2012 home sales show great improvement
BY ROBERT EVATT World Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
1/23/13 at 3:00 PM
Tulsa-area home sales for 2012 weren’t just well above 2011, they were the best since the recession hit.
Approximately 11,814 homes sold through all of last year, according to figures released by the Greater Tulsa Association of Realtors.
That total is 16.2 percent ahead of 2011 and the second-best performance in the last five years, behind only the 12,111 that sold in 2008.
Dee Dee Jesiolowski, a broker associate with McGraw Realtors, said the slump is officially over.
“Last year was back to what I considered normal and where we should be,” she said. “I wouldn’t say houses are selling over list price, but sellers had more negotiating power than they have before.”
David Momper with RE/MAX Executives said buyers and sellers have regained their nerve and are now willing to get back into the game.
“People are just tired of waiting to get on with their lives,” he said. “They understand interest rates are as good as they’re going to get, the elections have been resolved, and apartment rents are going up.”
The yearly total was helped along by a strong December, as the 919 homes sold for the month were 14.7 percent ahead of last December, and the best December total in the past five years by far. December 2008 was the second-best at 817 sold.
Momper said the final two months’ push was unexpected but welcome.
“We’re really surprised at the market,” he said. “November and December were as good as we’ve had it in quite a few years.”
Home sales prices also improved for the year, as the average sale price of $166,976 is 4.21 ahead of last year, and the median of $134,000 is 2.29.
Jesiolowski said buyers and sellers are now on a roughly even playing field, though buyers still have a fair amount of leverage.
“It’s become a norm now for buyers to ask sellers to pay some of their closing costs,” she said.
