Philadelphia Real Estate: Absorption Rates
What are absorption rates… and why are they the best indicators of Market Performance?
Absorption rate is the average number of homes sold per month over a particular period of time and how long it will take the homes that are on the market to sell. Absorption rates are a great means of tracking market performance and predicting trends. Although they are usually used to indicate overall market performance they can be just as powerful when tracking sales by price range or by neighborhood.
Buyers market, sellers market or neutral market?
The amount of inventory determines which way the market swings. A neutral market is 6 months of inventory and anything less than that is a sellers market. Conversely, an inventory of more than 6 months is a buyers market.
What do absorption rates mean to a buyer?
Absorption rates can help a buyer to understand market supply and demand and this can be helpful when crafting his/her offering strategy. The longer a home has been on the market and the more competition that it has in its price range, suggests a lower offering strategy and a greater possibility of increased reduction off asking price.
What do absorption rates mean to a seller?
Absorption rates help a seller understand how long it might take a home to sell. They can also assist the seller in determining their pricing strategy. The most desirable home in a price range always sells first. If a seller wants to sell quicker, they want to have the most desirable home in a price range… even if that is one price range lower.
Disclaimer:
Absorption rates are a great tool that can be used by either a buyer or seller to understand the real estate market and to be in a better position for success. But they tend to fluctuate dramatically by neighborhood and by price range. Absorption rates are more accurate if calculated in smaller segments. A good example is the rate for Fishtown is 6.23 weeks and the rate in Queen Village-Pennsport is 4.33 weeks but the above rate for all of Philadelphia is 11 months! If you would like to know the absorption rate for your neighborhood, send me an email and I will publish the rate.
Potentially Related Posts:
The State of Philadelphia Real Estate
Philadelphia Forclosure Rate
Technorati: Philadelphia real estate, absorption rate, Philadelphia real estate trends, market conditions
