Depending on the results of the most recent monthly housing report, you might get the impression that the market is horrible or just fine. Mainly, that’s because monthly real-estate reports often show an exaggerated amount of volatility. In other words, month-to-month results are typically far more up-and-down than what you’d see if you took the longer view. According to Fannie Mae’s most recent Economic and Housing Outlook, that’s especially true these days. Conditions have been pretty steady for the last year and will likely remain that way for the upcoming year. Doug Duncan, Fannie Mae’s chief economist, says the real estate market will likely remain unchanged despite changes to tax laws and monetary policy. “The new tax laws are likely to motivate a mixed response in the housing market: Increased disposable household income should lead to greater housing demand, but changes to deductions essentially reduce the subsidy for homeownership,” Duncan said. “On balance, we expect the housing market in 2018 to encounter many of the same challenges as last year, including inventory shortages, particularly in the middle and lower-end of the market, and affordability headwinds.” More here.
