Today we will continue to update the 2011 Jackson Hole Real Estate Market with Average Sales Prices.  The Chart below does a comparision on Average Sales Price vs. the Prior Year Average Sales Price.  As you can see, the average prices for property sales in Jackson Hole, Wyoming have been lower in 2011 in 10 (to be clear the “Red bars” are for 2011 and “Blue bars” are for 2010) of the last 11 months.  The exception was December 2011 when we saw a few very large transactions take place.  We have seen a lot of sales (to be outlined in a future blog post) in the “below $850,000 range” which have had an influence on Average Sales Price.

Average Prices Graph

Maybe not exactly but Wyoming ranked 5th for Distaster Resistant real estate locations from the MSN real estate site:

Here’s the link:  http://realestate.msn.com/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=25641997&GT1=35006 

Here’s what they had to say about Wyoming and Jackson Hole:

Wyoming

Want to live tax-free, but don’t want to deal with hurricanes? Welcome to Wyoming, where individual and corporate taxes are as nonexistent as oceans and gulf currents. Residents may wonder how their state can be considered so safe when it was declared a disaster area in July after a serious bout of flooding. Simple: With only eight major disasters declared since FEMA started keeping tabs back in 1953, the least-populous state (roughly 540,000, or fewer than in Tucson, Ariz., alone) takes calamities including floods, tornadoes and winter storms in stride. With all that cash savings and little worry about impending doom, Wyoming newcomers should feel free to splurge on such homes as Sotheby’s $7 million, four-bedroom, seven-acre spread in Jackson Hole with a stone fireplace, infinity-edge outdoor hot tub, heated concrete floors, six-car garage, guest house and a 30-foot window wall with a view of the Tetons.

All I can say is somehow Utah beat us?  I beg to differ!

The Gillespie Real Estate Team has recently learned about a message alert system called NIXLE through Teton County Emergency Management.  This system allows local emergency services in Teton County to send an immediate email or text message to subscribers to the system.  This enables you to know firsthand what is going on in the valley whether it’s an accident, closure on Teton Pass or an earthquake.

There are two ways you can subscribe to the NIXLE system:

1. Visit www.nixle.com and click “sign in here” in the upper right corner, then click “register now for free”. (Tip: If your actual address won’t register, just use the intersection of N Cache and W Broadway as your address.)

2. Text your zip code to 888777 from your cell phone. If you do this, you will only receive text message alerts. If you follow the weblink in the text message, you can access more detailed information which is included in the email alerts.

NIXLE is a completely free service that costs nothing for subscribers or for taxpayers. We hope you will find this service useful and please feel free to forward this message to friends, family and coworkers who also may wish to receive timely emergency information via text message and/or email.

(Note: Local emergency services to not have access to your information, as it is held on a private and secure server managed by the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System.)

Cottonwood Flats are Jackson Hole’s brand new 2 and 3 bedroom townhomes. Offered by The Gillespie Real Estate Team, all townhomes include…

• covered front porch
• attached garage
• backyard
• hardwood floors
• large windows
• brand new appliances
• pet friendly
• limited common walls with other townhomes

 Cottonwood Flats are located in a great part of the town of the Jackson near the Middle School, next to the bus stop, and surrounded by the town bicycle and pathways.

The 2 bedroom townhomes are 1,068 square feet with 2 baths and a 1-car attached garage. The 3 bedroom townhomes are 1.600 square feet with 3 baths and a 2-car attached garage.

We host an open house every Sunday from 3:00 -5:00 pm or give us a call for a showing.

 Find pictures and more information @ http://www.jacksonholeexperts.com/cottonwood-flats-townhomes.asp

Construction Update:

Block I of Cottonwood Flats Townhomes is complete and includes eight 2-story townhomes. All units have been issued their Certificates of Occupancy and are ready for move-in.  Of the eight units, two of the townhomes (a 3 bedroom and a 2 bedroom) have been sold to the Housing Authority as Affordable Units**. Unit 2, a market rate unit with 2 bedrooms is now under contract. There are 4 two-bedroom units and 1 three-bedroom unit still available for purchase in Block I. Landscaping of Block I will be completed in early spring.

Construction continues on Block II of Cottonwood Flats Townhomes. Fifteen additional units (a mix of 2 and 3 bedroom units) will be completed this summer.  Many of these homes have direct views of the Grand Teton and views of the Jackson Hole Mountain Ski Resort. Homes are stick built off site by Stratford Homes in Idaho and then brought to the site and connected to the foundations and utilities.

 ** The town of Jackson requires 15% of every new development to be deed restricted affordable, which means they have limits on appreciation (usually tied to Denver CPI) as well as limits on the income of the families that purchase the units.

Well let’s put that phrase in context – The Jackson Hole / Teton County active listing market is exploding! Yes – everyday there are more and more listings hitting the market and unfortunately not many of them are going under contract. There are currently about 845 active listings in Teton County, Wyoming. Previously the high was reached in October of 2008 so we have basically been drowning in listings for over 6 months.

When comparing today’s active listings to last year we see that in May of 2008 there were about 480 listings and if we look at May of 2007 there were only about 400 listings. The current inventory load will only continue the price pressure we are witnessing on the market. Transactions are taking place but in most cases we are seeing 20% to 30% discounts given from the high of the market!

Stay tuned as we are currently updating our Top Picks. For more information on the current market please call or email the JacksonHoleExperts – Christy and Garth Gillespie – Sotheby’s International Realty – Jackson Hole Brokerage. We are here to help and work everyday to exceed your expections.

1st Quarter Real Estate Results for Jackson Hole, Wyoming

It will go down as a quarter to forget… Probably the weakest quarter of results that Teton County, Wyoming has seen in recent history. This on the heels of a rather bleak report in the 4th quarter of 2008 where we only had 48 units sold (wait till you read below the 1st quarter results) and volume of just over $100 million.

The preliminary results that we have gathered are taken strictly from the Teton County Multiple Listing Service data. There are always transactions that take place off to the sidelines but with all the reporting we do we always use the data supplied to us by the MLS and the agents that report the results to the board. During the 1st quarter of 2009, Christy and I wondered where the buyers had gone. There were very few transactions taking place and although we did show property, we DID NOT see many offers. That was the case throughout the real estate business in Jackson Hole.

During the months of January, February and March there were 17 reported closings in all of Teton County, Wyoming. The sales volume is an estimated $36 million as 4 closings did not report the closing price and one of the 4 unreported closings was listed for $10,500,000. Taking a closer look at the 17 closings – 1 was a lease, 2 were fractional ownerships, 3 were commercial properties, 2 were condos and 9 were single family homes. The most activity occurred in Melody Ranch with a total of 4 single family homes sold!

The pending transaction data leaves us questioning where we are heading. We recently reported that most of the pending transactions are from soon to be completed development projects (Terra/Sweetwater Lodge in Teton Village, Pine Glades in the town of Jackson and 270 W. Pearl) and that has not changed. There are currently 39 pending transactions with 29 of them being “pre-sale” purchases. In reality that leaves us with 10 pending “deals”. To make the numbers even better (wink, wink) of the 10 remaining – 4 are fractional sales. That leaves us with only a condo in the Aspens, a townhome in the town of Jackson, a home in South Park, a Four Seasons Resort penthouse and 2 commercial purchases as the only property pending. The biggest void in all of these numbers is transactions below $500,000. Currently, there are NO pending transactions in condos under $500,000 in the town of Jackson, south of town or on the “West Bank”. If we are to look for the root of our stalled real estate market Christy and I will put the blame on the complete failure of the “low-end” market. We often use the analogy of tipping over dominos in real estate – need one domino to fall to get another to fall. Well – no one is tipping over the first domino.

Active inventory has been staying fairly stable as we are witnessing a lot of potential sellers keeping their properties off the market and waiting to see what happens. Inventory has actually dropped (40 units) since February. There are currently 516 residential units and 143 vacant land parcels for sale in Teton County.

As more data is released and when Sotheby’s International Realty – Jackson Hole Brokerage computes their data we will update our report. Christy and Garth Gillespie – the Jackson Hole Experts – are happy to compile this information so if you would like to discuss the current data, are considering listing your home or interested in learning more about the Jackson Hole real estate market please do not hesitate to call us toll free at 877-739-8056. We also have a great feature we call the Top Picks – which are Christy and Garth’s top real estate values in Jackson Hole – feel free to check them out.

Rates are dropping!

The story in Yahoo goes as follows – Rates on 30-year mortgages plunged this week to the lowest level since January, and are poised to fall further after the Federal Reserve launched a new effort to prop up the flailing housing market.

T.R. Pierce’s report from the Bank of Jackson Hole tells a similar story with rates in Jackson Hole also falling. Christy and Garth Gillespie from Sotheby’s International Realty Jackson Hole are seeing prices fall throughout the market. The Jackson real estate market has probably reached a bottom as far as activity is concerned with only 3 deals in February so now is the time to start watching the market!

T.R. Pierce’s – Bank of Jackson Hole mortgage report: Interest rates are lower this morning as initial claims for unemployment benefits fell last week. Claims for unemployment were down 12,000 from the previous week and there are 5,473,000 people receiving unemployment benefits. But, there are still 141,748,000 Americans with jobs that are keeping our economy going and growing every day!

Residential Mortgage Rates for March 19, 2009

The following rates are thirty (30) day quotes for fully documented, owner-occupied and/or second home loans for borrowers with a minimum credit score of 700 which feature a one (1%) percent loan origination fee and the escrow of taxes & insurance.

PLEASE NOTE THAT CONFORMING LOAN AMOUNTS OVER $417,000 TO $625,500
ARE AVAILABLE AT HIGHER INTEREST RATES THAN INDICATED BELOW.

PROGRAM CONFORMING
(Loans to $417,000)
JUMBO
(Loans over 417,000)

30 Year Fixed
4.625%
7.875%

15 Year Fixed
4.500%
6.875%

10/1 ARM
5.000%
7.875%

7/1 ARM
4.750%
5.000%

5/1 ARM
4.000%
4.750%

3/1 ARM
5.000%
6.625%

30 YEAR FIXED RATE FHA LOANS TO $693,750: 5.000%
PRIME RATE: 3.250%
ONE YEAR LIBOR RATE: 2.006%

Thanks T.R.! If you are looking for more information about the Jackson Hole real estate market please feel free to call Garth and Christy Gillespie, the Jackson Hole Real Estate Experts, at Sotheby’s International Realty in Jackson Hole – 877-739-8056 (toll free). You can also visit our website as it is full of valuable information.

If you know Christy and me you know we love it here in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The fresh air, the majestic mountains, the incredible community, the recreation, the restaurants, the arts the list goes on and on. Jackson Hole is a special place. Well, the residents for the rest of our great state, must feel the same way because in a recent Gallop poll Wyoming was rated the third happiest state in the country only behind our neighbor, Utah and the beautiful islands of Hawaii. I have attached the link to the article.

In other news – Christy and I attend the PAWS furball this weekend at the Four Seasons Resort and we had a blast. Thank you to the Four Seasons Resort – Jackson Hole as they put on a great show with fabulous food, cocktails and atmosphere. As for PAWS – cheers to you. It was one of the finest run charity events we have attended. The marketing was top notch, the event was extremely well planned and all we saw were smiling faces though out. Not to mention an incredible auction where we witnessed the bidding for the coveted front cover of the PAWS calendar reach record amounts and finishing with the “Auctioneer” Leland Christenson saying, “and the winner with the final bid of $47,500.00 wins the front cover for the 2010 Paws Calendar” We witnessed a few “high-fives” after that in the room.

Thank you Jackson Hole! Christy and Garth Gillespie just won the “Best Husband and Wife Real Estate Team” in the Planet Jackson Hole Weekly first annual “Best Of 2009”. We are honored and humbled by your votes and will continue to provide the best real estate service in Jackson Hole. We appreciate your votes!

If you need any assistance with real estate questions or thoughts please feel free to call 739-8056 or email the JacksonHoleExperts – we are here to help.

February 17, 2009