What's in store for the California Housing Market
With the accelerated rise in housing prices in California, many people are wondering if a crash is looming in the future
In this article, we will take a look at the current state of the housing market in California and explore what might be needed for a crash to occur.
We'll investigate what kind of conditions were present during the last housing crash in California, discuss the potential for a new housing crash being triggered by changes in interest rates or inventory levels, and give you an insight into what a housing market crash could mean for you.
Finally, we'll provide some ideas on how to protect yourself should a housing market crash become more likely.
Quick answer:
Chances are there won't be a housing crash this year due to the low inventory and employment rate in the Golden State.
Current state of the California market today
If you've been keeping an eye on the housing market in California, you already know that it's been a wild ride. Property values are higher than they've ever been, with median home prices surpassing $689,000 in 2021—a record high even before the start of 2023.
According to the California Association of Realtors:
- Median sold price of existing homes in Jan 22 was $766,250
- Median sold price in Jan 23 was 751,330
- Year over year that is not even a 2% decline
Photo byCAR.og
Despite this impressive growth, however, there have been signs of strain in the market. Over the past two years, California has not seen the same levels of housing inventory as pre-pandemic levels, with new listings continuing to sit below normal into 2023.
This is one reason why prices have increased.
This limited supply has caused a number of bidding wars for desirable homes in certain areas and has put pressure on home prices ever since.
What does this all mean?
Even though there have been signs of strain in the market—and even though we still don't know how the pandemic will continue to impact it—for now, it looks like the California housing market is stable overall and unlikely to experience a crash in 2023.
Review of the last crash in the golden state
The last housing crash in California happened back in 2008-2009, and it brought chaotic changes to the market. You may remember how many people's homes plummeted in value overnight, or how drastically the market shifted when lenders stopped giving out mortgages?
To get a better understanding of what happened—and what to look for if we're heading into a similar situation—it's helpful to take a look at the real estate trends from 2008-2009.
For starters, interest rates were at their peak [at the time], hovering above 5%. There was also an abundant number of homes available on the market and people began defaulting on mortgages more frequently.
The combination of these two factors created a domino effect that resulted in significantly crashing home values across the state.
Lets look at some real data from the Great Recession.
Median Prices homes sold in California by year
- March, 2007 - $582,930
- October, 2008 - $307,210
- February, 2009 - $245,230
- February 2010 - $278,190
- April 2018 - $584,460
Housing prices fell swiftly, and then took a decade to recover.
Despite this being fairly recent history, it's important to understand the underlying causes of a housing crash. Knowing what to expect for changes in interest rates and inventory levels can help give you an idea of what might happen if another crash were to occur in California.
What does a housing market decline look like
When considering the possibility of a housing market crash in California in 2023, it's important to understand what one looks like.
A housing market crash is characterized by a rapid decline in home values and an increase in foreclosure activity.
In some cases, prices can fall by as much as 20-50%. This usually happens when interest rates rise, which leads to fewer people being able to afford purchasing a house.
Prices may also drop if there is an oversupply of inventory and not enough people are buying houses.
- Prices in California fell 42% from their peak in 2007 to the bottom in 2009.
Housing market crashes can occur when multiple factors come together and create an unsustainable situation.
Low interest rates, low inventory, low unemployment, and high wages fuel rising home prices - but if any of these factors change too quickly it can cause prices to fall.
When interest rates rise too quickly, for example, then mortgages become more expensive and fewer people can qualify for them [isn't this what is happening right now] - leading to fewer buyers in the market.
The last time California experienced a housing crash was during the subprime mortgage crisis in 2008.
This crash saw house prices fall significantly due to mortgages being given out that were too risky for the borrower; eventually these mortgages became unaffordable and resulted in widespread foreclosures across California.
It's important to know all these factors that play into housing market crashes so you can better prepare for the possibility of one happening in California in 2023.
Photo byCAR.org
Factors that usually trigger a crash
We’ll get to the prediction about whether the California housing market is going to crash in 2023, but let’s talk about why housing markets crash. Generally speaking, a housing market crash occurs when there is an oversupply of houses in the market, the price of homes are declining, or interest rates are rising.
- Oversupply of Houses: This means there is too much inventory available to buy, but not enough buyers available to purchase it. This can drive home prices down and lead to a housing market crash. Currently California [Dec 22] has 2.7 months of unsold inventory.
- Declining Home Prices: Typically, when home prices fall faster than expected or suddenly drop, then people become wary of buying homes and opt to rent instead. This causes another factor that could lead to a housing market crash—lack of demand for homes.
- Interest Rates Increase: When interest rates increase, it makes it more expensive for people to buy homes. When people have difficulty affording homes due to higher interest rates, then this could contribute to a decrease in demand for home purchases and cause a housing market crash in California (or anywhere else). Current interest rate in Dec 2022 was 6.36% up from the low 3's in 2021.
The last time California saw a housing market crash was during the Great Recession in 2008-2009, where home prices dropped significantly and created economic chaos for many years after that. It’s up for debate as to whether California will experience another dramatic decline soon—but understanding what factors could lead up to one is important in preparing yourself (and your wallet) for such an event.
Photo byCAR.org
California real estate statistics from 2022
As you ponder the potential of a housing market crash in California in 2023, it's important to understand the climate of the current market. In 2022, the average home price in California was around $704,000 according to the California Association of Realtors. This was an 8% increase over 2021 and marked the fourth consecutive year of double-digit home price increases.
That being said, there are a few other factors to consider when looking at whether or not this trend will continue. Here's an overview:
- Interest Rates: Interest rates have soared since 2022.
- Housing Inventory: Housing inventory continues to be low across California as many buyers still out-number sellers and bidding wars remain commonplace.
- Affordability Index: The affordability index continues to decline as home prices remain high and wage growth does not keep pace with the rate of inflation.
It's impossible to say for sure whether or not this trend will continue into 2023 but understanding these statistics is key to making a more informed decision about the current market and where it might be headed next.
What are experts and data saying about a crash in 2023
It doesn't look like a housing market crash is anticipated in 2023 in California. So far, market conditions for real estate in the state are good.
According to the California Association of Realtors (CAR), home sales have declined 45.7% year to date in January. However, its not at an alarming rate.
The economic forecast for also looks good, with CAR predicting an increase of 6 percent in median home prices over the next year. This is backed up by the unemployment rate continuing to drop, which is a sign that housing demand will remain strong going into 2023.
The last time California experienced a housing market crash was during the 2006-2008 recession. At that time, there had been an overinflation in house prices and too many unsound mortgages put into place by lenders.
As a result, the economy crashed and real estate values plummeted across the country, including California. This isn't the case today!
In order for a housing market crash to occur again in California, certain key factors need to be present: waning consumer confidence, overly optimistic sellers pricing their homes too high, potential buyers being unable to get credit (due to issues with income or credit scores).
In addition, there needs to be an increase in interest rates and/or an uptick in inventory — both of which are not currently seen happening anytime soon in the Golden State.
What can we take-away from what we know
It’s hard to tell what’s going to happen to California’s housing market in 2023. The market is currently in a strong position with low inventory, high demand, and high interest rates. There’s still a lot of uncertainty in the market, however, and no one can predict what will happen with interest rates or an influx of buyers.
What we can say for sure is that the conditions for an impending housing crash in California – high inventory, low demand, and rising interest rates – are not present.
That said, it’s always important to be mindful of the conditions in the market and to be thoughtful in any housing decisions you may make. With this in mind, keep a close eye on the housing market and make sure you do your due diligence before jumping in.