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Housing Affordability Reaches Record Highs

HOUSING AFFORDABILITY REACHES RECORD HIGHS
Article by: Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine Daily News

Daily Real Estate News | Monday, May 21, 2012… For the median-income family, buying a home has never been more affordable, new surveys by the National Association of REALTORS® and National Association of Home Builders show.

Housing affordability reached a record high for the second-straight quarter in the first three months of this year, the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity index shows. Nearly 78 percent of all new and existing homes sold in the first quarter this year were affordable to families earning the national median income of $65,000, according to the index.

NAR’s quarterly Housing Affordability Index also showed a record high in affordability in the first quarter. NAR first began keeping records on affordability in 1970.

According to NAR’s index, the median-income family earning under $61,000 could afford a home costing $325,000 — more than double the national median existing single-family home price of $158,100.

“The median monthly mortgage principal and interest payment for a median-priced home would take only 13.5 percent of gross income,” according to NAR’s affordability index.

Buyers Struggle to Take Advantage

However, while affordability remains high, many home buyers are still being shut out of the market and are unable to take advantage of the deals due to tight lending conditions, housing experts say.

“For those with good credit, we’ve never seen better housing affordability conditions or market opportunities than we see at present,” says Moe Veissi, NAR’s president. “Although home prices are stabilizing and sales are rising, some buyers still have to jump through a lot of hoops to convince a lender that they are creditworthy, even for a mortgage that would be well within their means. This is especially true for self-employed buyers.”

Indeed, Barry Rutenberg, NAHB’s chairman, echoes those comments, adding that “without this significant hurdle, the housing and economic recovery could be proceeding at a much stronger pace.”

Where Affordability Is the Highest

Some of the most affordable housing markets in the first quarter, according to the NAHB/Wells Fargo Index are:

Indianapolis-Carmel, Ind. (where 95.8 percent of the homes sold during the first quarter were affordable to households earning the area’s median family income of $66,900)

1. Dayton, Ohio
2. Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla.
3. Modesto, Calif.
4. Grand Rapids-Wyoming, Mich. (tied for fifth place)
5. Buffalo-Niagara Falls, N.Y. (tied for fifth place)

Meanwhile, the least affordable housing market continued to be New York-White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.-N.J., a title which it has held for 16-straight quarters, according to the NAHB/Wells Fargo index. Only 31.5 percent of the homes sold in the first three months were affordable to those earning the median income in the area of $68,200.

Source: Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine Daily News | Blog distribution provided by Kenneth Bargers and Bargers Solutions, member of Pilkerton Realtors, residential real estate services located in Nashville, Tennessee

May 22, 2012 Posted by | economy, real estate | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Positive Signs Abound for Housing

POSITVE SIGNS ABOUND FOR HOUSING
Article by: Brian Summerfield, REALTOR® Magazine

Daily Real Estate News | Thursday, May 17, 2012… The first quarter of 2012 was the best first quarter for real estate in five years, and pending contracts suggest that the second quarter of 2012 will be the best second quarter in five years, NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said this morning at the Residential Economic Update during the NAR Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo.

Moreover, he said the second half of this year could be even better than the first, in part because of continued increases in rental costs and record affordability of homes. “Renters are getting squeezed, and they don’t want to rent anymore,” Yun explained. “This could be the year we see the release of pent-up demand.”

Home prices have been skipping along the bottom for about a year now, Yun said, a trend that has drawn investors into the market. These investors have helped housing through a couple of difficult years and partly mitigated the dysfunctional mortgage market.

“Right now is the time to buy low,” he said. “Investors are coming in to take advantage. Second homes started to recover nicely last year because of investors.”

However, home values are poised for a rebound as more traditional buyers move back into the market, Yun said. In fact, this has already started to happen in areas such as Phoenix and Miami, which have seen year-over-year (March 2011 to March 2012) double-digit percentage increases in home prices.

As real estate improves, consumer psychology around home ownership will change, he added. Coupled with the recent — if relatively modest — job growth and stock market gains, conditions are right for a sustained housing recovery.

Future Challenges

Nonetheless, there are issues that could restrain a turnaround in housing. Mortgages are still too hard to come by, the shadow inventory — while declining — remains historically high, and price inflation is rising “above the Fed’s comfort level,” Yun said.

To address that last problem, the Federal Reserve will likely raise rates in 2013 and 2014. Yet Yun contends a modest rise in interest rates wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing for the housing market. That’s because an increase in rates would cause financial institutions to focus their mortgage servicing departments on purchase loans instead of refis.

The biggest challenge, though, remains the murky political and regulatory environment, particularly the repeated threats from legislators and policymakers to alter or eliminate the mortgage interest deduction. Additionally, the country is racing toward a “fiscal cliff” on Jan. 1, 2013, the date by which a compromise federal budget must be approved. If this is delayed, there will be automatic government spending cuts, which would probably create a fallout effect in the financial markets.

U.S. Migration Patterns

In a presentation preceding Yun’s, Fed Economist Raven Molloy went over data that showed migration within the United States had fallen across practically all demographic categories since the 1980s. This has significant implications for real estate, as a decline in the number of people moving around within the country can translate into a decline in home-purchase activity.

There were no sharp moves downward in internal migration during the recession, which suggests the trend is not connected to the housing market or macro-economic cycles, Molloy said. If this was the case, migration would likely increase in the next few years as the job market improves and household formation picks up. Instead, it could remain flat or fall as the economy recovers.

In his presentation, Yun said this trend, which doesn’t have a clear source, is a problematic development.

“It’s troubling,” he said. “We want to have a very dynamic society where people can move up and trade up.”

Source: Brian Summerfield, REALTOR® Magazine; Daily Real Estate News (May 17, 2012) | Blog distribution provided by Kenneth Bargers and Bargers Solutions, member of Pilkerton Realtors, residential real estate services located in Nashville, Tennessee

May 18, 2012 Posted by | economy, real estate | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Greater Nashville Home Sales Continue to Increase…

GREATER NASHVILLE HOME SALES CONTINUE TO INCREASE

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (May 9, 2012), GNAR – There were 2,186 home closings reported for the month of April, according to figures provided by the Greater Nashville Association of REALTORS®. This represents an increase of 25 percent from the 1,747 closings reported for April 2011.

Year-to-date closings are also up compared to 2011 with 7,041. That is a 24.5 percent increase compared to the 5,655 closings reported through April 2011.

“Total sales are the best we’ve seen since June 2010, which was the initial deadline for the First Time Buyer Tax Credit,” said GNAR President Kendra Cooke. “While some of the increase can be attributed to normal seasonal trends, the high number of closings is a clear indication that the real estate market in this region is showing significant improvement. The continuation of historically low interest rates, increasing economic confidence and increasing rental rates are all factors having a positive impact on real estate sales.”

There were 2,436 sales pending at the end of the month, compared to the 1,909 pending sales at this time last year. The average number of days on the market for a single-family home was 88 days.

The median residential price for a single-family home during April was $165,120 and for a condominium it was $141,190. This compares with last year’s median residential and condominium prices of $159,070 and $148,000, respectively.

Inventory at the end of April was 19,622, down from 22,297 in 2011.

“Inventory is down, but with overall inventory at a 9-month supply and residential inventory at a very balanced 6.5-month supply. Right now, sellers will want to be sure their homes are well-prepared for showing. While market activity is increasing, buyers are very focused on properties they visit being clean and fixed-up if they are going to seriously consider making a purchase.” added Cooke.

The Greater Nashville Association of REALTORS® is one of Middle Tennessee’s largest professional trade associations and serves as the primary voice for Nashville-area property owners. REALTOR® is a registered trademark that may be used only by real estate professionals who are members of the National Association of Realtors and subscribe to its strict code of ethics.

Source: Greater Nashville Association of REALTORS® (May 9, 2012) | Blog distribution provided by Kenneth Bargers and Bargers Solutions, member of Pilkerton Realtors, residential real estate services located in Nashville, Tennessee

May 10, 2012 Posted by | economy, Nashville, real estate | , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Survey Shows More Reason to Buy Than Rent

Survey Shows More Reason to Buy Than Rent

Daily Real Estate News (Monday, May 07, 2012)… Thirty-three percent of Americans say they expect home prices to rise in the next 12 months, the highest level in more than a year, according to Fannie Mae’s March 2012 National Housing Survey of consumer attitudes about the housing market.

The number of people who say now is a good time to buy is also on the rise, increasing to 73 percent—also the highest level in more than a year. The percentage who said it’s a good time to sell a home also increased one point to 14 percent in March.

Meanwhile, more Americans expect rental prices to rise and are projecting an increase by 4.1 percent over the next year, the highest number recorded to date.

“Conditions are coming together to encourage people to want to buy homes,” says Doug Duncan, Fannie Mae’s chief economist. “Americans’ rental price expectations for the next year continue to rise, reaching their record high level for our survey this month. With an increasing share of consumers expecting higher mortgage rates and home prices over the next 12 months, some may feel that renting is becoming more costly and that home ownership is more compelling house choice.”

Source: “Americans’ Expectations Align to Encourage Home Buying,” RISMedia (May 6, 2012); Daily Real Estate News (May 7, 2012) | Blog distribution provided by Kenneth Bargers and Bargers Solutions, member of Pilkerton Realtors, residential real estate services located in Nashville, Tennessee

May 7, 2012 Posted by | economy, real estate | , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Home Buying Gets Another Boost in Affordability

Home Buying Gets Another Boost in Affordability

Article by Daily Real Estate News (Friday, May 04, 2012)… For home buyers or refinancers, borrowing costs for home ownership just got a little cheaper as mortgage rates took another dip to new all-time record lows this week, Freddie Mac reports in its weekly mortgage market survey.

“Signs of slowing economic growth and inflation remaining subdued allowed yields on Treasury bonds to ease somewhat and brought most mortgage rates to new all-time record lows this week,” says Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac’s chief economist.

Here’s a closer look at average rates for the week ending May 3:

  • 30-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 3.84 percent, with an average 0.8 point, reaching a new historical low. The previous record for 30-year rates was 3.87 percent, which was set on Feb. 9 of this year. A year ago at this time, rates averaged 4.71 percent.
  • 15-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 3.07 percent, with an average 0.7 point, another historical low. The previous record for 15-year rates was 3.11 percent set on April 12 this year. A year ago at this time, 15-year rates had averaged 3.89 percent.
  • 5-year adjustable-rate mortgages: averaged 2.85 percent, with an average 0.7 point, holding the same as last week. Last year at this time, 5-year ARMs averaged 3.47 percent.
  • 1-year ARMs: averaged 2.70 percent this week, with an average 0.6 point, also registering at a new all-time low. Last year at this time, 1-year ARMs averaged 3.14 percent.

Source: Freddie Mac; Daily Real Estate News 050412 | Blog distribution provided by Kenneth Bargers and Bargers Solutions, member of Pilkerton Realtors, residential real estate services located in Nashville, Tennessee

May 7, 2012 Posted by | economy, real estate | , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

March Pending Home Sales Rise, Market Recovering

Article by: National Association of REALTORS®; Daily Real Estate News, Thursday, April 26, 2012

MARCH PENDING HOME SALES RISE, MARKET RECOVERING

Pending home sales increased in March and are well above a year ago, another signal the housing market is recovering, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.

The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, rose 4.1 percent to 101.4 in March from an upwardly revised 97.4 in February and is 12.8 percent above March 2011 when it was 89.9.  The data reflects contracts but not closings.

The index is now at the highest level since April 2010 when it reached 111.3.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said 2012 is expected to be a year of recovery for housing.  “First quarter sales closings were the highest first quarter sales in five years.  The latest contract signing activity suggests the second quarter will be equally good,” he said.

“The housing market has clearly turned the corner.  Rising sales are bringing down inventory and creating much more balanced conditions around the county, which means home prices will be rising in more areas as the year progresses,” Yun said.

Pending Home Sales Index by Region:

  • Northeast: slipped 0.8 percent to 78.2 in March but is 21.1 percent above March 2011.
  • Midwest: declined 0.9 percent to 93.3 but is 16.9 percent higher than a year ago.
  • South: rose 5.9 percent to an index of 114.1 in March and are 10.6 percent above March 2011.
  • West: increased 8.7 percent in March to 108.0 and is 9.0 percent above a year ago.

Source: NAR; Daily Real Estate News (April 26, 2012) | Blog distribution provided by Kenneth Bargers and Bargers Solutions, a proud member of Pilkerton Realtors, residential real estate services located in Nashville, Tennessee

April 26, 2012 Posted by | economy, real estate | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

Business and Life is Good: Greater Nashville Area!

Business and Life is Good: Greater Nashville Area!

The Greater Nashville area continues to be a national leader for relocation of businesses and home buyers. The consistent success of our reputation is credited to the joint efforts of our business, community, government and neighborhood leaders.

Janet Miller, Chief Economic Officer, with the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce has kindly submitted her observations of Business is Good: Nashville Leads Nation in Economic Recovery.  I joined this month’s conversation with Life is Good: Explore and Discover the Greater Nashville Area.

CLICK LINK: NEWSLETTER

Many thanks to Janet for taking the time to share with us the most recent economic development news. I invite you to share the April 2012 newsletter, IN THE NEWS, with your friends. As always, thank you for your continued feedback, support and referrals. – Kenneth Bargers, REALTOR®

April 1, 2012 Posted by | economy, Nashville, tennessee | , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

30-Year Mortgage Rates Slide Back Below 4%

30-Year Mortgage Rates Slide Back Below 4%

Mortgage rates were down across the board this week compared to last week, according to Freddie Mac’s weekly mortgage market survey.

After posting a big jump last week, 30-year mortgage rates were back below the 4 percent mark this week, offering another boost in home affordability for buyers.

Here’s a closer look at rates for the week ending March 29:

  • 30-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 3.99 percent, with an average 0.7 point, falling back from last week’s 4.08 percent average. A year ago at this time, 30-year rates averaged 4.86 percent.
  • 15-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 3.23 percent, with an average 0.8 point, also slipping from last week’s 3.30 percent average. Last year, 15-year rates averaged 4.09 percent at this time.
  • 5-year adjustable-rate mortgages: averaged 2.90 percent this week, with an average 0.8 point, dropping from last week’s 2.96 percent average. The 5-year ARM averaged 3.70 percent last year at this time.
  • 1-year ARMs: averaged 2.78 percent this week, with an average 0.6 point, dropping from last week’s 2.84 percent average. A year ago, 1-year ARMs averaged 3.26 percent.

Source: Freddie Mac; Daily Real Estate News (March 30, 2012) | Blog distribution provided by Kenneth Bargers and Bargers Solutions, a proud member of Pilkerton Realtors, residential real estate services located in Nashville, Tennessee

March 31, 2012 Posted by | economy, real estate | , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

FHA Loan Apps Rise as Borrowers Try to Beat Fee Hikes

FHA Loan Apps Rise as Borrowers Try to Beat Fee Hikes

Mortgage applications for Federal Housing Administration loans soared 11 percent from the previous week as borrowers try to rush their applications in to beat the higher FHA costs that will start rolling out on Monday, according to the U.S. Mortgage Market Index report released from Mortech Inc. and Mortgage Daily.

Starting April 1, the FHA will be increasing its annual mortgage insurance premiums on all FHA loans. The annual premium is paid with the monthly mortgage payment. The FHA also will be increasing the FHA mortgage insurance premium that is paid up front during closing, also starting April 1.

Borrowers who are trying to avoid the higher fees are trying to get their FHA mortgage applications approved before the changes take effect. The new fees also will apply to home owners who refinance their mortgages.

FHA loans have soared in popularity in recent years since they allow for smaller down payments, as low as 3.5 percent compared to traditional loans, and often carry less stringent credit requirements.

Source: “Mortgage Applications for FHA Loans Increase Ahead of Higher Fees,” Realty Times (March 28, 2012); Daily Real Estate News (March 29, 2012) | Blog distribution provided by Kenneth Bargers and Bargers Solutions, a proud member of Pilkerton Realtors

, residential real estate services located in Nashville, Tennessee

March 29, 2012 Posted by | economy, real estate | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Poll: Renters Want to Buy

Article by: Daily Real Estate News (March 28, 2012)

Poll: Renters Want to Buy

Americans still believe in home ownership, but they’re spooked about the mortgage process, a survey finds.

Two-thirds of renters — across educational and demographic levels — say they want to purchase a home in the future, according to a quarterly national housing survey of 3,000 Americans conducted by Fannie Mae.

“In spite of the impact of the housing crisis on home values and home ownership rates across the country, Americans by and large still hope to become home owners,” says Doug Duncan, Fannie Mae’s chief economist. “Some may not be financially positioned to own a home in the near future, but Americans may begin to revisit that aspiration as employment and household balance sheets improve over the coming years.”

However, Duncan says many renters are expressing caution about the homebuying process when it comes to qualifying for a mortgage and navigating the mortgage process.

“If potential home owners avoid the process because they believe it to be too complex, we will likely see a continued impact on home ownership rates,” Duncan says.

Source: “Fannie Mae Finds Americans Remain Committed to Homeownership,” HousingWire (March 27, 2012); Daily Real Estate News (March 28, 2012) | Blog distribution provided by Kenneth Bargers and Bargers Solutions, a proud member of Pilkerton Realtors, residential real estate services located In Nashville, Tennessee

March 28, 2012 Posted by | economy, real estate | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment

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