Braemar Property Value Report: November-December 2022 (Heritage Series)

Braemar Property Value Report: November-December 2022 (Heritage Series)

Before the weekend, booked with showings for my buyer-clients, I am getting out this most recent Braemar Property Value Report focused on Heritage Series homes in our neighborhood. Heritage homes are the mid-sized single family homes, built by Brookfield Homes in our neighborhood.  They have two car attached garages and include the following floor plans:  Exeter, Yardley, Zachery (a.k.a. Zurich) & Waverly.  The homes built by Coscan (before Brookfield Homes took them over) in Braemar North Gate are also included in this group, as they are similar in size.

This report looks back to November and December 2022. During that time there were three Heritage homes that sold. Details are listed below.

First thing that pops out to me is that every one of these listings sold below their original list price. It seems as though sellers have been overly optimistic recently and feel they need room to negotiate. Unfortunately, if a listing is overpriced when it hits the market, you can bet on the fact that as the days on market kees going up, buyers are wondering what is wrong with the home. Pricing right from the beginning is the best strategy. Accumulating too many days on the market doesn’t equate to making more money in the long run, but less.

When combining these three sales and combine them with all the Heritage home sales in Braemar for 2022, the six and twelve month data points tracked herein are updated and reveal a shift in the market.

In the sold price column we find that both the six month sold prices have fallen below their respective twelve month sold prices. This is the first time we have seen this in a long time. Could be the beginning of softening values, but we need to see more sales in the next reports. Believe it or not, despite how it may feel, we are still in a seller’s market based on the fact that there are more buyers in our market looking than homes available to buy.

Seller subsidy (closing cost help to buyers) requests are more likely now due to the increase of mortgage interest rates we saw in the last six months of the year. Two out three of the most recent sales gave seller subsidy. Perhaps the best news is that with both median seller subsidy values at zero, more than half of sellers in both time frames did not give any seller subsidy.

Days on market are creeping up in both six month values compared to their corresponding twelve month values. Buyers are no longer acting in a frenzy, but are more deliberate when house hunting now.

If you placed your Braemar Heritage home on the market, priced to current conditions you could expect it to be under contract in about two weeks. As for whether or not you would have to give seller subsidy, a lot of that depends on the negotiating position you put yourself in. Setting a list price that isn’t over reaching, making sure your home is properly prepared for the market and having a local, full-time agent like myself that is committed to professional marketing is what gets buyers enthusiastic about your listing. And when buyers are afraid they are going to miss out on a home, you can get them to act quicker and ask for less in their offers for fear of losing a great property.

The next Braemar Property Value Report will be out in March. Between now and then, if you want to know what a 2023 sale would mean for you, I would love the chance to consult with you. With over eighteen years experience in this business, it is my pleasure to put my skills to work for my fellow Braemarians and get them the max the market will allow. Since 2005, No One Knows Braemar Better!

Chris Ann Cleland 
Associate Broker, Licensed in VA
Long & Foster Real Estate
703-402-0037, ChrisAnn@LNF.com
www.SellingBraemar.com
www.UncompromisingValues.com
www.ChrisAnnCleland.com

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