Though Placer County has taken its share of losses this year as has most of the country, the numbers for Placer compare favorably to Sacramento County.  For example, as of our last estimate a few days ago, Sacramento County currently had 11.6 months of inventory on the books, while Placer County has a "low" 9.45 months.  Of course, this is all a matter of degree, really.  The traditional cutoff point is six months of inventory — more than that and we’re considered to be in a buyer’s market.

Placer’s relative strength can also be seen in how average sold price per square foot has held up over the last year.  In Placer County, this value dropped 11.4%, from $236.83 in October of 2006 to $209.74 in October of 2007.  In Sacramento County, in contrast, this same indicator fell 18.4%.

The average home sold in Placer County in October for $462,268, down 5.3% from last year’s average of $488,101.  The median sale price was $399,950, down 5.9% from last year’s median sale price of $425,000.  Unit volume was down 17.8%, from 331 sold units last October to 272 sold units this October.

Foreclosed homes (REOs) make up 10.6% of the active inventory in Placer County at present, and 20.2% of the sales for October.