on March 1st, 2012
Inventory of new homes on the market shrank to its lowest point on record in January, marking a 5.6-month supply at the current sales pace, the Commerce Department reports.
With fewer homes available, the price of new homes increased slightly last month. The median price for a new home ticked up slightly at 0.3 percent to $217,100, which is the highest level since October.
However, January sales of single-family homes mostly stayed falt in January, falling less than 1 percent last month compared to the previous month. New-home sales reached a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 321,000 units.
New-home sales were up 3.5 percent compared to the same time last year, the Commerce Department reported.
“This is indicative of the incremental, steady progress that the market is making toward recovery in conjunction with modest economic and job growth,” said David Crowe, the National Association of Home Builders’ chief economist. “Increasingly, potential buyers are feeling better about their financial situation and their ability to buy a home, but the challenges posed by tight credit conditions and appraisal issues continue to slow that process.”
Regionally, the Midwest saw the biggest decline in new home sales in January, a 24.5 percent drop in sales followed by a 10.6 percent drop in sales in the West. On the other hand, the Northeast posted an 11.1 percent gain in new home sales in January, and the South saw a 9.3 percent increase.
Source: National Association of Home Builders
on February 28th, 2012
For the first time in three weeks, fixed mortgages rate moved up from their all-time lows, Freddie Mac reports in its weekly mortgage market survey.
One of the factors leading to higher fixed mortgage rates this week was signs of a gradually improving housing market, Freddie Mac Chief Economist Frank Nothaft says. For example, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported this week that seriously delinquent loans — those 90 days or more past due — and the inventory of foreclosures dropped 5.3 percent by the end of 2011, marking the lowest quarterly share since the beginning of 2009. Also, the National Association of REALTORS® reported this week that existing-home sales in January were at their strongest pace since May 2010.
Here’s a closer look at how rates fared for the week ending Feb. 23:
30-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 3.95 percent, with an average 0.8 point, up slightly from last week’s all-time low of 3.87 percent. A year ago, 30-year rates averaged 4.95 percent.
15-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 3.19 percent, with an average 0.8 point, inching up from last week’s 3.16 percent average. Last year, 15-year rates averaged 4.22 percent at this time.
5-year adjustable-rate mortgages: averaged 2.80 percent this week, with an average 0.7 point, dropping from last week’s 2.82 percent average. Last year, 5-year ARMs averaged 3.80 percent at this time.
1-year ARMs: averaged 2.73 percent, with an average 0.6 point, also dropping from last week’s 2.84 percent average. A year ago at this time, 1-year ARMs averaged 3.40 percent.
on February 26th, 2012
Wealthy home owners with huge loans worth more than the value of their mansions are walking away from luxury homes in some of California’s toniest neighborhoods, even if they still can afford the monthly payments.
Foreclosures on loans over $1 million are up nearly 600 percent nationwide since 2008 and, according to a Reuters report, at least 180 houses in Beverly Hills alone have been foreclosed, scheduled for auction, or served with a notice of default in recent months.
The problem is acute in California, one of a few “non-recourse” states where a lender can only recover the house and not the owner’s other assets after a default.
Source: “Defaults of the Rich: Walking Away From the McMansions,” Kcet.org (02/20/12)
on February 23rd, 2012
The number of home owners behind on their mortgage payments dropped to the lowest level in three years, according to a report of data from the fourth quarter of 2011 released by the Mortgage Bankers Association.
“Mortgage performance is also improving faster than the overall economy,” says Jay Brinkmann, MBA’s chief economist.
According to MBA, 7.6 percent of residential mortgages were at least 30 days past due on their payments in the fourth quarter of 2011. Last year, the percentage was 8.3, and the peak of 10 percent was reached in early 2010. Mortgage delinquencies usually hover around 5 percent in more stable markets.
Still, while the lower delinquencies serve as an important sign needed for a healing housing market, MBA still caution that the number of loans in foreclosure remains high. About 4.4 percent of all loans were in foreclosure in the fourth quarter. The peak reached one year earlier was 4.6 percent.
Source: “Mortgage Delinquencies Hit Three-Year Low,” The Wall Street Journal (Feb. 16, 2012)
on February 22nd, 2012
Fixed-mortgage rates continue to hover at record lows, with the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage staying at the record low of 3.87 percent since the first week of February, Freddie Mac reports in its weekly mortgage market survey. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, the most popular choice among home buyers, has been below 4 percent for the past 11 weeks.
Here’s a closer look at mortgages rates for the week ending Feb. 16:
30-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 3.87 percent, with an average 0.8 point, matching last week’s average. A year ago at this time, 30-year rates averaged 5 percent.
15-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 3.16 percent, with an average 0.8 point, also matching last week’s average. Last year at this time, 15-year rates averaged 4.27 percent.
5-year adjustable-rate mortgages: averaged 2.82 percent this week, with an average 0.8 point, dropping slightly from last week’s 2.83 percent average. Last year, 5-year ARMs averaged 3.87 percent.
1-year ARMs: averaged 2.84 percent, with an average 0.6 point, rising from last week’s 2.78 percent average. A year ago at this time, 1-year ARMs averaged 3.39 percent.
on February 20th, 2012
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
on February 18th, 2012
“Mom and pop investors” are trying to capitalize on a depressed real estate market in the hopes of one day being able to cash in. An article in USA Today highlights this new breed of small-scale investors who like to buy and hold properties, opposed to the high-dollar large investment firms that once dominated the real estate market who preferred to buy and flip their property investments.
For “mom and pop investors,” the strategy is to buy homes at rock-bottom prices, rent the properties out to cover all of the costs of home ownership for several years, and then one day sell the homes when prices recover.
“An unprecedented number of investors are looking into this,” John Burns, CEO OF John Burns Real Estate Consulting, told USA Today.
Investors purchased more than 26 percent of single-family and condos in 167 U.S. markets in the first nine months of last year, according to data supplied by Burns to USA Today.
For investors in the rental market, an 8 percent annual return is fairly normal, according to Burns. “That means that someone who buys a $100,000 property — and pays cash for it — makes $8,000 a year after expenses, including maintenance and taxes,” the USA Today article notes.
Of course, the threats of tenant and maintenance issues always has the potential to derail that potential profit, so investors need to be careful before jumping in, some experts warn.
Source: “Mom and Pop Investors Propping Up Home-Buying Market,” USA Today (Feb. 14, 2012)
on February 16th, 2012
More people are flocking to the South, according to a list from Penske Truck Rental on the top moving destinations from last year.
Atlanta once again tops the list, which was compiled through online consumer truck rental reservations by Penske from 2011.
“As this list indicates, U.S. residents continue migrating primarily toward warm weather areas,” says Don Mikes, Penske’s vice president of rental.
Here are the top places the company says people are moving to:
Atlanta
2. Phoenix
3. Orlando, Fla.
4. Dallas/Fort Worth
5. Chicago
6. Houston
7. Denver
8. Seattle
9. Sarasota, Fla.
10. Charlotte, N.C.
Source: Penske Truck Rentals
on February 14th, 2012
A settlement announced this week among state and federal officials and the nation’s five largest banks is the largest joint state-federal settlement in history against an industry. The settlement, which amounts to somewhere between $25 billion and $26 billion, is aimed at fixing some of the mortgage abuses over the last few years that caused people to lose their home.
So what does the settlement mean for home owners?
Home owners underwater on their house or struggling to make payments may have something to gain from the deal. Home owners who are eligible for payments or principal write-downs on their mortgage from the settlement will be notified by mail within the next nine months.
Those who may be eligible for aid under the settlement include home owners who are currently struggling to make their payments and need a loan modification; borrowers who are current on their payments but owe more on their house than it’s currently worth; or borrowers who may have already lost their home to foreclosure.
In the settlement, banks have agreed to write off a sum of the mortgage principal in select cases where home owners are struggling to make payments. Home owners will then be able to refinance and lower their monthly payments. Underwater borrowers also may receive aid, such as being able to refinance so they also can lower their monthly payments.
Borrowers who have already lost their home to foreclosure may be eligible for payments. About $2,000 per person will be doled out to 750,000 borrowers found eligible.
Payments will be paid over a three-year period.
The banks participating in the settlement are Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citi, and Ally/GMAC. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac-backed loans are not eligible for the benefits.
You can learn more about the settlement at the just-launched “National Mortgage Settlement” Web site.
Source: “What the Mortgage Settlement Means to You,” MSNBC.com (Feb. 9, 2012)
on February 12th, 2012
Foreclosures decreased by 8.4 percent — or 130,000 — in 2011, according to research by CoreLogic.
“The pace at which properties are entering foreclosure is slowing,” Mark Fleming, chief economist with CoreLogic, told CNNMoney. “And servicers nationwide stepped up the rate at which they were able to process distressed assets.”
So why are foreclosures dropping?
For one, lenders are being more cautious. Homes are entering the foreclosure process more slowly as lenders more carefully scrutinize paperwork before processing a foreclosure, after getting into big trouble for the mishandling of some foreclosures in recent years.
Also, with stricter credit conditions nowadays, lenders are being more choosy in who they give loans too, reserving mortgages for mostly only low-risk borrowers who have less chance of default and foreclosure.
Banks also are doing more loan modifications to prevent foreclosures. And when a home does land in foreclosure, banks are trying to process them faster or trying to encourage a short sale.
Fleming also notes “this is the first time in a year that REO sales [those of bank-owned properties] have outpaced completed foreclosures.” Case in point: There were 103 sales of bank-owned homes for every 100 homes in foreclosure inventory in December 2011. That’s compared to November 2010 when there were 94 REO sales for every 100 in the foreclosure process.
Source: “Homes in Foreclosure Decline by 130,000,” CNNMoney (Feb. 8, 2012)
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