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Yesterday, Newsday ran nearly a full page story with my photo on the first page (different from the print version) of their business section discussing the vast array of housing information out there. The reporter’s article idea originated last week when I was interviewed for the release of the Prudential Douglas Elliman Long Island/Queen Market Overview I prepare and my plans to expand coverage and separate these two market areas.

Housing and mortgage reports are barometers of the market, but may not necessarily portray a complete picture. For example, one report may have higher numbers while another might not cover certain sales.

In other words, the size and quality of the data set defines the markets a report should cover. “Cart before the horse” so to speak.

Experts like Miller Samuel CEO Jonathan Miller say the full picture is in knowing the limits of the data

Manhattan-based appraiser Jonathan Miller bases his quarterly sales reports on numbers from the MLS, but he said he noticed a year ago that the records were a few thousand sales shorter for Queens than those in New York City’s property records.

I found the following comment by LIBOR puzzling because I was not criticizing their quality whatsoever. In fact, the quality of their information is excellent.

The Long Island Board of Realtors disputed the discrepancy, saying it compiles data recorded by brokers.

The point I was making is that by definition, MLS data in any market is a subset of the entire market. Their data set may represent nearly all sales or a small portion of sales. Their data set may serve as a proxy for the entire market or it may not. If an analyst has the means to collect data in excess of the quantity available from a local MLS, it only serves to benefit market participants.

Tags: NAR, National Association of Realtors

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The 2Q 2008 Long Island/Queens Market Overview [pdf] that I author for Prudential Douglas Elliman [PDE] is available for download. We took over the preparation of this market area study for them in 2Q 06.

You can see the methodology that went into the report.

An excerpt

…In continuation of last quarter’s market pattern, the pace of inventory growth and the pace in the decline in the number of sales continue to slow but still show weakening market conditions. The lower level of activity is reflective of stressed economic conditions and more stringent underwriting guidelines of mortgage lenders, who are requiring larger down payments, tighter ratios and higher credit scores. Despite a decline in activity, price indicators were essentially unchanged from the prior year quarter. There is an expectation of higher sales activity in the third quarter as spillover from the spring market activity closes in the summer months…

Download report: 2Q 2008 Long Island/Queens Market Overview [pdf]

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The 1Q 2008 Long Island/Queens Market Overview [pdf] that I author for Prudential Douglas Elliman [PDE] is available for download. We took over the preparation of this market area study for them in 2Q 06.

You can see the methodology that went into the report.

An excerpt

..Price indicators for the quarter will mixed as compared to the same period a year ago. The average sales price was $514,135, up 3.6% while the median sales price of $435,000 was down 0.6%. The number of sales were down 14.1% to 6,015 units while inventory levels were up 10.2% to 35,209 units. A weaker economy and difficulties with access to credit have tempered the demand for housing compared to the past several years. The expansion of the days on market indicator and rising inventory levels are the result of reduced demand, yet the pace of inventory growth is easing. The next quarter tends to be the most active quarter of the year as characterized by elevated sales activity and price growth…

Download report: 1Q 2008 Long Island/Queens Market Overview [pdf]

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Last week I gave a recap an overview of the New York region at a recent Crain’s Economic Breakfast Forum at the New York Hyatt.

Click here for a 5 minute clip of the one hour session.

Tags: Crains New York Business

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The 4Q 2007 Long Island/Queens Market Overview [pdf] that I author for Prudential Douglas Elliman [PDE] is available for download. We introduced this market area study in 2Q 06 for them.

You can see the methodology that went into the report.

_An excerpt_

…The overall median sales price for Long Island/Queens showed a decline over the prior year quarter. Over the same period, average sales price showed a similar pattern of decline as did the number of sales. Listing inventory continued to expand as did the days on market and listing discount indicators. These market patterns are being seen in many suburban markets across the country, made worse by the turmoil seen in the credit markets since last summer. This has impacted affordability with higher down payment requirements, and more stringent underwriting guidelines applied to buyer mortgage applications. A constraint on the flow of transactions has the effect of reducing the number of sales, which in turn raises inventory levels and tempers the potential for rising prices in the spring market…

Download report: 4Q 2007 Long Island/Queens Market Overview [pdf]

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The 3Q 2007 Long Island/Queens Market Overview [pdf] that I author for Prudential Douglas Elliman [PDE] is available for download. We created this market area study in 2006.

You can see the methodology that went into the report.

_An excerpt_

…Price trends varied widely by market and price segment. Inventory increased over the past year, but dropped as compared to the prior quarter as the number of sales has continued to decline. Average days on market and average listing discount expanded versus the prior year quarter but declined from the prior quarter. The mixed results for the quarter suggests that the overall Long Island/Queens market is moving “sideways” for the time being, with no clear pattern evident. The median sales price of a Long Island/Queens single family or condo was $445,000, down 2.2% from the prior year record median sales price of $455,000 and unchanged from the prior quarter median sales price. The average sales price was a record $530,916, up 1.3% from the record $524,073 seen in the prior year quarter and up 4.8% from the prior quarter average sales price of $506,580. Suffolk showed the most gains in average sales price with a record $469,331 average sales price, up 2.3% from the prior year quarter. Nassau was the next highest with a record $628,839 average sales price, up 1.7% from the prior year quarter. Queens showed the most weakness with a 2.9% decline to $484,847 from the record average sales price in the prior year quarter. The luxury market showed unexpected price growth this quarter as evidenced by the upper two quintiles in Suffolk and Nassau counties….

Download report: 3Q 2007 Long Island/Queens Market Overview [pdf]

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The Real Deal Magazine which has experienced phenomenal growth and is a must-read reasource for the New York housing market, has made a real commitment to the videocast format and delivers new video content on their web site every week. Look for my regular new podcast feature, coming soon.

I just released my 2Q 2007 Long Island/Queens Market Overview for Prudential Douglas Elliman and this interview covers the results, with emphasis on Queens. You can download a copy of the report.

To watch the videocast.

Tags: Television

2 Comments

The 2Q 2007 Long Island/Queens Market Overview [pdf] that I write for Prudential Douglas Elliman [PDE] is available for download. We created this market area study in 2006.

You can see the methodology that went into the report.

You can also build your own custom data tables using the aggregate report data (from 2Q 2003 through 2Q 2007 [2Q 2007 – to be uploaded shortly]). I have created a series of quarterly market charts that may also be of interest.

_An excerpt_

…Both average sales price and median sales price indicators approached stabilization, after two years of decline. However, changes in price levels varied by price strata and market area. The most notable price changes occurred in a weaker North Shore market and a stronger Queens condo market. Despite stabilizing prices, the overall number of sales fell across the entire region with the North Shore market being the only market to show a gain as compared to the same period last year. As a result of diminished demand, inventory levels have continued to rise, causing other market indicators like days on market and listing discount to expand. A decline in the overall number of sales in one of the most active quarters of the year suggests that the housing market may experience continued weakness in the near future…..

Download report: 2Q 2007 Long Island/Queens Market Overview [pdf]

Here’s a brief summary of the media coverage for the study. Its interesting to place the coverage side-by-side because its based on the same data.

Here’s the recap:

Queens-Long Island Home Prices Little Changed in Second Quarter [Bloomberg]
HARSH REALTY IN QUEENS. [New York Post]
LI, Queens housing sales still cool [Newsday]
LI, Queens housing sales still cool [amNew York]
Queens prices down in 2nd quarter [The Real Deal]
Queens Residential Market Drops, Except for the Pricey Stuff [Curbed]
Queens-Long Island Home Prices [Bloomberg Radio (no clip yet)]

Tags: Radio

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The PDF version of the [1Q 2007 Long Island/Queens Market Overview [Miller Samuel]](https://www.millersamuel.com/reports/) that I write for [Prudential Douglas Elliman [PDE]](http://www.prudentialelliman.com/MainSite/MarketReports/ReportsMenu.aspx) is available for download. We just introduced this study series in 2006.

You can see the methodology that went into the report.

You can also [build your own custom data tables](https://www.millersamuel.com/data) using the aggregate report data (from 2Q 2003 through 1Q 2007). I have created a series of quarterly market charts that may be of interest as well.

_An excerpt_

…Overall price indicators showed weakness this quarter particularly at the higher end of the market. Overall median sales price showed relative stability as compared to the same period last year while average sales price showed a modest decline. Inventory levels are expected to level off as seasonal demand increases the number of sales. Current inventory levels remain below those seen in the second and third quarters of last year. However, the number of sales for the quarter is the lowest seen in three years suggesting a lower intensity of sales activity this spring, even when seasonally adjusted….

Download report: 1Q 2007 Long Island/Queens Market Overview [pdf]

Here’s the media coverage for the study. I think I got most of them. Normally I would have covered this the day of publication last week but if you remember, I was kind of in Seine.

Here’s the recap:

Bloomberg News
The Real Deal
New York Observer
Newsday
Crain’s New York

WPIX CW11
Bloomberg Television – In Focus

Bloomberg Radio
Bloomberg Radio

Tags: New York Observer, Radio

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The PDF version of the [4Q 2006 Long Island/Queens Market Overview [Miller Samuel]](https://www.millersamuel.com/reports/) that I write for [Prudential Douglas Elliman [PDE]](http://www.prudentialelliman.com/MainSite/MarketReports/ReportsMenu.aspx) is available for download. I have been writing market reports for them since 1994. This market coverage is a relative newcomer to the series.

You can see the [methodology]) that went into the report.

You can also [build your own custom data tables](https://www.millersamuel.com/data) using the aggregate report data (from 2Q 2003 through 4Q 2006). I plan on creating a series of quarterly market [charts like we have for Manhattan](https://www.millersamuel.com/charts/index.php?Node=1168392467huPCj).

_An excerpt_

…Sales prices in the overall market remained relatively stable, kept in check by rising demand and declining inventory. With the cash-out phenomenon waning as existing homeowners, who were not priced at market levels allowed their listings to expire. This has helped clear clutter in the market for buyers. At the same time, sellers appear to be more negotiable this quarter as the listing discount increase at the same time the number of sales did. Lower end price points like the condo market were generally stable but there was weakness in price levels at the upper end of the market, as evidenced by the North Shore and luxury sectors, which saw lower prices at the upper strata but, interestingly, some of the highest increases in the number of sales over the past year…

Download report: [4Q 2006 Long Island/Queens Market Overview [pdf]](https://www.millersamuel.com/reports/pdf-reports/LI-Qu4Q06.pdf)

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Miller Samuel has been producing real estate reports covering the Manhattan market on behalf of Prudential Douglas Elliman for more than 12 years. With a lot of great data out there, it remains a mystery to me why Long Island has not been analyzed like so many other markets in the region have. With roughly 10,000 transactions per quarter, its a substantial market area.

Beginning with the 2nd quarter of this year and now the 3rd quarter, the Long Island Market Overview (LiMO) has been created and is now on track to be released on a timely basis beginning with the 4th quarter 2006 version shortly after the quarter ends.

but I digress…

The LiMO report covers the Queens, Nassau, Suffolk, North Shore, Luxury (top 10%) and Condo markets. The Hamptons and the North Fork are unique enough to warrant a separate report, which is currently in development. Other markets are slated to follow.

excerpt

…The current quarter provided a marked change from the prior quarter results. The average sales price and median sales price showed modest gains, the number of sales increased after a year of steady activity, listing inventory appears to have leveled off, the time it takes to sell a residential property has remained consistent, and sellers are slightly more negotiable. Sellers appear to be more in tune with market conditions, which would explain the combination of larger listing discounts and rising prices, the increase in the number of sales, and stabilizing inventory. Since the seasonal expectations of the next quarter are defined by lower number of sales and weaker price levels, the first quarter of next year will provide a better indicator as to whether the current quarter was an anomaly or the beginning of a new market trend of listing stabilization…

Download the 3Q 2006 Long Island Market Overview.

[Be notified by email when new reports are released](https://www.millersamuel.com/mailman2/listinfo/millersamuel-general).

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