Although luxury housing markets throughout the nation continue to suffer as a result of the economic recession of 2008, Beverly Hills seems to be one of the few luxury real estate markets showing promising signs of recovery.  Throughout the nation high-end home sales are down significantly, and in many regions they are nonexistent.  Many homebuyers aren’t willing to pay millions of dollars for a home during these difficult economic times and are opting for the “bargain” prices offered by foreclosed and distressed properties.  However, Beverly Hills, considered to be the popular home to many of the rich and famous, has recently experienced an increase in real estate activity.

According to DQNews.com, Southern California real estate markets have shown improvement over the past few months, with many regions posting increases in both home sales and median prices.  In November of 2009, there were almost 20,000 new and resale houses sold in the Southern California region, down 13.3 percent from the previous month, but up 14.7 percent from November of the previous year.  Realtors aren’t concerned about the decline between the months of October and November though, as historical data trends have shown sales to decline during the same period even during times of economic prosperity.  However, foreclosures are still a major concern for real estate experts because high foreclosure rates continue to plague the region’s real estate market.  Foreclosures and distressed properties continue to dominate home sales, as most prospective buyers are only interested in affordable housing.  Nevertheless, the median price in Southern California did rise by 1.8 percent between the months of October and November, even though median prices are still about 43 percent below the peak experienced in early and mid 2007.

Despite Beverly Hills’ general lack of affordability, many realtors believe that the Beverly Hills real estate market may be making a comeback, one of the first comebacks for luxury home markets in the nation.  Prices for housing in Beverly Hills are low relatively speaking, and the flourishing entertainment industry has been an attractive force for prospective homebuyers.  Local realtors are reporting a 25 percent increase in sales between the months of October and November, and a 109 percent increase from low seen two years ago.  With home values 30 to 40 percent below peak levels a few years ago, realtors are optimistic that the future will show significant improvements in the Beverly Hills real estate.