I just received this question from a potential vacation-home shopper in Southern California, wondering how Deer Valley real estate prices are faring amid the turbulent national real estate market.
A Warning About Deer Valley Real Estate Prices...
The numbers are not what you expect in light of the real estate "news" from around the USA. 
Deer Valley condo prices have not only held--they have actually increased!
Why are Deer Valley Prices increasing while prices across the country are falling? At the most basic level, it's simple supply and demand in action.
Ski-in/Ski-out Deer Valley Real Estate Is Scarce
People have successfully invested in Deer Valley real estate because of the relative scarcity of prime Deer Valley properties. Deer Valley's "safe-haven"positioning as a second-home and resort community has provided critical insulation from downward national trends.
Deer Valley Owners Have "Staying Power"
With so many cash buyers (about 50% of our clients' transactions in 2007), we're also not seeing a surge in foreclosures and "distress" sales. In truth, most sellers don't "need" to sell their Deer Valley property, like sellers in "primary" home communities.
| CONDOMINIUMS: Pending Sales as of 1-20-2008 (Upper & Lower Deer Valley, Deer Crest, Empire Pass) | ||||
|
|
High |
Low |
Average |
Median |
|
List Price Summary: |
$8,916,550 |
$550,00 |
$3,064,998 |
$2,775,450 |
| CONDOMINIUMS: Summary Statistics Jan-Dec 2007 (Upper & Lower Deer Valley, Deer Crest, Empire Pass) | ||||
|
High |
Low |
Average |
Median |
|
|
List Price: |
$4,395,000 |
$595,000 |
$1,955,381 |
$1,897,000 |
|
Sales Price: |
$4,100,000 |
$570,000 |
$1,904,781 |
$1,886,400 |
| CONDOMINIUMS: Summary Statistics Jan-Dec 2006 (Upper & Lower Deer Valley, Deer Crest, Empire Pass) | ||||
|
|
High |
Low |
Average |
Median |
|
List Price: |
$4,195,000 |
$399,900 |
$1,437,404 |
$1,225,000 |
|
Sales Price: |
$3,775,259 |
$399,900 |
$1,388,741 |
$1,155,000 |
|
Avg Days on Market: 286 |
120 Condos Sold |
Average List price= |
|
Average Sales price= |
The Story Behind the Deer Valley Sales Numbers
One critical component is the weight of "New Construction" in the Deer Valley Condo sales summary. To be fair, many of the pending sales, and sold comps in 2007 were actually sales that pended in 2005 and 2006 when the national market was on fire. Some of these ultra high end ski-in/ski-out condo lodge buildings take 18-36 months to build.
Days On Market Might Not Be What You Think
When you see the days on market stats increase from 286 DOM to 357 DOM from 2006 to 2007, it's counting from the date the condos are listed for sale until the sale closes (ie when construction is complete). What you're actually seeing is a long "under-contract" period, and not necessarily properties sitting on the market forever. Does that make sense?
Deer Valley Quality Gets Better Every Year
There's also been a difference in the quality and location of inventory over the years. The new construction that's available today is certainly more expensive to build (land, labor, materials) than the "new" construction that was available in 2005. The trend has certainly been towards higher quality materials and construction as developers push to raise their prices with successive projects, much to the delight of "early" buyers who watch their property values rise with each successive release of new inventory.
