In 2018 home sellers realized an average home price gain since purchase of $61,000, up from $50,000 last year and up from $39,500 two years ago in 2016 to the highest level since 2006 — a 12-year high, according to a new report from property database curator ATTOM Data Solutions.
That $61,000 average home seller profit represented an average 32.6 percent return on investment compared to the original purchase price, up from 27.0 percent last year and up from 21.9 percent in 2016 to the highest average home seller ROI since 2006.
"While 2018 was the most profitable time to sell a home in more than 12 years, those along the coasts, reaped the most gains. However, those are the same areas where homeowners are staying put longer," said Todd Teta, chief product officer at ATTOM Data Solutions.
Teta continued, "The economy is still going strong and home loan rates remain historically low. But there are potential clouds on the horizon. The effects of last year's tax cuts are wearing off as limits on homeowner tax deductions are in place and mortgage rates are ticking up ever so slowly, so this could dampen the potential for home price gains in 2019."
Among 217 metropolitan statistical areas with a population greater than 200,000 and sufficient historical data, the highest returns on investment were almost exclusively in western states, with concentrations along areas of the west coast.
Those with the highest average home seller ROI were San Jose, California (108.8 percent); San Francisco, California (78.6 percent); Seattle, Washington (70.7 percent); Merced, California (66.4 percent); and Santa Rosa, California (66.1 percent).
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The U.S. median home price in 2018 was $248,000, up 5.5 percent from 2017 to a new all-time high. Annual home price appreciation in 2018 slowed slightly compared to the 7.1 percent in 2017.
Among 127 metropolitan statistical areas with a population of 200,000 or more and sufficient home price data, those with the biggest year-over-year increase in home prices were Mobile, Alabama (up 21 percent); Flint, Michigan (up 19 percent); San Jose, California (up 18.9 percent); Atlantic City, New Jersey (up 16.4 percent) and Las Vegas, Nevada (up 13.5 percent).
Homeowners who sold in the fourth quarter of 2018 had owned their homes an average of 8.30 years, up from 8.13 years in the previous quarter and up from 7.95 years in Q4 2017 to the longest average home seller tenure as far back as data is available, Q1 2000.
Counter to the national trend, 16 of the 108 metro areas analyzed in the report posted a year-over-year decrease in average home seller tenure including: Vallejo-Fairfield, California (down 5 percent); Reno, Nevada (down 3 percent); Redding, California (down 2 percent); Panama City, Florida (down 2 percent); Chattanooga, Tennessee (down 2 percent); Eugene, Oregon (down 2 percent); Crestview-Fort Walton Beach, Florida (down 1 percent); Tucson, Arizona (down 1 percent), Punta Gorda, Florida (down less than 1 percent); Manchester-Nashua, New Hampshire (down less than 1 percent); and Truckee, California (down less than 1 percent).
Nationwide all-cash purchases accounted for 27.8 percent of single-family home and condo sales in 2018, unchanged from 2017 but down from its peak in 2011 at 38.4 percent. However, this is still well above the pre-recession average of 18.7 percent between 2000 and 2007.
Among 200 metropolitan statistical areas with a population of at least 200,000 and sufficient cash sales data, those with the highest share of all-cash purchases in 2018 were Montgomery, Alabama (53.6 percent); Naples, Florida (52.5 percent); Macon, Georgia (50.8 percent); Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida (45.4 percent); and North Port-Sarasota, Florida(45.4 percent).
Distressed home sales — including bank-owned (REO) sales, third-party foreclosure auction sales, and short sales — accounted for 12.4 percent of all U.S. single family home and condo sales in 2018, down from 14.0 percent in 2017 and down from a peak of 38.6 percent in 2011.
Counter to the national trend, the share of distressed sales increased in 2018 in Kansas (up 13 percent); Louisiana (up 13 percent); Wisconsin (up 2 percent); Kentucky (up 2 percent); Maine (up 1 percent); Colorado (up 1 percent); Indiana (up 1 percent); and West Virginia (up 1 percent).
Institutional investors nationwide accounted for 2.7 percent of all single-family home and condo sales in 2018, down from 3.0 percent in 2017.
Among 200 metropolitan statistical areas with a population of at least 200,000 and sufficient institutional investor sales data, those with the highest share of institutional investor sales in 2018 were Montgomery, Alabama (9.6 percent); Memphis, Tennessee (8.1 percent); Columbia, South Carolina (7.6 percent); Birmingham, Alabama (7.1 percent); Atlanta, Georgia (7.0 percent); and Charlotte, North Carolina (6.5 percent).