What $1 million buys : Rooftop Views

Rooftop Views

What $1 million buys

Although both are waterfront cities, something besides the salt water separates La Jolla, Calif. on the Pacific Ocean from Sioux City, Iowa on the Missouri River-a $1.7 million dollar difference in the cost of homes studied in the 2008 Coldwell Banker® Home Price Comparison Index (HPCI). In an annual comparison of similar homes in 315 U.S. markets, La Jolla topped the chart as the most expensive real estate market in the nation with a $1,841,667 average home price. Sixteen hundred miles away in America’s heartland sits Sioux City, the most affordable real estate market in America, where a similar home would cost $133,459.

La Jolla and Sioux City are not alone in representing California and the Midwest. In fact, eight out of ten of the country’s most expensive housing markets are in California, and eight Midwestern cities make the list of the nation’s 10 most affordable home markets.

Differing from most housing reports which compare median prices, the annual Coldwell Banker HPCI, which first launched in the late 1980s, provides an apples-to-apple comparison of similar 2,200 square foot, four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath homes in 315 markets across the United States, in addition to Puerto Rico, Canada and a sampling of countries/territories outside of North America where Coldwell Banker has a presence.

“This year’s study comes at an interesting time in our nation’s history with the impact of the housing correction and mortgage financing serving as critical economic issues in the presidential election,” says Jim Gillespie, president and chief executive officer of Coldwell Banker Real Estate. “While Americans move for lifestyle reasons, a home is usually a family’s most valuable investment asset. For those who want to get into the housing market, I believe this is the smartest time in my 33 years in real estate to buy a home. Combined with the amount of homes on the market and historically low interest rates, the correction in prices has brought affordability levels down.”

“Looking deep into the survey, half of the markets surveyed showed an average price for this very nice type of home to be less than $300,000 showcasing the affordability of homeownership across our nation,” continues Gillespie.

A “Snapshot” of U.S. Home Affordability

Offering a “snapshot” of affordability across the U.S., the Coldwell Banker HPCI evaluates average home values for select 2,200 square foot single-family dwellings with four bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths, a family room (or equivalent) and a two-car garage.

The cumulative average sales price of the four-bedroom homes surveyed in the 315 U.S. markets (including one in Puerto Rico) covered in the Coldwell Banker HPCI is $403,738, a 4.4% decline from the $422,343 reported in the 2007 Coldwell Banker study.

According to the company, through the comprehensive HPCI section on www.coldwellbanker.com, prospective home buyers and sellers can calculate what their homes may be worth in other areas in the United States and gather preliminary intelligence about the affordability of housing from one market to another.

2008 Coldwell Banker® HPCI - Highlights and Top Market Lists

- La Jolla, Calif., edges out Greenwich, Conn. ($1,787,000) and other West Coast markets as the most expensive U.S. market in the study. Also on the East Coast, Boston, Mass. ranks as the ninth most expensive ($1,493,750). Beverly Hills was the most expensive studies U.S. market last year at $2.21 million. Note: Manhattan in New York City was not included in the study because of the lack of comparable single-family homes.
- Candidate comparison: Barack Obama’s primary residence is Chicago, Ill., where the average home price is $863,300, whereas John McCain lives in Phoenix, Ariz., which averages $288,000.
- Swing states: Both candidates are likely to spend a large amount of time campaigning in several key “swing states” between now and November. The national economy and the housing market represent critical issues for many of these voters. The average price in each of those states is as follows: Colorado ($402,497), Florida ($357,596), Indiana ($224,906), Iowa ($196,134), Michigan ($201,291), Missouri ($212,850), Nevada ($287,375), New Hampshire ($401,697), New Mexico ($478,343), Ohio ($191,051), Pennsylvania ($332,955), Virginia ($309,070) and Wisconsin ($231,044).
- In total, 13 U.S. markets exceed the $1 million average price for the surveyed home. Joining Greenwich and Boston on that list outside of California is Wellesley, Mass. ($1.2 million).
- The Northeast Corridor (from Maine to Washington, D.C.) and California dominate all but five of the most expensive “top 40″ U.S. markets slots - with just one town from those regions (Augusta, Maine) appearing among the top 40 most affordable markets. Texas, led by Arlington, has six of the study’s 40 most affordable markets.
- Canada mirrors the U.S. in that its costliest markets are primarily situated on the West Coast. Vancouver, British Columbia, tops the Canadian list, with comparable four-bedroom homes averaging $1,257,000 U.S. dollars. The most affordable studied market in Canada is Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island ($157,000). The price difference between Vancouver and Charlottetown is a stunning $1,100,000.
- Dubai is the most expensive market studied outside of North America, where an HPCI subject home averages $2.45 million U.S. dollars, 33% higher than La Jolla. Coldwell Banker charts a total of 15 markets outside of the U.S. averaging more than $1 million, including Bucuresti, Romania ($1.9 million) and Madrid, Spain ($1.7 million). Quito, Ecuador, ($96,750) is the most affordable foreign market included in the survey. Nine markets altogether average less than $200,000 including Guayaquil and Samborondo, Ecuador.