Posts Tagged ‘barry rutenberg’
Housing Affordability Reaches New Records
Article by: National Association of Home Builders
Housing Affordability Reaches New Records
Housing affordability rose to a record high during the fourth quarter of 2011, which means a home buyer’s purchasing power is greater than it ever has been before, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index.
The index showed that 75.9 percent of all new and existing homes sold in the fourth quarter were affordable to families earning the national median income of $64,200, according to the index. That marks the highest percentage recorded in the index’s 20-year history.
“While today’s report indicates that home ownership is within reach of more households than it has been for more than two decades, overly restrictive lending conditions confronting home buyers and builders remain significant obstacles to many potential homes sales, even with interest rates at historically low levels,” says Barry Rutenberg, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders.
Most Affordable Cities
According to the index, the most affordable major housing market was Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, Ohio, in which 95 percent of all homes sold during the fourth quarter were affordable to households earning the median family income of $54,900, according to the index.
Other top affordable housing markets include: Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla.; Modesto, Calif.; Harrisburg-Carlisle, Pa.; and Toledo, Ohio.
Least Affordable Cities
However, some metro areas still remain too pricey for buyers. The least affordable major housing market during the fourth quarter was New York-White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.-N.J., in which 29 percent of all homes sold were affordable to those earning the area’s media income of $67,400.
Other high-priced metro areas at the bottom of the affordability index include: Honolulu; San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, Calif.; Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif.; and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif.
Source: National Association of Home Builders; Daily Real Estate News (February 17, 2012) | Blog distribution by Kenneth Bargers and Bargers Solutions, a proud member of Pilkerton Realtors, residential real estate services located in Nashville, Tennessee
Written by kbargers
February 21, 2012 at 9:57 am
Posted in economy, real estate
Tagged with 2011, affordable cities, bargers solutions, barry rutenberg, blog, daily real estate news, fourth quarter, housing affordability reaches new records, kenneth bargers, least affordable cities, Nashville, National Association of Home Builders, pilkerton realtors, tennessee
Builders Are Feeling More Optimistic
Article by: Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine Daily News
Builders Are Feeling More Optimistic
Signs are improving in the new-home market and builders are feeling more optimistic about where the real estate market is heading, after coming off last year’s worst year on record for new home construction.
For the fifth consecutive month, builder confidence in the single-family home market increased in February, reaching its highest level in four years.
“Builder confidence has doubled since September,” says Barry Rutenberg, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders. “Given the recent improvements in new home starts and the increasing number of markets included in the NAHB/First American Improving Market Index, this consistency suggests that the housing market is moving toward more sustainable growth.”
While the jumps in builder confidence have been an encouraging sign for the industry, housing experts warn that confidence is still historically low, and that foreclosures, low appraisals, and more stringent credit standards continue to hamper the new-home market’s full recovery.
Source: Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine Daily News; Daily Real Estate News (February 16, 2012) | Blog distribution provided by Kenneth Bargers and Bargers Solutions, a proud member of Pilkerton Realtors, residential real estate services located in Nashville, Tennessee
Written by kbargers
February 16, 2012 at 2:29 pm
Posted in real estate, economy
Tagged with tennessee, Nashville, kenneth bargers, bargers solutions, National Association of Home Builders, optimistic, builder confidence, pilkerton realtors, blog distribution, realtor magazine daily news, new home market, february 2012, housing market conditions, melissa dittmann tracey, barry rutenberg
