The first numbers for 2013 are in and on a same month comparison basis, home values are still showing impressive year-to-year growth while the number of sales in January slowed down.

The average Big Bear home price rose from $207,697 in January of 2013 to $236,711 in January 2014 representing a 14% appreciation. Meanwhile the median home price rose from $148,000 to $175,000 representing an 18% rise. 

The average price per square foot of a Big Bear home rose from $146 in January of 2013 to $167 this January representing a 14% gain while the median price per square foot rose from $141 to $164 for a 16% gain.

The average number of Days On Market (DOM) that a home was listed before selling was exactly the same in January 2013 as it was in January of 2014 at 114 days, while the sales price to list price ratio was the same as well with homes selling on average at 96% of their list price.

The number of homes sold, however, came in lower this year with 81 closings this January as compared to 88 closings last January. Although this could be attributed to the negative effect that the lack of snow and warm weather has had on visitorship to the Big Bear valley, many real estate professionals (including myself) felt that we'd see a cooling off of sales in 2014. If you look back over the past few months, the number of sales is up and down on a month-to-month comparison, so it's too early to suggest this forecasted downward trend in the number of sales has any legitimacy, but it's something to keep an eye on.

Regardless of a potential slowdown in sales, with the number of homes listed for sale in Big Bear still near all-time lows and with mortgage rates still below 4.5%, home prices are expected to continue to appreciate throughout the year.