Is Shadow Inventory Affecting the Scottsdale Real Estate Area?

What is Shadow Inventory?

Most of us will agree that "shadow inventory" comprises of properties that are bank owned that are not on the market for sale yet and can also include homes that will fall into foreclosure when loan modifications or short sales are not transacted.

Where Does the Scottsdale Real Estate Market Stand?

I just read an article that referenced an analysis of “Shadow Inventory” published by Standard & Poor's Rating Services. The analysis did not include any mortgages backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. I was eager to see if Scottsdale would be listed in the article, and it kind of was. The areas that were hit the hardest, such as Phoenix, Las Vegas, Detroit, San Diego, San Francisco, etc., currently have the least amount of shadow inventory. It is deemed that the reasoning behind this is because their shadow inventories peaked back in 2007/2008, while other areas are just starting to see their inventories increase.

So the Scottsdale real estate market has gone through its shadow inventory, according to the article.  Phoenix is down to 18.5 months and the Chicago area is at 44.3 months of supply, in contrast. Other areas with current high shadow inventories include Miami at 61.8 months supply, Seattle at 43.8 months, and Washington, D.C. at 34.2 months. Areas in between these high figures include Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, and more.

What Does Shadow Inventory Have to do With Current Active Listings?

There are several negative factors caused by shadow inventory. The first is the fact that the homes that have already been foreclosed on are sitting vacant and boarded up. The more of these in a particular area, the more blighted the area becomes.

Foreclosures hit every price range. Imagine being in a moderate to upper price range area and having a boarded-up home in the subdivision. It's even worse if it's on your block or right next door. It's not for sale yet so no one can purchase it to fix it up and either sell it or move into it. The longer it sits, the more damage can occur, making the property worth even less than the discounted foreclosure price.

Once these homes do hit the market, most of them are listed at lower than market values to make up for the neglect and any damage. For the most part, the banks and investors now want to get rid of the property. Again, depending on how many of these foreclosures are in a particular area, this can bring prices down for the entire neighborhood. Might sound good for buyers, but in the long run, the area could be blighted for a long time.

That's another problem. Having these shadow inventories sitting around delays the housing market recovery. If too many hit the market at any given time, prices continue to decline. It is simple supply and demand, too much shadow inventory released at once to compete with the already high amount of properties for sale causes a bloat of inventory with few ready, willing and able buyers to purchase them.

Read a previous blog I wrote titled Arizona in Top Ten Foreclosure States.

Judy Orr sells distressed and non-distressed properties. If you're looking for an investment property to rent or sell or if you're looking for a place to call home, give Judy a call at 480-877-1549. Feel free to do a Home Search and better yet, get listings sent automatically to your e-mail.