I wrote a post this time last year discussing uncertainty in the real estate and stock market post Presidential election, along with potential for increase in interest rates. Similar sentiments of uncertainties existed even 2 years ago. The uncertainties turned out to be unfounded as the S&P 500 appreciated EVERY month in 2017 ending at 19%+ higher than start of year. https://seekingalpha.com/article/4134832-stock-market-1st-90-years. Going into 2018, many Wall Street analysts predict the stock market to continue rising, albeit not quite as rapidly as last year. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/can-stock-market-in-2018-possibly-match-perfect-2017/. So what does that mean for real estate?

Our current SF Bay Area real estate boom roughly started at the end of 2012, which has now spanned more than 5 years. The bubble burst occurred approximately 2008-2011. As my BS and MBA degrees were in finance with heavy dose of economics, I recall that the financial and real estate markets over the course of history generally run in full 7 to 10 year economic cycles. We are currently right in the middle of this time span, but yet there are not many indications of an impending slow down.

Two years ago, I wrote about unicorns – how private company valuations do not necessarily represent liquidity events for a high majority of non-founding employees of these companies. https://taosiliconvalley.com/2015/12/15/the-epic-story-of-unicorns-and-dragons/. With that being said, many investment bankers and financial pundits do forecast some of these unicorns to go public in 2018. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/ipos-in-2018-here-are-six-tech-companies-that-could-go-public-2017-12-26. Many of these potential IPO companies are based in San Francisco, Peninsula or South Bay. Should even a few of these companies go public, we can expect some thousands of employees unlock previously illiquid paper wealth into cash that will motivate some of them to enter the real estate market, upgrade houses and/or buy investment property. This would have a material impact on real estate demand, and thus valuations.

My most popular blog post titled “Microeconomics for Real Estate 101” is the #1 ranked Google search result if you type Microeconomics Real Estate! Search Engine Optimization (SEO), baby…and I didn’t even try! 5 years later, same dynamic of a) strong demand and b) tight supply yield consistent price appreciation. For example, in Belmont and San Carlos, two appealing cities with top public schools, great location and strong community (as of January 23, 2018), there are only 13 single family residences (houses) Active in MLS at all prices. What if you are a 1st time buyer under $1.5 million? There are only 2 (yes, not a typo, two) houses listed under $1.5m across 2 major cities in the Peninsula.

For the last 2-3 years or so, EVERY buyer client of mine asked if they are buying at the peak of the market. No one has a crystal ball and can predict with certainty. We all have our personal predictions/opinions of course. It’s tough on 1st time buyers looking at historical price appreciation of properties in the SF Bay Area. I always like to fall back on my own personal situation. Back in 1999, we were looking to purchase our 1st house in mid-Peninsula. We outbid many other buyers and were paying record prices for a small house. I told my wife that we may be buying at the peak of the market, but that the Bay Area would be our long-term home; regardless of whether the market goes down in the near term, I was confident over the course of the medium to long term, Bay Area real estate would prove to be a great investment. We ended up buying a larger house in the area, and sold this original house in 2005 with an ROI of over 400% (due to leverage)! The market had in fact deflated approximately 2001 but then came roaring back shortly thereafter.

The key to psychologically overcoming the SF Bay Area market is to view any real estate investment in the medium to long term. If you plan to be a SF Bay Area resident in the long term, is it higher risk to be in the market or out of the market? And keep in mind, unlike buying stocks, bonds, mutual funds and ETFs, you actually also gain enjoyment and comfort with acquiring property as opposed to financial securities. As always, anyone who wishes to talk real estate with me, ping me anytime.