By Keith Kyle
As most home buyers read about the market they have, inevitably heard that inventory is down and that it is a “seller’s market” which is certainly the case but both may be a drastic understatement at the moment. Inventory is at historic lows with both active homes for sale and sold homes being dramatically below the norm. The chart below shows the past 5 years with monthly numbers indicating the number of homes active on the MLS (light green), the number of pending homes sales or homes in escrow (red line), and the number of homes sold or escrows closed (dark green) that month.
The numbers are pretty staggering with February 2014 having only 26 closed sales and 36 current homes active on the market. Contrast that with February 2009 with only 25 closed escrows and 284 homes available for buyers and you’ll understand why buyers are willing to do just about anything and pay any price to get a home in this luxury coastal community. Due to low interest rates, and Manhattan Beach schools surpassing even their own record test scores, the demand for homes is as strong as ever.
