Ask Eli: Arlington condo market performance metrics

This regularly scheduled sponsored Q&A column is written by Eli Tucker, Arlington-based Realtor and Arlington resident. Please submit your questions to him via email for response in future columns. Video summaries of some articles can be found on YouTube on the Ask Eli, Live With Jean playlist. Enjoy!

Question: How has Arlington’s condo market reacted to higher interest rates?

Answer: In last week’s column, I looked at performance metrics for detached homes in Arlington, shared my thoughts on local pricing behavior, and discussed news about the national vs local real estate market. This week we will look at the underlying performance metrics in Arlington’s robust condo market.

Underlying Arlington Market Performance Data for Condos

Here’s how I approached the data used in this week’s analysis:

• Low-, mid-, and high-rise condos only
• Resale data only, no new construction
• All data is presented by the month a home was listed in so we can measure how home sales performed based on the month they came to market
• Net Sold = Sold Price less Seller Credits
• I used data from 2017, 2019, 2021, and 2022 because I think it offers a helpful snapshot of recent Arlington markets to compare 2022 to. 2017 was our last “normal” market because Amazon HQ2 was announced Nov. 2018 and that kicked off a condo craze. 2019 was the first full year with the Amazon bump, but pre-COVID market, and 2021 was a full year of the COVID-driven shift in condo demand.

I either did not use or must caution your interpretation of this year’s August-November data because it is incomplete for purposes of this analysis. There are 13, 26, 39, and 42 condos actively for sale that were listed in August, September, October, and November, respectively, which will influence the performance metrics for those months when they do contract/close and most likely will result in worse performance metrics than those months currently show.

There are only 10 condos still for sale listed January-July that will likely pull down the performance metrics for those months once they contract/close, but not enough for me to be concerned about the resulting data being presented in this analysis.

Business as Usual for Condos

While the detached market was on fire in 2021 and early 2022, the condo market performed mostly along the lines of historical metrics, except for one month, February 2022, when average sold prices climbed slightly above the original asking price. As a result, high interest rates have led to a more modest reversal in pricing behavior over the last six months, compared to the detached market.

The only time in the last 15 years that we’ve seen a real acceleration in condo prices was during 2019 (and pre-COVID 2020) as a result of Amazon’s HQ2 announcement.

Pace of the Condo Market Slightly Below Normal

We had a few months during the peak of the 2022 market where the pace of sales came close to the craziness we experienced in 2019, after Amazon announced HQ2, but average days on market has returned to its normal seasonal trends. As more data rolls in for closings in August-December, I expect the average days on market for the last 3-4 months of 2022 to exceed historical averages, but not by much.

One of my favorite performance metrics is the percentage of homes that sell within 10/30 days. I think it beats average and median days on market for a true understanding of the pace of a market.

As opposed to average days on market, these charts indicate that high interest rates have slowed the pace of the condo market beyond the usual seasonal slowdown, with a notably slow October where just 38% of condos listed sold within 30 days. Expect to see these metrics fall even further as more condos listed after July contract and close.

Looking Forward

Condo pricing tends to be pretty stable and movements up or down are relatively small, with the exception of major events like Amazon HQ2 (rapid appreciation) and COVID (rapid, temporary depreciation), so expect a return to stable and predictable pricing in our condo market where we’re used to seeing 0-2% appreciation year-over-year.

The effect of high interest rates will likely be felt most in the slow pace of the market. The pace will almost certainly increase in Q1 2023, which means we can expect about 1/3 of condos to sell within the first 10 days and about 2/3 to sell within the first 30 days during the spring selling season.

If you’d like to discuss buying, selling, investing, or renting, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at [email protected].

If you’d like a question answered in my weekly column or to discuss buying, selling, renting, or investing, please send an email to [email protected]. To read any of my older posts, visit the blog section of my website at EliResidential.com. Call me directly at (703) 539-2529.

Video summaries of some articles can be found on YouTube on the Ask Eli, Live With Jean playlist.

Eli Tucker is a licensed Realtor in Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland with RLAH Real Estate, 4040 N Fairfax Dr #10C Arlington VA 22203. (703) 390-9460