Queens Real Estate Market Report: Q4 2021 + 2022 Outlook, courtesy of the Queens Home Team at Keller Williams Realty Landmark II. Have a question? Contact Us
Data Source: https://www.queenshometeam.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Queens-Real-Estate-Market-Report_Q4-2021.pdf
Market Snapshot
Happy New Year from QHT! We’re back at it and already back in the field meeting with homeowners and home buyers. 2021 is in the books so we can now look at the data to see how the entire year played out in comparison to 2020, and given what we know about the current economic backdrop, we can also make our prediction as to what we can likely expect to see in the market this year.
The good news is that 2021 was a pretty strong year for the Queens’ market. Coming out of 2020, we felt pretty confident given that mortgage rates were still extremely low, inventory was healthy, and demand appeared to be back to pre pandemic levels. Looking back now, the whole year of 2021 actually turned out pretty well for homeowners who were able to capitalize on the high demand, and home buyers appear to have done well too because they were able to lock in those rock bottom interest rates.
For a quick breakdown, in 2021 Queens homes sales were up 64.9% and the median home price was up 7.3% compared to 2020. In addition, month’s supply fell from 9.3 months in Jan 2021, to 4.5 months today, in Jan 2022. Months supply in this range (1-5 months) typically signifies a strong seller’s market, and normally that would lead us to believe that this year will be another favorable year for home sellers, however, given that mortgage rates are expected to rise this year, and considering that inflation is still running hot, it is pretty difficult for us to make any kind of prediction with a high level of confidence. One thing we know for sure, is that demand appears to be strong right now, and rates are still at a historically low level.
This year will be the first year that we as a team will experience a high inflation environment and it will be interesting to see how that impacts our local market. We’ve been in the business since 2008 so we have experienced a rising rate environment, and every time, as rates move up, we usually see an immediate impact on demand as well as prices. Considering that we are expecting 3-4 rate hikes this year, it is hard to imagine prices will be able to sustain their momentum once the first rate hike takes place.
Something important to keep in mind is that 3-4% mortgage rates are still historically very low, so even if/when rates hit 4%, it’s nothing to panic about. So far to begin the year we are seeing high demand and very low inventory. For the sake of keeping our market balanced, we’re hoping to see more inventory hit the market over the next few months. We’ll continue to monitor the market and keep you posted as we go through the year.
QHT Listings for Sale
Month’s Supply
What is Month’s Supply? Months of supply is the measure of how many months it would take for the current inventory of homes on the market to sell, given the current pace of home sales. For example, if there are 50 homes on the market and 10 homes selling each month, there is a 5 month supply of homes for sale.
Months of supply is a good indicator of whether a particular real estate market is favoring buyers or sellers. Typically, a market that favors sellers has less than 6 months of supply, while more than 6 months of supply indicates an excess of homes for sale that favors buyers.
Month’s Supply in Queens NY
- # Homes currently Available for Sale: 4,427 (was 5,527 in Q3)
- Average # of Homes selling each month: 979 (was 921 in Q3)
- Month’s Supply: 4.5 (was 6.3 in Q3)
Queens Closed Home Sales
The One Key MLS reported a total of 2,872 closed home sales during the 4th quarter of 2021. This was DOWN 4.4% from the previous quarter and UP 26.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Specifically, sales for Residential homes were UP 9.8%, Condo sales were UP 86.4%, and Coop sales were UP 38.5% compared to the same quarter last year.
Over the last 12 months, closed home sales are UP 64.9%.
Queens Pending Home Sales
As for pending home sales, the One Key MLS reported a total of 3,050 pending homes sales during the 4th quarter of 2021. This was DOWN 1.1% from the previous quarter and UP 21.2% compared to the same quarter of last year. Residential pending sales were UP 8.6%, condo pending sales were up 7.8%, and coop pending sales were up 31.8%.
Queens Home Prices
At the end of Q4, the median home price in Queens was $685,000, this is UP 3.8% from the previous quarter, and UP 5.4% compared to the same quarter of last year. Specifically, the median home price for Residential homes was UP 11.1%, median home price for condos was UP 9%, and the median price for coops was UP 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year.
Over the last 12 months, median home price in Queens is up 7.3%.
Mortgage Rates in NYC
“For today, Wednesday, January 19, 2022, the average 30-year fixed-mortgage rate is 3.58%, an increase of 6 basis points since the same time last week. If you’re looking to refinance, the national rate for a 30-year fixed refinance is 3.57%, an increase of 3 basis points over the last week. Meanwhile, the national average 15-year fixed refinance rate is 2.90%, an increase of 8 basis points since the same time last week. Whether you are looking to buy or refinance, Bankrate often has offers below the national average to help you fund your home for less.
Rate went up 3 basis points
Most experts expect mortgage rates will rise in 2022. While rates hovered around 3 percent for much of 2021, they should be closer to 3.5 percent — and possibly higher — before the end of next year, according to economists at the National Association of Realtors. While that’s still very low by historical standards, the record-setting days are probably behind us now, and the trend points upward from here. Now’s the chance to take advantage of today’s low rates before they climb higher.”
>> Read more about how mortgage rates could rise as the FED begins to taper & what to do now
Inventory
There is currently 4.5 month’s of inventory in Queens, this is DOWN from the 6.3 month’s supply we had last quarter, and DOWN from the 9.3 month’s supply we had in the same quarter of last year. As for active listings, currently there are a total of 4,426 homes for sale in Queens. That’s DOWN from the 5,771 homes we had on the market in the previous quarter and DOWN from the 5,557 homes we had on the market in the same quarter of the previous year.
Queens Real Estate Market Report 2022, provided by the Queens Home Team at Keller Williams Realty Landmark II. Have a Question? Contact Us anytime.
>> Click Here to See all Queens Housing Market Reports dating back to 2012.
Good Reads
About Us
The Queens Home Team is a group of friendly, service driven real estate agents in Queens NY. Our team members are not only experts at what they do, but more importantly, they are driven by their desire to help people. The team approach is what truly separates us from the average Queens broker, because while most agents are one person doing several things, we have several agents doing one thing, and being great at it! This ensures expertise throughout all stages of the transaction and allows us to provide the superior level of service our clients deserve. We understand that real estate is a service industry, therefore we treat it as such. Rest assured that when you work with the Queens Home Team, you’ll be in good hands, with people who care 🙂
*The opinions expressed in This Queens Real Estate Market Report are intended to supplement opinions on real estate expressed by local and national media, local Queens real estate agents and other expert sources. You should not treat any opinion expressed on this report as a specific inducement to make a particular investment or follow a particular strategy, but only as an expression of opinion. The Queens Home Team at Keller Williams Realty Landmark II does not guarantee and is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of information, and provides said information without warranties of any kind. All information presented herein is intended and should be used for educational purposes only. (https://pestkill.org) Nothing herein should be construed as investment advice. You should always conduct your own research and due diligence and obtain professional advice before making any investment decision. All investments involve some degree of risk. The Queens Home Team will not be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in this report.
There is currently 4.5 months of supply in Queens NY.
Based on the current month’s supply of housing inventory, the Queens real estate market would currently be considered a “Seller’s Market”.
Given that mortgage rates are expected to rise this year, we would say that this year is a good time to sell, preferable in the first or second quarter of the year if possible.
Buying is all about your situation and when you are prepared to buy. If you plan to own your property for 10+ years, then it is always a good time to buy. However, if you are looking to buy and re-sell within the next 3-5 years, it is harder to say. Mortgage rates are expected to rise and whenever rates rise, we see an immediate impact on demand and home prices.
The median price for a residential 1-3 family home in Queens NY is currently $861K. Median price for a condo in Queens is currently $580K. And the median price for a coop in Queens is currently $319K.
Average days on market for Queens NY is currently 82 days.
In general, if a property is priced right, a seller should be able to find a buyer within 30 – 60 days. As for contract-to-close, from the date of contract signing, it typically takes about 60-90 days to close on a residential home or condo in which the buyer is obtaining a mortgage. If it is a cash deal, then the typical timeline would be one month less (i.e. 30-60 days). It is very rare for homes and condos to close in less than 30 days unless you are selling to an investor, and when that is the case, you are usually selling for WAY below market value. As for coops, the typical timeline to close, from contract signing, is 90-120 days. If it is a cash deal, then the timeline would be one month less (i.e. 60-90 days).
Your overall selling timeline will depend on the agent you choose and how quickly they can get you an acceptable offer. Keep in mind that there are several issues that can cause delays to your transaction so it’s important that you hire an agent who has sold a lot of properties and knows how to anticipate and resolve issues quickly.
Click Here to learn more about the timeline to sell in Queens.
One of the main reasons why we Queens homeowners contact us is to find out how much their property is worth. There are several reasons why a homeowner would want to know their home’s value but no matter the reason, we are happy to oblige.
Some of the most common reasons for needing a home valuation include things like future plans to sell, probate & administration proceedings, divorces, bankruptcies, and of course plain curiosity. Many times we speak with homeowners and they have no plans of selling their home, but they would like to get an idea of what the property is worth.
Now, the way we typically answer the question, “How much is my property worth?” is by offering a Free Home Valuation. What our team does is offer two types of home valuations, one is a price range valuation (if we cannot see the property in person), and the other one is a more specific home valuation which requires us to see the property in person to assess the size, layout, condition, etc.
Price Range Valuation
A price range valuation is just what it sounds like, a price range for the value of your home based on the recent comps as well as our experience in your neighborhood. Price range valuations are good for out-of-state owners, landlords who don’t want to disturb tenants, or someone who just wants to get an idea (i.e. ballpark figure) of what their house is worth at any given time.
Most agents will not offer a price range valuation because in our industry agents are trained to schedule an appointment before sharing any price or value information. On our team however, we believe in full transparency and quality information so that people can make good decisions. As a result, we have no problem offering free price range valuations and we actually send a lot of them to Queens homeowners.
Something important to note regarding price range valuations is that the range (or spread) will largely depend on the size and type of property you own. For example, the price range offered for a 1 bedroom coop may be $50K (+/-) while the price range for a 3 family may be $200K (+/-).
The only downside to a price range valuation is that you won’t have a very specific value, but if all you want is an idea of, then this can be helpful.
Comprehensive Valuation
Now, if you want to get a really good idea or more specific valuation for your property, then that would require a property tour. What we call this is a home valuation or broker price opinion. With this type of valuation, we would come in to see the property in person so that we can assess the size, layout, condition, internal obsolescence, external obsolescence, etc. The walk through usually takes 10-15 minutes, and after seeing it, we usually sit down with the homeowner to go over everything together. This allows us to not only provide the seller with the comps, but it also allows us to explain how we come to the valuation we are providing. If a homeowner cannot meet with is for some reason, then we will typically send the analysis and valuation by email.
Broker Price Opinion Vs Independent Appraisal
In our opinion, the best way to understand the value of your property is to sit down with a local agent who can go through the comps with you and explain how they draw their estimated valuation of your property. This is different from an appraisal because when you order an independent appraisal, the appraiser will come by to see your property, then they will create a written report for you and send it to you a few days later for review. Appraisers will typically include a handful of comps in the report, and they don’t typically sit with the homeowners to explain how they came up with the appraised price that they provided. It’s very common for homeowners to disagree with an appraisal because they don’t understand the methodology, or because the appraiser may not know the area well.
The way our team likes to provide home valuations is by looking at the property in person, then sitting down with the homeowner(s) to go through all of the data (closed, pending, available, month’s supply, etc) together and ultimately offer our professional opinion of the value. The value we give is never a specific number because true “market value” is what a buyer is willing to pay for it, and without being on the market, it is impossible for us to know that. Instead, what we provide is a realistic idea of where we believe offers would come in if we were to list the property at that time. We are able to do this based on our recent sales and experience selling properties in that area.
In our experience, experienced agent valuations tend to be more accurate than appraisals because in addition to the sales data which we both have access to, a local agent can also apply their recent sales experience, knowledge of the area, and local market trends to get a better idea of the property’s current value.
If you would like to get an even better idea of your property’s current value, have 3-4 agents give you their valuation. After hearing and seeing 3-4 valuations, the value should be pretty clear as long as you are realistic and not just looking to hear the highest price 🙂
So, to answer the age old question, “How much is my house worth?”, the answer is that it depends, but if you live in Queens we would be happy to offer you a free price range valuation or a free comprehensive home valuation.
If you have any questions regarding your home’s value, or if you would like to know how much your property is worth here in Queens NY, feel free to reach out anytime.