Is the Housing Market Recovery Splitting in Two?

A new article at CNBC.com suggests that the real estate market is splitting in two, with the high-end segment soaring and the rest of the market continuing to struggle as it inches toward recovery mode. “It’s become a tale of two markets,” Michael Simonsen, CEO of Altos Research, told CNBC.com. “At the high end, well-financed people have taken advantage of cheap money. And demand is up, inventory is down, and prices are responding.” The article says that wealthy buyers tend to have good credit and are taking advantage of record low mortgage rates. As such, in housing markets with median home prices of $1 million or more, home prices have jumped more than 10 percent year-over-year, according to Altos Research. Inventory is also down by 10 percent. What’s more, areas with a median home price of $10 million or more, home prices have risen 13 percent or more, according to Altos. So how about the other “side” of the market? Unemployment and tightened lending conditions that have caused some buyers to struggle to obtain financing continues to slow the housing recovery, housing experts note. Source: “Tale of Two Markets: No Downturn in Megahome Sales,” CNBC.com (June 5, 2012)