Jackson Hole on a roll after strong April

Winter endures atop Glory Bowl, but in the valley the turn toward summer is clear.

Winter endures atop Glory Bowl, but in the valley the turn toward summer is clear.

Stable. Healthy. Active. There’s really no other way to read the Jackson Hole real estate sales figures from April, when 45 properties sold for $32.5 million.

Stability can be inferred by the fact that sellers collected 96 percent of list price in April. Also, only one sale price was not reported to Teton County Multiple Listing Service, an ongoing trend that indicates the days of distressed sales and significant price cuts are mostly behind us. In April 2012 there were six unreported sales.

Healthy factors from last month’s sales figures include an average sales price of $722,000, well below the $1.32 million ASP in March and the $1.38 million ASP in 2012. The median, not surprisingly, also dropped to $613,000, though this plunge is not nearly as precipitous as ASP.

Throughout the recession the average sales prices remained in line with pre-recession levels even as properties plummeted in value, indicating ongoing strength at the high end. Today, the majority of the transactions are below the median price for residential properties that will be occupied by full-time residents.

The aspens have yet to leaf out, but lawns are beginning to green.

The aspens have yet to leaf out, but lawns are beginning to green.

Also signifying market strength are steady building site sales, with five reported in April. In particular, three of these sales were for less than $440,000, a price point that indicates imminent construction of non-luxury homes.

Activity in April also was remarkable, with a 60 percent jump in transactions compared to April 2012. Sales volume actually dropped 14 percent, however that only accentuates the points above and the anomalies that occur month to month. For example, in April 2012, two large vacant land sales totaling $15+ million skewed the ASP upward while the highest sales price this year was $2.3 million for a Teton Pines home.

April sales highlights include:

  • The unreported sale was a 4-bed, 3-bath, 3,000-square-foot home near Teton Village listed for $1.975 million and on the market for 339 days.
  • Low-end sales continued to drive the market with 50 percent of all residential sales less than $500,000.
  • Melody Ranch enjoyed a surge with four residential sales and a vacant land sale.
  • A Karns Hillside building site on Rodeo Drive listed for $440,000 closed for more than 40 percent above its 2012 sale price.
  • Teton Village reported two sales, both in Teton Mountain Lodge..

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New homes bolstering Jackson Hole inventory

Teton views often are at the top of the list for vacant lot buyers in Jackson Hole.

Teton views often are at the top of the list for vacant lot buyers in Jackson Hole.

During the recession, new home construction came to a virtual standstill in Jackson Hole with just 23 building site sales in 2009 and 29 in 2010. Since then, however, vacant land sales have been rising steadily, hitting 77 in 2012, 80 in the last 12 months and 14 thus far in 2013.

Statistics released this month and compiled by Jackson Hole News&Guide show building permits issued by Teton County tallied 216 for the 12-month period ending in January. That figure rose slightly from 209 in the previous 12-month period. Leading the way were single-family home site sales.

This market segment still has a ways to go before equaling the 127 building site sales reported in 2007, but the resurgence has contributed significantly to the local economy in terms of additional construction jobs and other real estate-related services. One driver of building site sales has been the reduction of values to a point that encourages the construction of a new home instead of purchasing an existing home.

Premium Melody Ranch lots are selling for nearly $400,000.

Premium Melody Ranch lots are selling for nearly $400,000.

Highlights of this year’s building site sales include:

  • the sale of 6.76 acres near the junction of highways 89 and 22, a critical commercial piece at the corner of one of the state’s busiest intersections. On market for 1,884 days, dropping by more than half from the original list price of $7.5 million.
  • the sale of a 1.18-acre building site in Shooting Star in Teton Village. Fish Creek frontage, great Jackson Hole Mountain Resort views, on the market for 610 days with a final list price of $2.45 million.
  • Four sales below $260,000, with three in town of Jackson and one in Melody Ranch.

Currently there are 10 building sites under contract, according to Teton County Multiple Listing Service. Pending vacant land sales in Jackson Hole include:

  • The last Daisy Bush developer site in this very popular East Jackson neighborhood, listed at $350,000 for more than 1,200 days.
  • Half are listed below $$375,000, including two Rafter J lots in the newly released neighborhood on King Eider Road.
  • A 16-acre site in Big Trails subdivision, located about two miles south of Jackson between Rafter J and Melody Ranch, with Flat Creek running through it, listed at $1.495 million and on market for 555 days.

Active building sites in Jackson Hole number 207 with a median price of $1.1 million. A 0.59-acre lot in 3 Creek Ranch and a 0.57-acre vacant lot in Teton Village represent the median.  Please contact me for a personalized look at available properties, a closer analysis of the sales discussed in this post or a broader discussion of the Jackson Hole real estate market.

 

February sales fab as volume jumps 131%

The welcome mat is out for March visitors to Jackson Hole.

The welcome mat is out for March visitors to Jackson Hole.

There were 27 real estate sales in Jackson Hole in February, six more than in 2012, but only two closed below $250,000 and five for less than $500,000. Not surprisingly, this led to a whopping 131 percent increase in sales volume with monthly sales hitting approximately $40 million.

Why the slow down on the low end? Partly because of a lack of inventory, partly the result of the pendulum swinging the other way after low-end sales led the way in January. In all of Teton County, there are currently 43 residential units are priced below $500,000 and just 3 priced below $250,000.

Let that sink in: just three full-ownership homes for sale below $250,000 in an area larger than 4,000 square miles; just nine priced less than $300,000. After five years of plummeting prices and increasing options for working families, the market has come almost full circle with fewer and fewer free market affordable housing choices in one of the nation’s wealthiest communities.

As a newly minted board member of the Teton County Housing Authority and a longtime advocate of deed-restricted housing that enhances ownership opportunities for the hardest working residents of Jackson Hole, this is a community challenge I am intimately aware of. The good new is that the inventory of affordable housing units has risen in the last five years and the goal of housing more than 65 percent of the county’s workers in Jackson Hole currently is being attained. I will dedicate a future blog post to the state of affordable housing in Teton County.

skiing, Tetons Jackson Hole

The best part of the ski season is upon us and spring skiing on Teton Pass is the go-to slope.

Meanwhile, highlights from February’s residential sales, as reported by Teton County Multiple Listing Service include:

  • Teton Village has been very active with four sales, including the high-ticket closing of the month on a 7,300+ square-foot home on Granite Ridge, listed at $7.95 million.
  • The second-highest priced listing to sell in February was a 7-bed, 10-bath, 8,100+ square-foot home in Bar B Bar on 19 acres listed at $6.75 million and on the market for 745 days.
  • Three Teton Pines homes and 2 Aspens/Racquet Club homes sold, a solid month for this vibrant West Bank neighborhood. Keeping with this month’s theme, the two Aspens properties were quality 2-bed properties listed just below $500,000 and selling for close to asking price, and well above the 2-bed average sale of approximately $350,000 in this short-term rental overlay.
  • Town of Jackson sales continued to soar with 8 closings, including the top vacant land sale for a 6.76-acre commercial piece located near the “Y” intersection of Highways 22 and 189, on market for 1,884 days.

Building sites also continued their steady resurgence with 6 sales, topped by the aforementioned. Additional sales included a 7.92-acre home site north of Wilson listed for $1.395 million; an Amangani building site listed for $895,000, less than an acre; a premium Melody Ranch lot with top-notch South Park views of the Tetons, listed at $399,000.

Always keep in mind these posts are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Jackson Hole real estate research. Contact me for a personalized, up-to-the-minute look at the market. 307-690-9346.

 

Teton Village: Mid-season real estate report

The annual Cutter Races, held this weekend, is pure Jackson Hole.

The annual Cutter Races, held this weekend in Melody Ranch, is pure Jackson Hole.

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort is in full swing this President’s Day weekend, awakening from its mid-season, post-holidays nap. With another season of strong snowfall among the deepest in the Rockies, bookings at Teton Village hotels are solid through mid-March.

Real estate activity also is strong, with five closings since December 1 and eight properties currently under contract. This easily surpasses last winter’s real estate activity, which saw just three full-ownership closings all season and none in 2012 until March 1. Overall, there were 37 closings in Teton Village in 2012, down from 43 in 2011.

Closings this ski season include:

  • Two Hotel Terra units, both on the market for more than 1,200 days.
  • A 5-bedroom condo built in 1978 in the older section of Teton Village listed for $1.099 million. Very few 5-bedrooms in Teton Village. On (and off) the market for 17 months.
  • Two single-family homes on the market an average of 750 days. Listed for $2.595 million and $2.45 million, both selling for less than 10 percent off final list price.

The takeaway on these sales is that buyers have taken advantage of values as much as 50 percent below the height of the market, regained confidence in the short-term rental market and are finding sellers willing and able to deal. However, putting the damper on a more robust resurgence in this hamlet about 15 miles from downtown Jackson is a lack of inventory.

Rendezvous Peak (the top of the Aerial Tram) as seen from Tucker Ranch.

Rendezvous Peak (the top of the Aerial Tram) as seen from Tucker Ranch.

Currently there are just 43 full ownership properties for sale in Teton Village, down from 48 in October.  (There are 29 fractional ownership properties for sale, but those are outside the scope of this analysis.) Options are significantly diminished from December 2011, when there were 73 properties on market.

Available homes at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort include:

  • A 500-square-foot studio built in 1973 listed for $225,000 is the least-expensive property. A 2-bed condo built in 1972 is listed for $297,700.
  • There are 5 condos listed below $500,000 and 13 for less than $1 million.
  • There are 9 single-family homes, with the least expensive a 5-bed, 4-bath, 2,750-square-foot home built in 1980 and listed for $1.650 million.
  • Two Granite Ridge homes, both listed in the last week at $6.9 million and $5.2 million. This premier neighborhood is located along the slopes above Four Seasons Jackson Hole and features some of Teton Village’s finest homes.

Half of the eight pending properties are in Teton Mountain Lodge and Hotel Terra. Activity in these condo-tel developments has been intense of late. Contact me for a detailed look at these developments, including rental figures, floor layouts, comparable sales and more.

 

Sales rise in January, but high end takes break

Jackson Hole has been a winter wonderland of late, with both crisp and clear days and huge storms that last days.

Jackson Hole has been a winter wonderland of late, with both crisp and clear days and huge storms that last days.

The Jackson Hole real estate market may have partied like it was 2007 in December, but only high-end buyers seemed to feel a January hangover.

Unit sales for the month increased from 22 to 24 (9 percent) compared to 2012. However, sales volume dropped dramatically from $33.2 million to approximately* $19.3 million (40 percent).

The average sales price in January, according to the latest data from Teton County Multiple Listing Service, was about $805,000, well below the $2.24 million ASP posted in December and the $1.38 million ASP for all of 2012. In December there were 19 sales for more than $2 million. In January, there were just two above $1.8 million.

Interestingly, while ASP and sales volume dropped significantly, there were no residential sales for less than $275,000 (an East Jackson single-family home) and the least-expensive townhouse or condo sale was for $289,000.  In 2012, there were approximately 41 home sales below $285,000, all of them condos or townhouses.  In 2012 the least-expensive single-family home in Teton County closed for $340,000.

Skiing on Teton Pass has been fantastic, though avalanche danger has been high in recent days.

Skiing on Teton Pass has been fantastic, though avalanche danger has been high in recent days.

Additional highlights from January’s residential sales include:

  • The median price in January was $750,000, down from the median in 2012 of $850,000.
  • Town of Jackson was very active, with the 9 least-expensive sales (up to $625,000) and 11 of the 17 overall residential sales.
  • The top sale was a Teton Pines home with 5 beds on 0.66 acres listed for $3.68 million that sold in just 50 days.
  • The next highest sale was a Hotel Terra condo listed at $1.2 million that closed after 1,482 days on market. Contact me for a detailed look at the Teton Village condo-tel market, including properties in Teton Mountain Lodge, Four Seasons Jackson Hole, Hotel Terra (both phases) and Crystal Springs.

Vacant land accounted for nearly a third of all Jackson Hole property sales with 7 closings, continuing a solid resurgence for this market segment.  Building site sale highlights include:

  • The two least-expensive Town of Jackson lots on the market, including a 0.17-acre lot on Simpson Street listed for $269,000, sold for nearly 100 percent of list price after just 42 days. Another lot on the same street with less buildable acreage sold for about 20 percent less after nearly four years on the market.
  • The two least-expensive property sales in January were building sites.
  • Two approximately 5-acre sites in the Woodside Estates subdivision near Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis sold after about 20 months on market. List prices were $1.495 million and $1.8 million, with finals sales prices unreported.
  • A 1.18-acre lot in Shooting Star in Teton Village on the banks of Fish Creek listed for $2.45 million.

Contact me for a personalized look at Western Wyoming properties from Jackson to Pinedale to Alpine and everywhere in between.

* Total sales volume is estimated based on 90 percent of list price for properties not reporting final sales price. In January there were 6 unreported sales prices.

 

Year-end rush for Jackson Hole real estate

When all the numbers are finally tallied, 2012 will be the most explosive year for real estate sales in Jackson Hole since 2007.

The snow is deep at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, the hotels in Teton Village are full, and it’s tough to get a reservation at the valley’s best restaurants. But the busiest bees in Jackson Hole this week aren’t lifties, valets or servers. Working the hardest during these final days of 2012 are title company employees, home inspectors, Realtors, closing coordinators and anyone else who makes a living helping people buy and sell real estate.

Next week, when all the numbers for 2012 are in, it will be reported that it was a banner year for Jackson Hole real estate with the highest sales volume and unit sales since 2007. So far this year there have been more than 390 closings, far surpassing the 344 posted in 2011, and a significant increase in sales volume from $392 million.

How much of an increase remains to be seen and I will report the exact figures in January. The high water mark for unit sales will remain 2005 with 792 closings. Jackson Hole’s top sales volume year will still be 2007 when $792 million in sales were reported and most estimates put the actual number above $1 billion, but all in all 2012 will go down as a strong year in a recovering market.

More than 12 feet of snow in December means great backcountry skiing in the Teton Range. Pictured: Cody Peak, just south of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.

Why the huge year-end surge? For some, it’s the chance to close on a property in 2012 and ahead of tax law changes that seem inevitable. For others, it’s the combination of depressed values, low interest rates and confidence in a stabilizing home market. And then there are those who, year in and year out, simply value all that Jackson Hole has to offer and have decided now is the time to get their little corner of paradise in the Rockies.

With about a week left in the calendar year, the 31 units for approximately $52.6 million in sales volume reported in December 2012 already compare well with 2011 when 32 sales were reported for $49 million. However, according to Teton County Multiple Listing Service there are 63 properties currently pending with a total list volume of more than $93 million.

In other words, the Daily Hotsheet will be downright smoking in the next few days. The fallout will be interesting with a slew of new information available to help buyers and sellers (and their trusted real estate professional!) better understand the market.

This will only help further stabilize values and I believe contribute to another strong market in 2013. What questions do you have about the current market and which way certain segments appear headed?

For example, what did the big year for vacant land sales mean to your plans to build a home in Jackson Hole? Which segments are seeing rising prices? Which segments are still losing value? What is your home worth? Do I know any bankers in the area that can discuss your loan potential? Will there be more or less distressed properties coming to market?

Please call today to begin your personalized Jackson Hole real estate discussion. All the best in 2013!

Rolling into Q4: 47 Teton County sales in October

Time for buffalo to stock up for winter! Indian summer won’t last much longer …

Another month, another big set of numbers for Jackson Hole real estate sales.

October unit sales jumped 17 percent from 2011, with 40 residential closings and 7 building site sales. Sales volume rose even more dramatically, increasing 78 percent to approximately $68.1 million, according to Teton County Multiple Listing Service.

Driving October’s surge was the sale of a 12,340-square-foot home in Crescent H listed at $18.95 million, the largest residential sale in 2012. Final sales price was not reported, as were seven other listings that closed last month. (The total list price of unreported sales was $37.5 million; sales volume figures above represent 90 percent of final list price for these properties and actual sales prices for other units sold.)

Time is also running out for a quick dip in a Jackson Hole trout stream …

At the lower end of the market, 18 sales were reported below $500,000, an encouraging sign after several months of waning sales in this segment. Interestingly, six of these sales were older homes in Town of Jackson that seem ideal for investors looking for income properties (long-term rentals) or potential redevelopment projects.

Teton Village reported four sales ranging from a 2-bed, 792-square-foot condo that sold for MORE THAN the list price of $260,000 to a 3-bed, 3,172-square-foot condo in Four Seasons Jackson Hole listed for $3.95 million. A 2-bed Four Seasons condo listed for $1.72 million also sold for just under $1,000 per foot, as did a 3-bed, 1,388-square-foot condo that closed for $485,000.

The Aspens, located on the Teton Village Road about three miles from Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, also reported steady activity, reporting three sales including a 2-bed, 1,206-square-foot townhouse for $457,500.

Even the moose are making the most of the few warm days before winter!

The least-expensive property to change hands in October is a 2-bed, 744-square-foot condo in Meadowbrook (downtown Jackson along Flat Creek) listed for $169,000.

Want to see the MLS sheets for these listings? How about a current list of active listings personalized for your market segment? Please contact me today to receive a market analysis and sign up for regular market updates.

Teton Village sales back on track

Just one month until Jackson Hole Mountain Resort kicks off the 2012-13 ski season.

A penthouse in Four Seasons Jackson Hole listed at $5.95 million went under contract this week, extending a recent hot streak for this bellwether Teton County real estate market segment.

As of October 21, there have been 28 Teton Village residential sales in 2012 for an approximate sales volume of $46.5 million. There are currently five pending properties at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, including the aforementioned penthouse as well as a 2-bed Four Seasons condo listed at $1.795 million, a 6,400-square-foot home listed at $4.6 million and two condos listed for below $600,000.

However, it will be difficult for real estate sales in Teton Village to exceed 2011, when there were 42 closings. This is due mainly to a slow start in 2012 that saw no closings until March 1. Teton Village caught fire in the second quarter with 13 sales before slowing to eight in Q2. This year has already surpassed the 10-year low of 20 posted in 2009 but is far below the 98 reported in 2005.

Inventory is down compared to last year, however, when there were 73 active, full-ownership listings in Teton Village (fractional units are not included in this analysis) as of December 8. Today’s inventory includes just 48 active listings, a drop of approximately 34 percent. Expect some new listings in the coming weeks to cut into this deficit.

A look at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort exactly one year ago. Today, the view is obscured with more than a foot of snow reported near the summit.

The least-expensive property in Teton Village is a 1-bed, 1-bath, 760-square-foot condo built in 1972 listed for $260,000. A 2-bed unit also built in 1972 is listed for $297,700.

At the upper end of the market there are 10 homes listed for more than $3.75 million, with four of these in the Shooting Star subdivision. Platted in 2008, this premium subdivision features a Tom Fazio golf course and an Alpine Barn that services skiers and snowboarders.

Interested in a look at available condos in Hotel Terra, Teton Mountain Lodge, Crystal Springs or Four Seasons? Perhaps a ski-in/ski-out home on the slopes? Please email me a description of your perfect property and I’ll send along an updated market analysis.

Big April for Jackson Hole real estate

Spring has finally sprung in Jackson Hole, with new listings, like this one in Melody Ranch, arriving as fast as aspen leaves.

Sales volume jumped approximately 22 percent in April to $40.6 million, compared to April 2011, on 26 unit sales. Jackson Hole real estate unit sales for April were flat year over year.

The high end was very active in April compared to recent months that saw a surge in entry-level residences in Town of Jackson. Ten of the sales were above $1.85 million, and in nearly every case the property sold after years on market and significant discounts from original list price.

  • Bar BC Ranch closed two large building sites (44 and 53 acres) listed for a total of $15.4 million. Sales prices were not reported.
  • The top residential sale was for an 8,300+ square foot home on 7.5 elevated acres south of Wilson near Mosquito Creek listed for $7.995m. Property has been on and off the market since 2008, originally listed for more than $12 million.
  • The second-highest sale also was on the market for more than 1,000 days, a Granite Ridge townhouse on the slopes of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in Teton Village. The 5-bed unit was originally listed for $4.6 million in October 2008, reduced to $3.4 million prior to sale.
  • Originally listed for $3.995 million in 2008, a nearly 6,000-square-foot home in Schofield Patent near Wilson sold for less than the final list price of $2.295 million.

    The Snake River had a few good days of fly fishing in April, but water will be off-color for the next few weeks.

Once again building site sales were steady, with five sales. In addition to the two Bar BC Ranch sites, two vacant lots were sold in Karns Hillside subdivision, located on the flanks of Snow King Mountain in Jackson.

The fifth building site sale was for a 0.63-acre site on Granite Ridge after 468 days on market at more than 25 percent off original list price of $2 million.

Last month’s numbers come with the caveat that six sold prices were not reported to Teton County Multiple Listing Service, with all but one of the properties listed above the median sale price of approximately $800,000. Volume totals in this report represent 90 percent of list price.

Contact me for more personalized real-time Jackson Hole real estate research.

Low-end Jackson Hole homes in high demand

As the town of Jackson transitions from winter to spring, the low end of the market is dominating unit sales.

The price has been right for entry-level Jackson Hole homes in recent months, with the inventory of properties listed at or below $300,000 decreasing by 28 percent to 28 units since the beginning of the year.

It’s possible the inventory in this market segment peaked in late December, when there were 39 units listed below $300,000, a benchmark I’ve written about many times in recent years. The price is significant because at the height of the Jackson Hole real estate bubble, not a single residence in Teton County was listed below that figure and in 2008 there was not a reported sale below $300,000.

During the last 12 months, 41 of the 274 (15 percent) residential sales in Jackson Hole were below $300,000. Closed sales in 2012 have remained on pace, with 10 of the 62 below $300,000. However, 12 of the 55 (21 percent) pending listings in Teton County are listed below $300,000 with 54 percent of properties under contract listed below $400,000.

The demand is not hard to understand. Finally, the costs of home ownership are again comparable to renting a similar residential unit. Interest rates are rock bottom, with a 30-year mortgage on $200,000 at 4 percent resulting in a monthly payment of about $950. Few 2-bed Jackson Hole homes rent for less than $1,000.

Supply, however, may become a problem. Many of the listings at the very bottom of the market, most of them bank-owned, saw multiple offers and short days on market. But foreclosures are waning in Teton County. And with prices stagnant, so is the amount of equity sellers. Contributing to inventory, however, will be additional short sale properties.

A lack of supply has already had a dampening effect on the upper end of the Jackson Hole home market. Sales of high-end homes above $1.5 million carried the market in the early stages of the current economic recovery, but that inventory has shrunk considerably in the last two quarters.

Year to date, 27 percent of residential sales have been above $1.5 million, a figure that often represented a monthly average sales price in the heyday. (In fact, the average sales price for the entire year of 2010 was approximately $1.4 million.) Just 6 percent of sales have been above $3 million, however, a market segment that saw a 13 percent decrease in inventory in 2011.