With a new decade just begun, it’s interesting to look back at where we’ve been these past 10 years. In 2002, there were 1023 single family homes sold in the Truckee/Lake Tahoe area, with a median price of $397,500. By 2006, we reached the peak of market value, at a median price of $680,000. Now, at the end of 2009, we’re down to a median price of $512,000, a total decrease of 25% in median value from the high in 2006, yet a 29% increase since 2002. However, this year has also seen an increase in number of homes sold (787), up 20% from the low in 2008 of 655.
In looking at the Tahoe Donner subdivision in Truckee, which comprises the largest percentage of the sales in the overall area, the statistics are similar. In 2002, there were 302 single family homes sold, with a median price of $495,000. The highest median market value was reached in 2005, at $765,000. At the end of 2009, the median price is at $568,500, again, a 25% drop since the high in 2005, yet still a 29% increase from where we were in 2002. And similar to the picture for the entire area, the number of homes sold in 2009 in Tahoe Donner (225) was up 16.5% from 2008.
During the past year, we’ve seen our share of distressed properties come on the market, although not near as many as many areas of our state and country. Of the 787 single family homes that sold in 2009, 127 (16%) were foreclosures and 85 (11%) were “short sales”. We currently have only 23 foreclosure properties active on the market (3% of the total inventory available), and 102 “short sales”, comprising 14%.
As we look towards this new decade, we’re excited about the opportunities in our industry that will hopefully allow many more buyers to realize their dreams of home ownership, be it here in our mountain paradise, or wherever their dreams may take them.
