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It’s November in Palm Springs: Election, Covid, Home Prices – Oh My!

Home Prices, Election, Covid-19, Oh My!

It’s been quite a November and we’re only 13 days into it.

Many of us thought after November 3rd the Democrats and Republicans would stop their constant fighting and we’d know who the Presidential candidate would be sworn into office in January. To add to our worries, Covid-19 high positivity rates smacked us again.

But there is a bright light in our housing market.

People from around the country are buying homes where they’ve been vacationing. They’re buying homes in leisure destinations as permanent residences and as secondary homes. Our Palm Springs area is one of those destination hotspots.  And we locals know why; weather, beautiful scenery, lifestyle, and fabulous homes at fantastic prices.

2020 has proven to be a very big year in the real estate market in the Coachella Valley. Buyers who had been waiting for “the right time” to purchase a home found this year to be that right time.

Our residential inventory is still very low in all prices points, with the exception of the uber high-end properties. If a property is priced correctly, based on its location, sun exposure, floor plan and other factors in its community, it will sell – and sell quickly. But even in this hot market, sellers must remember that buyers set market prices, not sellers. It is a sellers’ peril if they disregard this reality. If they do, they won’t sell their homes.

As we approach the holidays, realtors would generally see a slight slowdown before our January to April active season. However, since Covid-19 people keep streaming into the desert searching for their ‘desert dream home’.

There’s been a huge surge of sales in the detached home market.  In the past 1-1/2 months, home sales experienced a 39.3% increase year-over-year. The average home sale is a tick over $600,000.  In the $700,000 to $800,000 price bracket, sales increased 96%. In the million-dollar and over price bracket, sales went from an average of 45 units to over 110 units a month, an increase of 144%.

Entry level homes priced between $250,000 to $350,000 are very hard to find. If a single-family home comes on to the market in this price range, it won’t list for long. In this price range it’s easier to find a condo.

With the start of our selling season, we anticipate seeing more homes hit the market, which may ease some of the upward pressure on home sales.  However, as with everything else this year, nothing is running its usual course.

Stay tuned.  Stay connected.