Hawaii real estate by Bonnebaker

April 3, 2007

Honolulu Board of Realtors: Oahu real estate market holding steady

Today, the Honolulu Board of REALTORS® released resale figures for the month of March. According to the analysis conducted by the Board, using data collected from its computerized Multiple Listing Service (MLS) system, the statistics are:

During March, sales of 330 single-family homes and 541 condominiums were reported through the Board’s MLS, a decrease in sales of 15.8 percent for single family homes and 22.3 percent for condominiums, compared to the same month last year. The median price paid in March for a single-family home was $643,500, while the condominium price was $321,000. On a year-to-date basis, sales volume is lower by 8.3 percent for single-family homes and 19.3 percent for condominiums, while the median prices for the first three months of 2007 were $620,000 and $320,000, a decline of 0.8 percent for single-family homes and an increase of 3.6 percent for condominiums, compared to same time period in 2006. Total dollar sales volume for the first three months of the year was $1.187 billion, a decrease of 11.4 percent, or $153 million, compared to the $1.340 billion generated in the housing market in the same time period one year ago.

“The housing market continued to perform as expected during March and there were some positive signs that the market may be picking up soon,” said Berton Hamamoto, President of the Honolulu Board of REALTORS®. “First, the Days on Market indicator reversed direction last month, especially for condominium sales which sped up by nearly three weeks, from 59 days to just 40 days. Second, there continues to be a reduction in inventory, 4 months now of decline after 19 months of increases. This may be a significant factor as we move into the busy summer buying season.”

“The short-term forecast for the residential housing market looks quite good, based on the number of properties that went into escrow this month,” added Harvey Shapiro, Research Economist at the Board of REALTORS®. “While the production numbers still lag those of last year, we expect more closed sales with higher prices in both property categories in April. Finally, median asked prices for the available inventory have settled at about $750,000 and $350,000, for single-family homes and condominiums, respectively, after being higher for the past couple years.”

The public is encouraged to visit the Board’s Internet web site at www.HiCentral.com to see what’s happening in the housing market. The public has the ability to search through Oahu single-family home and condominium listings, available for sale and for rent, and to see a comprehensive guide of homes that will be open to visit this Sunday. All searches can be done by geographic location, price range or both. HiCentral.com provides useful information about buying and selling real estate in Hawaii.

Established in 1922, the Honolulu Board of REALTORS® is one of the largest of 1,600 boards of REALTORS® in the nation and, with over 6,000 members, the largest trade organization on Oahu. Membership is available to licensed real estate brokers, agents, property managers, appraisers, counselors and others engaged in all aspects of the real estate industry pledged to adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. For more information, call (808) 732-3000 or visit www.HiCentral.com.

(This report reflects information about resales of existing properties only and does not include new home sales. All of the MLS information is compiled from sales reported during the cited months; this data is known only after closing of escrow. The time delay between the signing of a sales contract and the closing of escrow is usually between one and three months.).