September median sold price, units, DOM, and $/sq.ft.

The recent flurry of home buying is still alive and well in Reno and Sparks, NV.  Almost 500 houses were sold during the month of September; 494 houses to be precise.  I can’t help but think much of this activity is driven by the impending expiration of the first-time homebuyer’s tax credit [currently set to expire December 1, 2009].

To put the recent number of home sales in perspective consider that in the 3rd quarter of 2008, 1,076 homes were sold.  Compare that figure to the 1,485 sold in 3Q 2009 – a 38% increase.

The big news for September, however, is that the median sold price jumped 2.9% over August’s figure, to $185,250.  With June, July and August’s medians holding steady at a low of $180,000, does September’s increase in median sold price indicate a bottom was reached?  [Note: That last question may constitute comment baiting.]

Remember, we’re always told the only way to recognize a bottom is in hindsight.  Perhaps May’s median sold price of $175,000 median was it.

The make-up of September’s sales is as follows:

  • Bank-owned properties – 43%
  • Short sales – 25%
  • Equity sales – 31%

For those readers who prefer the median sold price for houses and condos combined, September’s combined median sold price was $175,000; up from August’s combined median of $170,000.

Month Year

# Sold

Sold Price

Sold Price per SqFt

Average DOM

Sep 2009

494

$185,250

$103.31

129

Aug 2009

476

$179,950

$102.84

117

Jul 2009

515

$180,000

$103.45

126

Jun 2009

536

$180,317

$104.09

136

May 2009

424

$175,000

$102.29

139

Apr 2009

428

$189,950

$105.55

133

Mar 2009

367

$200,000

$105.94

133

Feb 2009

294

$204,000

$111.45

133

Jan 2009

232

$200,000

$113.15

119

 Dec 2008

294

$218,950

$121.74

145

Nov 2008

269

$220,000

$122.24

152

 Oct 2008

354

$230,000

$131.43

144

 Sep 2008

358

$239,250

$136.72

145

 Aug 2008

321

$250,000

$142.14

140

 Jul 2008

397

$251,000

$145.48

139

 Jun 2008

369

$262,500

$148.05

142

 May 2008

314

$260,215

$152.30

134

 Apr 2008

314

$275,000

$154.05

172

 Mar 2008

238

$274,000

$150.93

166

 Feb 2008

195

$289,000

$156.48

149

 Jan 2008

165

$285,000

$170.23

146

Dec 2007

228

$283,950

$167.22

143

Nov 2007

204

$299,750

$172.24

126

Oct 2007

241

$296,000

$173.55

116

Sep 2007

230

$299,945

$179.46

114

Aug 2007

311

$305,000

$182.49

118

Jul 2007

300

$315,000

$189.78

113

Jun 2007

329

$320,000

$196.78

104

May 2007

364

$313,200

$190.81

107

Apr 2007

320

$309,500

$193.93

121

Mar 2007

324

$315,000

$189.61

121

 Feb 2007

269

$315,000

$191.18

126

 Jan 2007

245

$312,900

$199.79

133

Dec 2006

291

$309,000

$193.51

114

Nov 2006

281

$318,000

$197.32

111

 Oct 2006

363

$312,400

$201.44

105

Sep 2006

344

$314,950

$198.08

98

Aug 2006

349

$325,000

$210.92

94

Jul 2006

373

$335,000

$210.62

93

Jun 2006

424

$339,000

$214.54

91

May 2006

374

$339,950

$219.05

99

Apr 2006

368

$334,600

$212.08

88

Mar 2006

387

$340,000

$215.54

99

 Feb 2006

283

$335,000

$217.29

101

 Jan 2006

274

$365,000

$216.38

98

Dec 2005

333

$355,000

$217.31

89

Nov 2005

385

$349,000

$220.00

81

Oct 2005

484

$359,450

$223.06

77

Sep 2005

531

$354,500

$219.26

77

Aug 2005

582

$360,500

$220.52

73

Jul 2005

608

$353,000

$218.99

71

Jun 2005

679

$350,000

$215.69

69

May 2005

644

$333,250

$209.95

68

Apr 2005

558

$326,750

$207.57

77

Mar 2005

584

$325,000

$200.17

81

 Feb 2005

342

$318,500

$197.54

88

 Jan 2005

341

$310,000

$195.19

85

Dec 2004

450

$312,500

$190.72

77

Nov 2004

448

$309,950

$191.62

63

Oct 2004

512

$299,250

$188.72

53

Sep 2004

496

$292,750

$185.78

61

Aug 2004

505

$285,000

$182.95

56

Jul 2004

544

$304,300

$179.28

61

Jun 2004

533

$285,000

$172.16

65

May 2004

476

$278,750

$169.64

65

Apr 2004

526

$259,950

$158.08

67

Mar 2004

508

$245,000

$142.56

71

 Feb 2004

365

$237,000

unavailable

81

 Jan 2004

379

$229,000

unavailable

78

Dec 2003

441

$240,000

unavailable

82

Nov 2003

444

$220,750

unavailable

78

Oct 2003

430

$219,880

unavailable

76

Sep 2003

587

$223,000

unavailable

71

Aug 2003

512

$220,000

unavailable

75

Jul 2003

533

$210,000

unavailable

77

Jun 2003

475

$207,000

unavailable

77

May 2003

450

$198,950

unavailable

85

Apr 2003

478

$197,750

unavailable

82

 Mar 2003

428

$192,000

unavailable

77

 Feb 2003

321

$186,895

unavailable

79

 Jan 2003

316

$186,000

unavailable

96

Dec 2002

379

$193,500

unavailable

93

Nov 2002

423

$190,000

unavailable

82

Oct 2002

483

$189,900

unavailable

83

Sep 2002

410

$174,000

unavailable

85

Aug 2002

459

$180,000

unavailable

74

Jul 2002

469

$176,000

unavailable

83

Jun 2002

445

$185,000

unavailable

80

May 2002

470

$178,450

unavailable

77

Apr 2002

360

$169,500

unavailable

93

 Mar 2002

377

$169,000

unavailable

84

 Feb 2002

323

$170,900

unavailable

89

 Jan 2002

268

$172,475

unavailable

99

Dec 2001

287

$182,000

unavailable

86

Nov 2001

323

$161,500

unavailable

85

Oct 2001

357

$166,500

unavailable

79

Sep 2001

355

$168,000

unavailable

81

Aug 2001

448

$160,350

unavailable

84

Jul 2001

433

$169,900

unavailable

90

Jun 2001

426

$166,225

unavailable

96

May 2001

404

$162,050

unavailable

97

Apr 2001

370

$158,750

unavailable

94

 Mar 2001

385

$159,900

unavailable

97

 Feb 2001

294

$159,950

unavailable

103

 Jan 2001

264

$165,000

unavailable

102

Dec 2000

272

$156,500

unavailable

100

Nov 2000

355

$154,500

unavailable

93

 Oct 2000

348

$153,000

unavailable

98

Sep 2000

356

$160,000

unavailable

104

Aug 2000

412

$163,375

unavailable

94

Jul 2000

368

$155,000

unavailable

110

Jun 2000

466

$165,845

unavailable

104

May 2000

363

$158,000

unavailable

105

Apr 2000

312

$155,000

unavailable

113

 Mar 2000

339

$162,700

unavailable

102

 Feb 2000

244

$149,620

unavailable

110

 Jan 2000

217

$156,000

unavailable

112

Dec 1999

264

$155,000

unavailable

118

Nov 1999

293

$149,900

unavailable

98

Oct 1999

289

$147,895

unavailable

108

Sep 1999

311

$157,000

unavailable

106

Aug 1999

360

$148,500

unavailable

112

Jul 1999

375

$147,800

unavailable

105

Jun 1999

372

$150,000

unavailable

103

May 1999

307

$145,500

unavailable

106

Apr 1999

324

$151,700

unavailable

111

Mar 1999

308

$151,000

unavailable

121

Feb 1999

249

$148,900

unavailable

120

Jan 1999

210

$143,000

unavailable

115

 Dec 1998

265

$140,000

unavailable

118

 Nov 1998

279

$153,000

unavailable

126

Oct 1998

286

$142,825

unavailable

115

Sep 1998

279

$144,500

unavailable

102

Aug 1998

331

$145,000

unavailable

113

Jul 1998

335

$150,000

unavailable

108

Jun 1998

351

$148,500

unavailable

103

May 1998

302

$145,500

unavailable

99

Apr 1998

235

$149,000

unavailable

111

 Mar 1998

267

$142,500

unavailable

114

Feb 1998

201

$139,900

unavailable

126

 Jan 1998

165

$149,490

unavailable

131

Note: The medians table above is updated on a monthly basis. The median home price data reported covers the cities of Reno, Nevada and Sparks, Nevada [NNRMLS Area #100]. Residential data includes Site/Stick Built properties only. Data excludes Condo/Townhouse, Manufactured/Modular and Shared Ownership properties. Data courtesy of the Northern Nevada Regional MLS – October 2009.

78 comments

  1. E. Edward

    And perhaps it just a bunch misled buyers that have no idea how much stagnate inventory thats on its way…..

    Perhaps there not paying attention to the ever unsurmountable job losses…..

    Perhaps they will be kicking them-selfs just to find out that the over-hyped tax credits will most likely be extended and/or increased in-Lew of all of the above pressures….

    Perhaps this is just little dead cat bounce and were no where near the bottom??….

  2. Martin

    A couple of thoughts:

    An “equity sale” may well be a misnomer. It does not necessarily mean that the seller had any equity in the property. All it means is that the sale was not a bank REO or a short sale. For example, I work with a man who just sold his house in what Guy calls an “equity sale”. Except he had no equity, in fact, he had to bring a check for $50K to the closing. He simply did not want to take 9 months trying to sell the house as a short sale. He also has a few bucks in the bank, and may not have even ‘qualified’ for a short sale. But he sold the house for less than he owed on it. He had zero equity.

    Also, a rising median does not necessarily mean the housing market is recovering. It may well mean only that a higher calibre of REO and short sales are entering the mix. Not all REOs are dumps in Cold Springs. Just look at the MLS tonight for Somersett where more than half the listings are REOs or short sales. All these houses are selling at deep deep writedowns from original pricing, but for more than the median of $185K.

  3. SkrapGuy

    Does anybody really think the tax credit will not be extended? Puh-lease.

    The NAR with its millions of dollars to spend on lobbying has this wired. The whole point is to create a phony sense of urgency that the credit will expire so that all the six-percenters in the country, including Guy, can get fence sitters off the fence to buy.
    If the current credit is set to expire on November 30, you can be assured it will be extended around November 25. The whole point is to create as much phony urgency as possible.

  4. Corina

    Martin’s comment is right on. My neighbors just sold their house. They too had to bring money to the table to close the deal. I think people sometimes incorrectly assume that if a sale is not a short sale, that the seller had equity and made some money on the sale. That is an incorrect assumption.
    Also, this house sold for well above the median sales price, but it was by every measure a total loss for the sellers, and represented about a 30% decline in price from when they bought it 4.5 years ago.

  5. Reno Ignoramus

    The above comments by Martin and Corina inferentially raise a question I have about short sales.
    Back in the days before the bubble, when a short sale was a rare thing, I know the banks were very demanding that the seller really be broke before they would approve a short sale. The seller had to basically ‘qualify in reverse’ for a short sale by proving to the bank he had no other assets he could use to pay off the mortgage.
    Now I see million dollar houses listed as short sales, and I wonder if the banks are still as rigorous in ‘qualifying’ people as short sellers. Now I am just an ignoramus, and perhpas I am wrong, but I would think that somebody who managed to buy a house for a million dollars would have maybe a few extra bucks somewhere that he could use to pay off the mortgage, or at least part of it. Can people these days qualify to be short sellers even if they have other assets?
    Does anybody have any info about this?

  6. skeptical

    Bottom line: owners of higher end homes and higher end REOs are looking to unload. They are finally beginning to put down their glass of kool aid (and Smirnoff). These higher priced places transacting have resulted in a higher median sales price. It’s called price compression at the high end.

    That doesn’t mean we are near a bottom. Homes above $400k will continue to lose value for the next few years. There’s no base of salaried professionals to provide demand for the supply of properties on the market and coming on the market for the next few years. See previous posts regarding shadow-shadow inventories.

    So, when that home that sold for $800k during the bubble gets unloaded for $400k next week, it will cause the data to show a higher median sales price, and will not in any way be evidence of a bottom or of health being restored to the greater Reno real estate market.

    Is there a real estate agent on the planet that won’t spin every scrap of data that comes out in some sort of positive light? Wait till winter is well and truly upon us. All the green shooters will get a dose of roundup. ’nuff said.

  7. Peter

    I also have the same question. I work with a man who, thanks to a cash out re-fi in 2006, owes $1.1 million on his house. He has it listed as a short sale at $845K. The house might be worth $800K, if he can ever find a buyer.
    Now this man has about $700K in his profit sharing plan, but he has no intention of invading that plan money. He just intends for the bank to allow him to sell the house short and walk away. Can this happen? Are the banks actually allowing this sort of thing?

  8. johnny

    Peter-

    What a nice “friend” you are to disclose your friends personal finances on an openly public forum for all to see!

    Glad I Don’t have “friends” like that.

    On a side note… I am about to close on a short sale that has taken 2 months! I wont divulge everything, but will mention the house in question is as follows:

    3bed/2.5bath 1,800 sqft built in 2006

    (real wood siding, concrete tile roof)

    new kitchen with granite, maple cabinets, real stone tiled floors
    bathrooms have much of the same

    my price….. $78/sqft you can say what you want, but that’s a screaming deal in my book. Especially considering the 2 closesst comparable are listed at 200k, and 190k , with the 190k pending.

  9. johnny

    $78/sqft in an almost finished development, near a golf course?

    yea I’ll take it!

  10. johnny

    Not only is the median price 5.5% higher than it was in MAY. The price/sqft is also higher.

    with 4 months of stability in between? sounds good to me. For those worried about the shadow inventory, don’t expect that to flood the market anytime soon!

    Welcome to the TROUGH

  11. Martin

    Aw come on johnny derrick, Peter’s comment is a very good one and raises an interesting question. We don’t know who Peter is, and we don’t know who his friend is. He disclosed nothing that compromises anybody’s identity.
    So, does anybody know the answer to his question?

  12. Tom

    “…this man has about $700K in his profit sharing plan…”

    Peter, when a bank is considering approval of a walk-off via a short sale, they need to be satisfied that their borrower has no assets that could be reached to satisfy a deficiency, i.e., he must prove that he is not worth suiing. In most jurisdictions, funds in qualified retirment plans are sheltered by a statutory exemption from execution. This along with some tools, one vehicle, etc, maybe a mule and some basic farm tools (an old law school joke), certain things a judgment creditor cannot reach. If the funds in the qualified plan are exempt, the bank wouldn’t count them.

  13. bbwolf

    I’ve posted this sentiment before but it bears repeating. Peter’s buddy should be on the HOOK for his cash out refi. Everyone should be held accountable for their purchases (losses) just as they surely would have spend the money had they made a profit from their flip back in the day.

    Some on this board have called me jealous for this view which is perplexing.

    I lost two friends b/c I told them what I think of their gloat “we haven’t paid our mortgage in x months…”

    I’m not talking about the few who truley need to use a short sale or other vehicle to help them out of their hole. I’m referring to adults, engaged in a contract, who have means but are looking for an easy way out of their bad decision.

  14. SmartMoney

    House prices in my neighborhood here in Reno have averaged 3% appreciation over the past 20 years. So even if we are at a bottom (doubt it), there’s not going to be huge appreciation going forward. Reno real estate just doesn’t work that way, except during the recent bubble.

  15. Sully

    johnny/derrick: 78/sq ft is certainly a bargain price, but is by no means anywhere near the average here. There are always exceptions to any rule (average).

    It’s hard enough to find a decent house/neighborhood for 100/sq ft.

    Still too many sellers that haven’t hit the hang over stage (still drunk)! Especially in the southwest areas.

    As far as hitting any kind of bottom, I will reserve an opinion until I see the Dec/Jan sales data.

  16. johnny

    sully-

    I already have a renter lined up for the house at $1k/month not including utilities..

    he is willing to sign a 1 year lease as well. I figure at $78/sqft and the added income of $12k/year gross is just too hard to pass up.

    The rental income is more than enough to cover the property taxes on my 2 other properties while still having some change left over for dinner 😉

    Now I just need to get the condo rented out!

  17. Reno Ignoramus

    Thanks Tom for the reply, but if I was a bank and I had a borrower who wanted me to approve a short sale and this borrower had a $700K asset, I would say no way. Assets are assets whether or not they happen to be exempt from execution. I would tell this borrower to invade his assets and come up with some money to pay off the mortgage, or no short sale. Sorry.
    As the bank I am not going to pretend this borrower cannot come up with the money just because the money is in a pension plan.

  18. SkrapGuy

    No kidding, RI, and you can be sure as hell certain that when this borrower applied for the loan he listed his pension plan as an asset. Now when he wants the bank to agree to a short sale, the bank is supposed to pretend the pension plan does not exist as a source of funds? No way.

  19. tom

    RI commented that:
    “Assets are assets whether or not they happen to be exempt from execution.” In a moral sense, that may be true, and while the banker making the decision might like to tell the borrower to `Take a Hike, we won’t accept your proposal,’ the bank officer would have to think about it a while first. Because if the bank tries to force the borrower to withdraw sheltered funds, why would he? He would probably be better off financially to just let you foreclose if you decline his short proposal, rather than putting exempt money into the pot. He is also then likely to stop maintenance, irrigation, and who knows what else might happen inside the house. Then the bank would have to run a foreclosure, and end up losing more in a declining market, plus have an REO house to manage until they sell the house. That might make a statement in terms of morality/ethics, etc, but the banks just look at the dollars it will cost to get out of the bad loan. Losing X on a short sale is better than running a foreclosure then losing X plus Y and Z on the same property, even if they know they are letting a guy who could pay more if he wanted to, off the hook. If they tried to preserve the right to sue for the deficiency, the former borrower is going to be counseled to leave the funds in the exempt category, and withdraw only minimal amounts each year related to another exception for support and minimal household needs.
    I agree with you though, in terms of right and wrong, as it seems highly distasteful to let someone walk who may have sheltered substantial funds in an exempt category. But if the bank determines that is the cheapest way out, that is what they will do.

  20. Reno Ignoramus

    The proverbial other side of the story:

    The bank says no to the short sale, being unwilling to write off $300K for a borrwer who has (at least)$700K in assets. Borrower stops paying the mortgage, and bank forecloses. Borrower’s credit rating is trashed.
    Bank proceeds to get a deficiency judgment. The $700K may be exempt, but bank has a judgment that will follow borrower around for at least 20 years. If borrower has other nonexempt assets, bank can execute on those assets. If borrwer has a job, 25% of borrower’s wages are subject to wage garnishment.If borrower ever acquires other real property, the bank can record its judgment and it becomes a lien against the new property.

    Lots of things to think about for borrower also.

  21. johnny

    get any loans while you can!!

    if hyperinflation hits the beneficiaries will be debtors!!

    mmm I feel like taking out a 300k loan just thinking about it!

  22. Worried Guy

    Hyperinflation?…Ugh we already had that..What do you call a $800K home in Reno in 2005 now going for $400K and falling? I had a feeling that the deflationary collapse would be denied all the way to the bottom because market participants have never experienced this type of environment before.

  23. Reno Ignoramus

    4280 Juniper Trail in Caughlin Ranch hit the MLS today as an REO. 5,200 sq. ft. Asking price $382,000. Or, $73 a sq. ft.

    Is this a mistake or are we moving into hyperdeflation in house prices?

  24. Raymond

    Either that is a mistake, or this is the redemption of Bantering Bear.

  25. johnny

    worried guy we only had “hyperinflation” on the Micro level!

    anyone looking for a place to rent? 🙂

  26. johnny

    RR

    I think we ALREADY had hyperdeflation!

    now it’s just disinflation.

  27. Worried Guy

    Well the home goes from $800K to $400K, but a gallon of gas goes from $1.5 to $3.0 or a hot dog from $2 to $3.50 including increased sales taxes..then, I guess I’ll take the microlevel hyperinflation anyday! The MacroLevel hyperdeflation just bought me 133,333 gallons of petrol or 114,285 Hot Dogs at the new micro hyperinflated prices including hyperinflated swag NV legislature sales tax.

  28. Lillypond

    $73 a sq. ft. in Caughlin Ranch?

    That’s a mistake, right?

    Please tell me that’s a mistake.

  29. johnny

    WOW that juniper hills house is a smokin deal. especially for someone that has an extra 100k to throw in it .. looks pretty out-dated.. but hey.. not bad!

  30. skeptical

    Note that when you cancel out the tax credits, property taxes approach $8500/yr on the Juniper Trails REO brought to light by RI. Another fine example of how completely FUBAR property taxes are in Washoe County.

    https://etaxes.washoecounty.us/default.aspx?i=00970201

    OBTW, sq. footage includes a 2600ft “finished basement.” I’m always leery of such inclusions.

    All that said, someone may get a fine deal off this property…if they don’t mind the $700/month property tax….

  31. smarten

    Getting back to the meat of Guy’s post, most are in denial that a “bottom” has been reached notwithstanding the fact: unit sales; median sales price; and “equity” sales [a misnomer, but some of us get the point] are all up; and, prices/square foot are down. If this data means nothing, then by what factors do we measure a bottom?

    Assuming we haven’t reached a bottom in the macro sense, can it be that any recent purchaser [like Johnny (who BTW seems too intelligent to be Derrick)] has purchased a specific property at the “bottom?” And regardless of the answer, how is it we will know?

    Let me share an example. You will recall that my wife and I made our home purchase 3 months ago. Although escrow closed on July 1, our offer was submitted back in March. When our purchase became a subject of this blog, I shared with the group that the house next store [which IMO was not as large nor as nice/high end as ours] was also for sale at a then asking price of some $400K more than our contract price. You may recall I was criticized by many and there were assertions by some that our equity would be down 20% by the end of the year.

    Well next store closed escrow last week. And the sales price was some $80K more than ours. If you’re going to ignore: unit sales; median sales price; percentage of equity sales; price/square foot; and now actual comparable sales; puh-lease…

    I submit that you’re the one in denial.

    I’m not saying the market bottom was reached last March or if it was, the market has gone “up” or it is going to go anywhere but sidewise in the months ahead. But IMO you cannot simply ignore nor make excuses for the data Guy shares with us each month [the same data we all relied upon 3 or more years ago]. Yet that’s exactly what you’re doing.

    Compared to last year, the market seems to be on the rebound. Fragile for sure, but rebound nonetheless.

  32. Worried Guy

    Smarten,

    How about the fact that once $400+K homes last March are starting to get blown out in the $300K’s today in Reno? So price per square foot is falling in the intermediate to upper end homes in this area and we have reached the bottom? Price per square foot is still getting shredded over time on this portion of the RE market. We’re talking Reno here, not IV. Let’s see a year or two from now what happens to the price of homes in and throughout the Reno-Carson-Tahoe area. I bet we are not near the bottom yet.

  33. Joe

    IMO, just relying on recent trends (unit sales, median price, etc.) to predict the bottom in this market is useless. Someone relying on the same thing in 2005 would assume the trends would continue. Now sure some homes selling in the 100k’s are likely at the bottom. But does anyone really beleive that a home trying to sell for 500k now will be ‘worth’ that in 2 years. If no one is buying it now with near record low interest rates, tax credits, etc., who’s going to buy it when those end. And it’s rediculous to call a bottom when half of mortgage holders in the city owe more on their home than it’s worth, and many are still not having to pay the full monthly mortgage…yet.

  34. bob c

    i go over each days new listings via the search
    engine tools provided here and the juniper hills
    property stood out like a sore thumb

    whats the catch? i’m not into big prop taxes
    and high maintenance, but those repo sales can
    produce bargains—my plan when i buy is to get one fresh off the daily new listings (a distressed sale)

  35. Worried Guy

    Well Bobc if you’re not into high property taxes, then I would probably rule out most of Washoe County…Maybe checkout Douglas.

  36. Jessy

    johnny, big baby, whatever…..from this time forward anyone on the blog who is arrogant, spiteful, or ignorant will be known simply as “derrick”.

  37. reno newbie

    house on juniper hills needs major updating and is tight on lot … when you see it let us know what you think

  38. Worried Guy

    Reno Newbie,

    Have you seen the property on Juniper Trail already in the last week?

  39. Martin

    Maybe the Juniper Trails house needs updating, and maybe it is a tight fit on the lot. As for the inclusion of the daylight basement in the square footage, I am not offended by it in this case. If this was a small dingy basement with a leaky old oil furnace in some 1920s era house in the old SW, I think it would be inappropriate to include it, but not with this house.

    The fact is that $73 a sq.ft. in Caughlin Ranch is news folks.

    I fail to see how anybody can suggest this listing is evidence of a market bottom.

  40. Raymond

    Re the Juniper Trails house….

    Just from looking at the pictures on the MLS listing, the house does not look in bad shape to me. I think you could say any house that is 16 years old could use updating if you want to make it look brand new.

    This listing seems to be an exceptional deal, and not good news at all for comps in the neighborhood, unless there is some defect we are unaware of.
    I tried to find the sales history for this house on the assessor’s website, but I could not find it. Has anybody else found it?

  41. Shelley

    Even if you put $100K in improvements into the house, you are still looking at only $92/sq.ft. That is unheard of for Caughlin Ranch.
    Is there something we don’t know about this house?

  42. Worried Guy

    It shows only 79,950 on 7/19/91…Looks like a one owner home from 93′.

  43. Raymond

    Was that the price of the lot in 1991?

  44. johnny

    After finishing up my short sale acceptance from the bank, I am seriously tempted to plop down some funds on another house/condo.

    The reality is that the 100-200k price range HAS hit bottom, if it cash flows at that price then why not?

  45. Worried Guy

    Raymond,

    Yes, I think that is the price of the lot. I don’t see any other transactions thereafter. I am really not sure how you get what the original owners paid. Maybe a title search. Anyone?

  46. Sully

    Shelley, over a year ago BB posted a comment that covered this price. He said 350K (or around that number) should buy a real nice house in Reno. I think this particular listing would cover what he meant.

    Perhaps, he can comment on this, if he is still reading the blog.

  47. reno newbie

    after you look at juniper trail go to muirwood circle and let us know which is the better buy. we saw both but are not buying now, as there is just too much downside risk. unemployment must be solved to turn market.

  48. Shelley

    I understand Sully, and I agree that prices are nowhere done falling. Especially in the over $350K price range. But this price represents a quantum leap to the downside, not the slow gradual decline we have been witnessing. $73 a sq. ft. in Caughlin Ranch is more than 100% below the lowest sale there to date on a per sq. ft. basis. The market usually does not see these kinds of quantum leaps, unless there is some unknown issue with a house. Hence my question.

  49. GreenNV

    futurerenohomebuyer, you toured this house, didn’t you? Do you have any insights to add? (or or you putting in an offer?)

    The $79,950 sales price in 1991 was for the lot, and the house was constructed in 1993. There were a couple of relatively small loans in 2001, then a refi for $590,000 in March 2003, and a HELOC in March 2004. It went TD last week for $483,953 with $573,008 due.

    Some pretty major drops over on Cheechako, too.

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