Lake Lanier Real Estate Sales Statistics

Lake Lanier Sales Statistics for 2009 First Half...We have hit bottom!

Here are the long awaited Lake Lanier Sales Statistics for the first Half of 2009. These include only those homes that have individual boat docks or permits in place. They do not include community docks, shared or platform docks.

1/1/09-6/30/09: There are 479 current listings that range from a high of $4,875,000 to a low of $155,900. **Remember WAY back many years, when you could find a LAKE home under $200,000. Well there are some to be had again…..But not for LONG!

** Average listing price is $829,000 out of the 479 listed.

** Average list price last half of 2008 was $722,000 so we are up 13% there.

There are 24 pending or contingent sales of lake home sales that range from $169,000 to $1,799,000.

*Average pending price is $600,000. This is up 20% compared to last half of 2008 with average price of those pending at $477,000
1/1/09 – 6/30/09 – There was 48 sales that ranged from $309,000 to $1,265,000.

** Average sales price was $478,594. Average Days on Market was 162 (however this number is actually higher as many homes were listed and then re-listed at new prices and the counter for days on the market started over again) Many homes on the market for well over 6 months and many were on the market over 1 year.

** Compared to 2008 during the same time there were 145 sales from low of $150,000 to a high of $2,500,000 and the average sales price was $578,372. OUCH! That is an almost 18% decline in average sale price. Even worse when compared to the last half of 2008 with an average sales price of $671,000.

**Average list to sales price ratio for first half of 2009 was 14%. Average list to sales price ratio for first half of 2008 was 10%. So sellers are taking more of a hit off their list price to get their homes sold.

FORECLOSURE SALES: There were 16 foreclosures in the first half of 2009 compared to 8 foreclosures in the first half of 2008. This means 33.3% of the 2009 sales involved foreclosures. Only 5.5% of sales in first half of 2008 were foreclosures.

NOTE: These numbers could be a higher as the search was for Corporate or Foreclosures noted in the Special Circumstances field of FMLS.
What does all of this mean? Well it means that 2009 was one tough year on Lake Lanier! This is really no surprise to most of us when you consider the entire country had the worst year ever in 2009.

It also means people are willing to cut their loses, but not to a great degree. Fewer sales tell me 2 things. People are not buying AND people are not willing to sell at these rock bottom prices.
We have finally seen a rise in the lake up to 5.0 feet below full pool from 20 feet below in December, 2008. Recently it has dropped to almost 7.0 feet below summer pool. We are getting some much needed rain this entire week so we may just get that number back up to 5.0 feet by the end of this week, maybe even knocking on the 4.0 feet below full pool door!

In October, 2009, the last of the dock permits are planned to be issued. If the lake continues holding water, our deep recession (I really think we are in a depression) starts to ease a bit and the fact that we have more pending Lake sales than last year, I truly believe we have hit the bottom and there is nowhere to go but UP!

It is imperative that if you are thinking of selling or buying that you get your Lake Lanier Home appraised so you know what the CURRENT market is for the home and you do not make a huge mistake by either leaving money on the table as a seller or as a buyer, over paying for your new dream home!

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

“Your Lake Lanier Appraiser”

Mary Thompson
www.marytappraisals.com