses closed at 96.8% of the listing price, up from 95.6% in January 2020.

Cash buyers comprised 33.1% of total sales, down year-over-year from 33.8%. Still, the percentage of all-cash buyers was well above the national figure of 19%.

Broward

The total number of home sales grew by 18.9%, from 2,031 in January 2020 to 2,416 in January 2021. Condo sales rose by 19.6% while single-family home sales rose by 18.2%. Broward has 5.4 months of supply of condos and a mere 2 months-supply of houses.

For condos, the median sales price jumped by 22.9% year-over-year, from $170,000 in January 2020 to $209,000 in January 2021, up from $200,000 the month before. The median price of a single-family homes rose by by 12.2%, from $374,450 to $420,000 — slightly less than the December median of $430,000.

Condos closed at 95.7% of the listing price, slightly higher than 94.6% last year. Single-family homes closed at 98% of the listing price, up from 95.5% in January 2020.

Cash buyers comprised 32.7% of total sales, down year-over-year from 38.2%. Still, the percentage of all-cash buyers was well above the national figure of 19%.

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Rebecca San Juan writes about the real estate industry, covering news about industrial, commercial, office projects, construction contracts and the intersection of real estate and law for industry professionals. She studied at Mount Holyoke College and is proud to be reporting on her hometown.
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