 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
How to figure a home's fundamental value' |. i, v6 ]: p$ [2 G4 ~* P1 T
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.
' {1 o# M( V- P) t; ?% }. N
7 p Q' r/ O1 c2 K1 T7 Y4 D2 SNot 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.* u; ~/ n5 v% J2 ~/ g$ O0 k
: [: r% z% \1 l+ m$ l1 T: s& ZLeamer 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.
* {3 b3 Y- u4 P4 ]% {4 p* x. ?% q& C; O' k0 H! j/ w& S: i) E
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:
7 g% ~9 O0 g3 N( I' Y" \0 ^2 {. F$ ^: ?6 p
& `# |3 i# v* Y; W
In Boston, the residential real estate market’s P/E recently topped 30 -- compared with just under 20 in 1988.
- ]8 A' }" z0 d
7 E4 |5 K/ M4 s$ w uSan Francisco’s previous peak of 25.6 in 1989 has been eclipsed, with the P/E currently at just over 27.; W6 n* V2 m' {# o/ g) `: N0 }
San Diego’s current P/E is nearly 30, compared with a 1989 high of 23.4.
9 @( l* X1 \4 O2 [New 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.
( R4 |$ v" k' RYou 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.
3 K! w# i0 @/ i8 ?
0 d$ w) T9 r5 M; @ M# q; ?If home prices are rising much faster than rents, as is true in Los Angeles, that’s a strong indication a bubble is forming. F; x6 r) N: v9 X/ K
3 Z) h* `2 r; h* V! r& A3 IIf home prices are rising while average rents are falling -- which is the situation in San Francisco -- the bubble is pretty much unmistakable.
' b! w7 K: A5 _* J; {% X" L! N+ U( u4 L" y/ G8 z8 ?$ c0 V. l
Home P/E ratios for 9 metro areas
6 q5 h" t* l/ j7 c Avg. 1988-2000 2001
" ~9 p- y" n, s2 n8 n/ l( @Boston 20.5 30.2 # n5 k2 @7 ?1 k r9 |
San Diego 22.8 29.7 * t% s3 ^- |$ z
San Francisco 23.8 27.2 + N' C; t. m* c9 X4 f' |" p
Los Angeles 21.3 25.6 " j0 b! O; b$ \
Seattle 20.4 25
4 c1 B. G3 h6 J7 DDenver 17.7 23.7 $ Q- b1 ^- M, O% H/ I1 e( m0 ~
New York 21.2 22.5
6 e% l" o% P5 X/ yChicago 17.2 20.8
: ~1 z( @/ k* a+ e5 E+ {% EWashington, D.C. 17.1 20.4 : r1 p5 E5 J& S: J. n- N
f" G7 l6 F1 M; v# f6 i
; x1 m k t F/ N$ ~4 ~# F1 e3 @' R
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.0 | r( y. y6 \
$ J- N( r# f m2 k" p4 R
& a( ~9 u/ ~& I9 QFrom: http://moneycentral.msn.com/cont ... ingguide/P37631.asp |
|