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How to figure a home's fundamental value
3 Q7 I, u* r2 p8 ~3 c- d1 ]Leamer says he can tell because homes, just like stocks, have a price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) that he believes determines their fundamental value. The “earnings” part of the ratio consists of the annual rent the house could command. Homebuyers can compare current P/Es with historical levels, Leamer says, to get some idea of whether houses in their cities are becoming overvalued.+ |; Q; j) C: N7 d0 {
' w( [: n V: q" N, Q9 p2 A( E5 O6 t* QNot everyone buys the idea that P/Es dictate value. But investors who completely ignore P/Es do so at their peril, as many have learned in recent years. Leamer, who heads the prestigious Anderson Forecast at the University of California in Los Angeles, points out that the P/E for the Standard & Poor’s 500, a key stock benchmark, was nearly double its previous historical high when the stock market bubble burst in 2000. When home P/Es peaked in California, Boston, Dallas and other markets in the mid-1980s, devastating real estate recessions followed.; G, U" \, \) Q. A: @
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Leamer didn’t invent the concept of P/Es for homes. But his willingness to proclaim bubbles in several of the nation’s hottest markets has brought him lots of attention recently.8 O M. [3 M8 x9 p+ o8 ?
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To calculate P/Es for entire cities, Leamer divided the median home price in each by the annual rent for a two-bedroom unit in each city -- and looked at P/Es each year since 1988. Here’s what he found:( U' q4 l3 e0 G- y6 h* ?# r1 c
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In Boston, the residential real estate market’s P/E recently topped 30 -- compared with just under 20 in 1988.
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San Francisco’s previous peak of 25.6 in 1989 has been eclipsed, with the P/E currently at just over 27.- N% V; N; P: o! Q7 ]
San Diego’s current P/E is nearly 30, compared with a 1989 high of 23.4.
; k5 x- S2 X+ A; DNew York, by contrast, is actually well below previous peaks. The area’s current 22.5 P/E is above its recent nadir of 17.6 in 1993, but down from 28.6 in 1988.
3 I0 z, f# \) ]3 K, qYou don’t have to know exact P/Es, however, to spot signs of trouble, Leamer says. Any time there’s a disconnect between prices and the underlying value of homes, as measured by their market rents, there’s the potential for a bubble. 6 q ~+ S' Z* N9 b! {" A
' j5 J9 B% J+ C, I! XIf home prices are rising much faster than rents, as is true in Los Angeles, that’s a strong indication a bubble is forming.0 G5 s9 D ]% T. e% z, C
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If home prices are rising while average rents are falling -- which is the situation in San Francisco -- the bubble is pretty much unmistakable.- }) K' }5 r$ O4 c: K8 p# G
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Home P/E ratios for 9 metro areas
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+ |/ g; |. m9 m! kBoston 20.5 30.2 ) L) _+ C8 @# U8 `( l5 V* Z
San Diego 22.8 29.7 - d8 m1 ?2 i$ Y# d
San Francisco 23.8 27.2
6 i6 ^. `" [) }$ J z$ }Los Angeles 21.3 25.6 # o" S6 Y4 ~$ l# K: t% y, I
Seattle 20.4 25 8 K# m; ?4 ~9 i" D5 i0 q
Denver 17.7 23.7 * K2 c/ @" x+ x0 ^! Z3 r
New York 21.2 22.5
; M+ `8 f# [8 H1 R* f9 [* i' KChicago 17.2 20.8
& }* J! w/ D& E7 Y0 tWashington, D.C. 17.1 20.4 . w( j( E" }6 S+ G7 @/ F3 K
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It's difficult to compare P/Es from one city with those from another. P/Es in Atlantic City, N.J., have wavered between 17.3 and 11.6 since 1988; in San Diego, P/Es have not dropped below 20. But you can look on the P/E as a measure of risk -- that is, the higher the P/E is above its average level, the greater the risk, no matter where you live.
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& T/ L2 W1 P! C! L# w) hFrom: http://moneycentral.msn.com/cont ... ingguide/P37631.asp |
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