Buyers Can Expect 12 Percent More Fixer-Upper Homes For Sale Compared to 5 Years Ago

The number of for-sale listings described as "fixer-uppers" has risen significantly since 2011, especially among high-priced homes in competitive markets

News provided by

Zillow

Oct 25, 2016, 08:00 ET

SEATTLE, Oct. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Rising home prices and tough buyer competition may be giving sellers more flexibility to list their home for sale "as-is" without needing to fix it up first. There are 12 percent more fixer-upper homes on the market now than five years ago, and even more among high-priced homes in hot markets, according to a new Zillow analysis[i].

Zillow identified the number of fixer-upper homes listed for sale beginning in 2011 and ending in 2015, and compared them to overall for-sale inventory trends. To identify fixer-uppers, Zillow mined historical listing descriptions for phrases like "fixer-upper," "TLC" and "needs work."

Nationally, expensive fixer-uppers, or those priced within the top third of their markets, saw the biggest surge in inventory over the last five years, rising nearly 35 percent. Conversely, affordably priced fixer-uppers, or those valued within the bottom tier, increased less than 3 percent.

There are not enough homes on the market to accommodate buyer demand in many U.S. metros. As a result, sellers have increasingly more flexibility to list their home for sale "as is" because they know it will likely still sell. In Seattle for example, one of the nation's hottest housing markets, for-sale inventory has decreased 10 percent over the past five years, however fixer-upper listings increased 33 percent over the same time period.

Additionally, the age of the typical home sold has also nearly doubled in just nine years. In 2006, homes were 15 years old, by the end of 2015 the median age jumped to 28 years.

"Across the country, homes are selling fast and for high prices," says Svenja Gudell, Zillow's chief economist. "Sellers are in the driver's seat, with the freedom to list their home for sale 'as-is' without worrying about price cuts or the home sitting on the market. And without sufficient new construction the housing stock has aged, so home buyers are finding more and more homes on the market in need of a little TLC."

Metro	% Change Fixer-Uppers All Tiers (2011-2015)	% Change High-End Fixer-Upper (2011-2015)	% Change Mid-Tier (2011-2015)	% Change Low End (2011-2015)	% Change in all for-sale inventory (2011-2015)
United States	12.1%	34.9%	33.1%	2.6%	-7.7%
New York-Northern New Jersey	52.4%	58.5%	32.5%	62.4%	-2.8%
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	-17.0%	41.8%	-13.3%	-30.4%	-21.0%
Chicago, IL	50.2%	84.3%	84.4%	32.4%	2.6%
Dallas-Fort Worth, TX	-3.9%	30.2%	60.4%	-20.4%	-7.6%
Philadelphia, PA	10.7%	24.3%	0.3%	13.3%	3.2%
Houston, TX	96.1%	157.1%	138.5%	73.6%	-8.7%
Washington, DC	95.9%	226.0%	120.4%	72.5%	17.6%
Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL	10.0%	19.2%	42.4%	-7.9%	-28.2%
Atlanta, GA	33.0%	51.9%	127.1%	12.7%	-16.2%
Boston, MA	28.2%	30.1%	45.9%	20.1%	-8.9%
San Francisco, CA	-15.7%	-12.1%	23.4%	-30.8%	-14.9%
Detroit, MI	5.2%	37.5%	54.1%	-12.9%	-9.1%
Riverside, CA	-27.0%	-24.8%	3.1%	-37.6%	-16.1%
Phoenix, AZ	-30.0%	30.9%	35.2%	-46.5%	-17.0%
Seattle, WA	33.1%	72.4%	73.1%	17.4%	-10.1%
Minneapolis-St Paul, MN	-41.3%	-19.5%	3.6%	-52.1%	6.9%
San Diego, CA	-35.5%	-42.7%	-36.3%	-33.3%	-35.9%
St. Louis, MO	-24.5%	63.6%	-2.9%	-36.3%	-9.1%
Tampa, FL	54.7%	48.5%	71.2%	50.3%	-1.3%
Baltimore, MD	110.6%	73.2%	123.5%	111.3%	32.1%
Denver, CO	-25.3%	-21.9%	5.0%	-37.2%	-24.5%
Pittsburgh, PA	48.4%	42.9%	60.0%	45.9%	0.5%
Portland, OR	106.0%	190.2%	135.8%	82.4%	1.9%
Charlotte, NC	-5.6%	-18.5%	43.6%	-14.8%	-14.0%
Sacramento, CA	-46.1%	-41.3%	-33.3%	-50.5%	-23.0%
San Antonio, TX	-18.4%	2.5%	4.5%	-31.5%	-22.6%
Orlando, FL	34.7%	48.1%	84.1%	17.3%	5.6%
Cincinnati, OH	-6.1%	46.7%	3.9%	-10.3%	-4.1%
Cleveland, OH	8.2%	7.9%	22.5%	4.7%	7.1%
Las Vegas, NV	-36.7%	0.0%	-41.9%	-40.0%	-30.2%
Columbus, OH	-17.3%	-5.0%	15.5%	-25.4%	-17.8%
San Jose, CA	-25.9%	15.8%	-22.7%	-31.6%	-13.4%
Austin, TX	10.2%	108.7%	39.5%	-16.9%	-15.4%
Virginia Beach, VA	46.8%	76.0%	90.6%	32.7%	1.3%
Nashville, TN	-12.9%	81.8%	13.0%	-30.6%	-34.3%

Zillow

Zillow® is the leading real estate and rental marketplace dedicated to empowering consumers with data, inspiration and knowledge around the place they call home, and connecting them with the best local professionals who can help. In addition, Zillow operates an industry-leading economics and analytics bureau led by Zillow's Chief Economist Dr. Svenja Gudell. Dr. Gudell and her team of economists and data analysts produce extensive housing data and research covering more than 450 markets at Zillow Real Estate Research. Zillow also sponsors the quarterly Zillow Home Price Expectations Survey, which asks more than 100 leading economists, real estate experts and investment and market strategists to predict the path of the Zillow Home Value Index over the next five years. Zillow also sponsors the bi-annual Zillow Housing Confidence Index (ZHCI) which measures consumer confidence in local housing markets, both currently and over time. Launched in 2006, Zillow is owned and operated by Zillow Group (NASDAQ:Z and ZG), and headquartered in Seattle.

Zillow is a registered trademark of Zillow, Inc.

[i] The Zillow Fixer-Upper Analysis identified the number of fixer uppers listed for sale beginning in 2011 and ending in 2015. To identify fixer-uppers, Zillow mined historical listing descriptions for these phrases: "fixer-upper," "TLC," "needs work," and "good bones." The analysis covered 452 metros, or around 80 percent of the U.S. population.

SOURCE Zillow