I’ve been saying it since the first week of January… “It’s like someone flipped a switch and turbo charged this market!” If you aren’t on the hunt for a new home, let me be the first to tell you it’s a crazy, crazy, crazy market with the sellers in complete control. I took a quick peek at the multiple listing service statistics today, and here’s what I found:
There’s nothing to buy.
In Denver County as of February 11th, 2021, there are 895 active listings for sale and 1,831 listings that are pending (under contract). In January, there were 889 property sales. That leaves us with one month of available inventory, one month! I’m concerned for February’s stats after seeing that massive pending number. For buyers looking for properties under $1 million, it’s a very frustrating time. There isn’t much to look at. 895 homes is 0.003% of the 338,341 total homes in Denver, per the US Census as of July 1, 2019.
The competition is stiff.
Buyers are showing their resolve to succeed in this market. I was recently involved in two separate negotiations that came in over list price; one ended up $50k over list price, the other $130k. Each negotiation had over 15 offers, and not one was at or under list price. In fact, January’s single-family close-to-list price ratio was 101.3%, so my experiences were not the exception, but the rule these days. While the reality of the market may seem disheartening, let’s take a turn and break down how you can succeed in it.
Competing requires strategy.
I’ve seen some very aggressive offers in the last 30 days. Below are some of the popular tools used to get your offer accepted, though it’s by no means a comprehensive list.
- An aggressive initial offer.
- An escalation clause.
- Purchasing the home “as is” and limiting inspection asks to a low dollar amount ($1-5k).
- Appraisal protection (gap) clauses that waive the buyer’s right to object if the appraisal doesn’t come in at the above list contract price.
- Buyer paying seller’s closing costs.
- Higher earnest money deposits with a portion of or all of it non-refundable.
- Shorter close periods (2-3 weeks for financed purchases).
- Free seller lease backs after closing to allow the seller to find a replacement home (good luck).
Buyers need a Plan B.
If you find yourself on the losing end of things, don’t give up! Backup offers are becoming competitive — I just experienced my first multiple offer backup negotiation (no joke). It used to be a slam dunk to get a backup offer accepted after the home is pending, but not anymore! Have your backup prepared and submitted as soon as you receive the bad news. Being quick to the punch when everyone else is sulking could make the difference.
Backup contracts are free insurance policies that don’t prevent you from submitting other offers on new homes that you find. In the event that the primary contract terminates (which they do), you automatically become the first contract with zero negotiations. If you find another home you like while you’re in the backup position (and can get it under contract), a simple email terminates the backup contract, and voila! The best part? No earnest money is required for backup contracts!
It’s easy to get discouraged in this market, and I understand the urge to just take the “blue pill” and sign a lease to ease the endless anxiety and disappointment. But I would encourage you to take the “red pill” and work the plan that you and your real estate broker created. The end result will be worth it. Stay the course!
