Realty Executives of Northern Arizona
When most people think of Arizona weather, they picture a hot, desert climate. Flagstaff weather is nothing like the rest of Arizona. Flagstaff enjoys all four seasons: summer, fall, winter and spring.
What is the weather like in the summer?
Summers in Flagstaff have sun, wind, and rain. There are the summer ‘monsoons’ that bring rain every afternoon for a few weeks in the middle of summer. The average daytime temperature is anywhere from 65 degrees to 80 degrees; nighttime averages range from 35 to 55 degrees. One thing to remember about summer: always have an umbrella—a sunny morning can easily turn into a rainy afternoon. The best time to visit for warm-weather activities is from mid-June to late August.
What is the weather like in the fall?
Fall is full of colorful leaves and cool, crisp days. You’ll want to wear layers (a scarf, sweater, boots), because the temperature will fluctuate as the sun rises and sets. The average daytime temperature ranges from 50 to 75 degrees; nighttime temps range from 20 to 40 degrees. It’s bit early for snow just yet; the first snow is usually around Halloween but does not stick or last very long.
What is the weather like in the winter?
Surprise! Snow, snow, and more snow. Flagstaff winter days are cold and snow filled—not what many visitors expect. Some winters are milder than others so check the weather report before making plans. The average daytime temperature ranges from 20 to 40 degrees. The average nighttime temperature ranges from 10 to 20 degrees. The coldest day of the year on average is January 4, with a low of 19°F and high of 42°F.
What is the weather like in the spring?
Spring days are a mix of everything from snow and rain, to sun and wind. You will definitely want to check the weather report before heading out. At high altitude (Flagstaff is around 7,000 feet) the sun is more intense—drink plenty of water and rest often. The average daytime temperatures range from 50 to 70 degrees; the nighttime ranges from 20 to 30 degrees.
Average Annual Days of Sunshine: 266 days
Average Annual Precipitation: 22.96 inches (58.32 cm)
Average Annual Snowfall: 108.8 inches (276.35cm)
WEATHER INFORMATION
The Flagstaff Housing Market has been extremely active over the past 3 months and truthfully this full year.
Presently our biggest issue and yes even concern is that we have so many more buyers than we have available homes on the market in Flagstaff.
There were some figures that stood out in July for all types of homes.
In Flagstaff, we sold 25.8% more homes for the month of July, but had -35.1% fewer homes on the market compared to a year ago.
Year to date thru July 31st we have sold 19.1% more homes than last year.
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A little more detail thru August 20th, year to date:
For all types of home sales (Single Family, Condo, Townhome, and Manufactured).
We have sold 19.4% more homes
We had -2.9% fewer homes come to the market
Our Median price is up 8.8% to $420,000
For just Single-Family Homes
We sold 22.9% more homes thru August 20th.
We had -5.9% fewer homes come to the market
Our Median Price is up 10.3% to $480,000
But WAIT, there is more to those numbers than meets the eye!!
When looking at the Single-Family homes in our 3 Gated Golf Communities (Flagstaff Ranch, Forest Highlands, and Pine Canyon)
We sold 113% more homes.
We had 2.8% more homes come to the market.
The Median Price has climbed 20.1% to $985,000.
So in Reality for the Flagstaff Single Home Market, without the gated communities in the figures
We have sold 17.3% more homes
We had -9.1% fewer homes come to the market
Our Median price is up 6.0% to $440,000
| I looked at a couple communities in Flagstaff to see how many Single-Family Homes were on the market as I write this, Friday morning the 21st of August |
Continental Country Club 2 homes Elk Run 3 homes Cheshire 0 homes Coconino Estates 1 home Boulder Pointe 0 homes University Heights 1 home Ponderosa Trails 4 homes This highlights the lack of homes we have on the market today to supply our Buyer’s needs. |
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What is to come?
Great question and one I am not sure anyone has an answer to.
When taking out the gated communities, our median price is not rising that fast,--- so far?
But our inventory, or Absorption Rate as the experts in the Real Estate field like to use is just at 2.9 month’s supply of homes through the end of July.
That means it would take only 2.9 months to sell every home on the market today!
The experts would like to see 6 months supply to have a balanced market.
Bottom line,
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We are in a market that is very favorable to a Seller and tough on the Buyer.
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About the Author:
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Who Knew. . .that Flagstaff was named the world’s first International Dark Sky City in 2001? The designation is awarded to towns and cities “with exceptional commitment to and success in implementing the ideals of dark sky preservation and/or restoration, and their promotion through quality outdoor lighting.” That’s why you see light fixtures that aim light downward and/or are shielded on the sides. Lightbulbs are incandescent and compact fluorescent, yellow in color to minimize glare and sky glow. Look up and you’ll see the stars like you’ve never seen them before! On a clear night, you’ll want to head up to the Lowell Observatory for telescope viewings.
Dark-sky protection in Flagstaff goes back to 1958, when the city enacted the world’s first law to protect night skies, banning advertising and searchlights. There are two major observatories: Lowell Observatory, and the United States Naval Observatory (USNO). Between the two of them, there are more than $125 million in telescope assets in the area. Keeping the skies dark is necessary for astronomical research.
In 2018, Livability.com ranked Flagstaff as the Number 1 dark-sky community that takes stargazing seriously. It is said that even in the city, Flagstaff residents can see the Milky Way overhead as long as they’re away from streetlights. Flagstaff has always valued its environment, and that doesn’t limit itself to the surrounding canyons, deserts, and mountains.
It comes as no surprise that Northern Arizona is frequently listed as one of the top places in the world for stargazing. With clear skies and low light pollution, you can enjoy endless stargazing almost any time of year. Flagstaff sees on average over 280 sunny days per year, meaning dark cloudless nights for stargazing. Head to the Lowell Observatory, Buffalo Park, or take a scenic drive along the Sunset-Wupatki loop drive for the some of the best stargazing in the country. During the summer months, Walnut Canyon offers free stargazing hikes. Also be on the lookout for the annual Festival of Science, featuring more stargazing parties and events than you could possibly imagine.
Are you looking for ways to take your outdoor adventures to the next level? Check out these smartphone applications that may be just what you’re looking for.
14ers.com
This is the smartphone version of the website known and loved by many. It allows user to download images and maps to their phone so that they can be accessed without a cell phone connection. If you’re a hiker, having this app on your phone is a must.
MTN Project
With this app, users put the power of many rock climbing guides into their pocket. Find routes searchable by location and read user review to know what to expect. This app also lets users keep track of which routes they’ve already climbed. Sort routes by discipline, difficulty, star ranking and more.
MTB Project
No cell required, completely free. This is the mountain biking counterpart to the MTN Project. You’ll always know your exact position on the maps and find new trails, all accessible offline.
SkyGuide
Want to add some stargazing to your camping trips? Just hold it overhead to automatically find stars, constellations, planets, satellites and more. With the cinematic time controls you can even see what the sky looked like the moment you were born!
PeakVisor
This app uses augmented reality to allow users to identify distant mountains and elevations. It’s great to use at the top of a mountain so that your know what mountains you’re admiring from afar. It puts 3D maps in the palm of your hand, and it’s free.
AllTrails
This is a great app for finding trails in a given area. You’ll have access to 100,000+ trail maps, along with user reviews, images, and trail condition updates. It turns your phone into a GPS tracker. You can record details of your hike and share your adventures with friends and family.
Strava
Users can track running and cycling with GPS, join Challenges, share photos from your activities and follow friends. Track your performance over time, and even set up custom segments along trails to track performance over time in a highly tailored way. It’s a great motivator if you need an extra push in your training.
Realty Executives of Flagstaff
We've been serving Flagstaff and its surrounding areas for over 43 years.
We’re the experts on the area, from the heart of town, to the top of the peaks.
Home sales in Flagstaff for the first 6 months of the year have been far stronger than expected.
Note that before I start, you will see all these stats in the following chart.
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I pulled statistics on July 12th for all home types, Single Family, Townhome, Condos and Manufacture in the General Flagstaff area.
The Absorption Rate, the number of months it would take to sell all our homes under the current home sales trend is 3.44 months, that is down 1.2 months from last year. |
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One last stat I dug up, 22.04% of the homes sold this year were cash sales, compared to 19.76% back in 2010, so this figure though climbing slightly is not out of the norm for Flagstaff.
Using information from ShowingTime, the system we are using in Flagstaff as well as a lot of the nation to schedule showings, we see that we are on the same track as the rest of the nation on showings.
| Single Family homes, which account for 67.59% of the sales in Flagstaff, sold at even a more robust rate with 18.9% more than homes than the prior year. Median Prices are up 10.9%* to $474,000, adjusted to $450,000 or a 7.4% increase (see Note below). We had 8% fewer homes come to the market. The average price per sq. ft. has risen to $247.00 from $223.23. Condominiums you will notice in the chart below, we sold 13.2% fewer Condos, with prices up slightly at 2.3%. This lackluster showing is caused by the lack of Condos in the Flagstaff market with no new being built. Townhomes showed the highest increase in number sold at 32.0%, with Median Pricing climbing 7.3% to $357.186. The increase in numbers sold is mainly attributed to the sales in a couple of areas in town- Presidio in the Pines and Railroad Springs- which have been bringing more townhomes to the Market. Manufactured home sales climbed by 7.5% with the Median Price climbing 7.5%. |
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Note, The question begs to be asked? What is happening with the higher priced homes? There was an article in the Vale area, they said that their buyers are looking for more mountains, clean air and less crowded destinations for their alternate home. |
So taking these out of the mix for single family homes, we have a slightly lower median price for Single Family Homes in Flagstaff, at $450,000.
In Summary;
We are in interesting times which we are all aware of. What we did not expect was what has happened in the housing market.
Will this trend continue? Great question.
As long as the mortgage rates stay at the current level, which they are expected to through the year, and inventory stays at historic lows, which they are expected to, then we may see this trend through the rest of the year.
There are of course a few things that could sway the remainder of the year,
Covid-19 and the coming November Elections.
But today,
If you are a Seller or thinking of Selling, you should be reaching out to me, this may be a great opportunity and we can discuss if this is the right time for you and your family.
If you are a Buyer, not all is lost, there are homes coming to the market daily, you need a strong local lender and a full time Real Estate Agent helping you find the right home, so again, reach out to me.
We did not cover my Native Wildflower garden, but it is doing very well, nothing blooming or even close to that stage though. Will cover more about that next month. If you missed my blog about the Wildflowers, click on the link above and that will take you to that newsletter.
In the meantime,
There is lots to talk about, so please never hesitate to reach out, besides Real Estate, we can talk about our upcoming Arizona Trail 6-day hike coming in October, my Wildflowers, or most any subject you would like.
Am looking forward hearing from you.
Jeff
About the Author:
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Where the Experts are - Serving Flagstaff and Northern Arizona since 1977
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