Banner
Menu

Tag: Buying A Home

Will Wage Increases Offset Affordability Worries?

Buying a home is not something many people do without weighing the pros and cons. After all, there are a lot of factors that play into whether or not a homeowner decides to sell their house or a renter makes the jump and buys a home of their own. Mortgage rates, home prices, employment conditions, and personal finances can all play a role for Americans deciding whether or not to enter the housing market. For this reason, Fannie Mae’s monthly Home Purchase Sentiment Index measures how consumers are feeling about their financial situation and the real-estate market in an effort to gauge overall optimism and how likely Americans are to buy or sell a home this year. In January, the index moved up after five consecutive months of decline. The bump in optimism was mostly related to an increasing sense of job security and a spike in the number of respondents who said their household income is significantly higher than it was at the same time last year. Doug Duncan, Fannie Mae’s senior vice president and chief economist, says optimism about economic conditions is high but whether that means more home buyers and sellers this spring remains to be seen. “Any significant acceleration in housing activity will depend on whether consumers’ favorable expectations are realized in the form of income gains sufficient to offset constrained housing affordability,” Duncan said. More here.

Where Millennial Home Buyers Are Buying Now

The fact that young Americans aren’t buying homes at the rate they used to isn’t news. Ever since the housing crash, Millennial homeownership rates have been lower than historically normal. In fact, homeownership rates among buyers between the ages of 18 and 34 dropped 8 percent between 2006 and 2015. There are, of course, many factors that have made it difficult for younger Americans to buy in recent years – including student loan debt, a challenging job market, rising rent, and higher home prices. However, though overall numbers show fewer first-time buyers active in the market, in some cities Millennial home buyers are actually quite well represented. Take Elk Grove, CA, for example. In Elk Grove, the homeownership rate among people under the age of 35 was just over 60 percent in 2015, mostly due to its proximity to major metropolitan areas and a median home value around $350,000. Other cities that have an above average number of Millennial home buyers include Sioux Falls, SD, Bakersfield, CA, Peoria, IL, Cary, NC, and Chattanooga, TN. And, though they all have a different mix of factors, the most common thread among all the top cities for younger buyers are affordable homes for sale and a growing economy. More here.

Thank you for your upload