mortgage rates Archives

New Home Sales Up 18% Over Last Year

Sales of newly built homes fell 2 percent in October, according to new numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. But, despite the month-over-month dip, sales were still strong when compared to the same time last year. In fact, October sales were 17.8 percent higher than the year before. Part of the reason for this is that monthly sales figures are typically volatile, while year-over-year numbers provide a better look at the big picture. And so far this year, low mortgage rates, a stronger labor market, and high buyer demand have led to overall gains in both new and existing home sales that should push sales to levels last seen before the housing crash. According to Doug Berson, chief economist at Nationwide, there may be reason to expect more improvement in the future. Berson told ABC News the millennial generation should provide increasing demand for single-family homes in the years ahead. “Historically, there is a significant uptick in homeownership at the age of 35 – an age that the oldest millennials are reaching now,” Berson said. Regionally, new home sales were down in the Northeast, Midwest, and South, while the West saw improvement. More here.

Home Sales Hit Highest Pace In A Decade

Autumn may typically be the time of year when home sales start to slow down but new numbers show sales of previously owned homes up for the second straight month and at their highest annual pace since February 2007. The data, from the National Association of Realtors, shows October sales up 2 percent over the month before and 5.9 percent above last year’s estimate. Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist, says the past two months have been an autumn revival for the housing market. “October’s strong sales gain was widespread throughout the country and can be attributed to the release of the unrealized pent-up demand that held back many would-be buyers over the summer because of tight supply,” Yun said. “The good news is that the tightening labor market is beginning to push up wages and the economy has lately shown signs of greater expansion. These two factors and low mortgage rates have kept buyer interest at an elevated level so far this fall.” Sales were up in all regions, with the largest gains in the South, where home sales rose 2.8 percent. Also in the report, the typical home stayed on the market for 41 days in October, though 43 percent of homes sold in less than a month. More here.

Post Election Bump Has Rates Up Again

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates rose again last week. In fact, mortgage rates were up across all loan categories, including 30-year fixed-rate loans with both conforming and jumbo balances, loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration, and 15-year fixed-rate loans. David H. Stevens, CMB, president and CEO of the Mortgage Bankers Association, says this is the biggest week-over-week increase in years. “Following the election, mortgage rates saw their biggest week over week increase since the taper tantrum in June 2013, and reached their highest level since January of this year,” Stevens said. “Investors expectations of faster growth and higher inflation are driving the jump in rates, and rates have now increased for five of the past six weeks, spurring a commensurate drop in refinance activity.” And, though it’s true that mortgage application demand fell last week as rates rose, interest rates are still well below historical norms. In fact, Stevens told CNBC that the decline was likely just “potential buyers waiting to see whether rates will stay at these higher levels.” The MBA’s weekly survey has been conducted since 1990 and covers 75 percent of all retail residential mortgage applications. More here.

Majority Of U.S. Homes Remain Affordable

Buying a house can be an intimidating prospect, especially when home price increases are in the news. But though it may feel like you can’t afford to buy, new numbers show that 61.4 percent of new and existing homes sold between the beginning of July and the end of September were affordable to a family earning $65,700 per year. That means, the majority of homes available for sale are within reach of an American household making the median annual income. Of course, the data, from the National Association of Home Builders’ quarterly Housing Opportunity Index, takes into account all homes, both new and old. And that’s a wide range. However, the fact remains that, mortgage rates hovering near historic lows, help the average home buyer handle higher prices, making many markets a good deal. Among the most affordable areas in the country, cities in Illinois and Alaska ranked highest. Predictably, California had some of the nation’s most expensive areas. Overall, the third quarter saw a decrease in housing affordability from where it was earlier in the year. In fact, the national median home price increased from $240,000 in the second quarter of 2016 to $247,000 last quarter. More here.

Today’s Homeowner Stays In One Place Longer

There are a lot of things to consider when deciding whether or not to sell your house and move. Home values, your mortgage rate, school district, plans for the future, and proximity to friends and family all play a role. In other words, after buying a house, homeowners generally stay there for a handful of years – if only to avoid uprooting their life. These days, however, Americans are staying in their homes almost 60 percent longer than they did before the housing crash. Traditionally, homeowners moved every six years or so. Now it’s closer to 10 years. Lawrence Yun, the National Association of Realtors’ chief economist, recently told a meeting of real estate agents in Florida that sellers are staying in their homes for longer periods of time and, it may be holding the housing market back. But why would Americans be less likely to move now than they were a decade ago? For one, historically low mortgage rates. Homeowners that were able to refinance over the past few years, may be reluctant to risk losing their low rate. In other instances, people whose homes lost value during the last recession may have stayed in their current homes in hopes of selling once prices rebounded. All in all, it’s expected that there will be an increasing number of Americans looking to sell their home in the near future and, when that happens, the influx of for-sale inventory will help moderate prices and give buyers more choices when looking for a house to call home. More here.

More Americans Feel It’s A Good Time To Buy

Despite feeling more pessimistic overall, a recent survey of Americans found that an increasing number said now was a good time to buy a house. Fannie Mae’s Home Purchase Sentiment Index – which tracks consumer attitudes toward buying and selling a home, mortgage rates, wages, home prices, and more – saw a 2 percent increase in the number of respondents who said it was a good time to buy and a 4 percent bump in participants who said it was time to sell. Despite the improvement, the overall index fell for the third straight month. Doug Duncan, Fannie Mae’s senior vice president and chief economist, says uncertainty is taking its toll. “The HPSI fell in October for the third straight month from its record high in July, reaching the lowest level since March. Recent erosion in sentiment likely reflects, in part, enhanced uncertainty facing consumers today,” Duncan said. “Since July, more consumers, on net, have steadily expected mortgage rates to rise and home price appreciation to moderate. Furthermore, consumers’ perception of their income over the past year deteriorated sharply in October to the worst showing since early 2013, weighing on the index. However, this component of the HPSI is volatile from month to month, and the firming trend in wage gains from the October jobs report, if sustained, may foreshadow an improving view in the near future.” More here.

New Home Sales Up 30% Over Last Year

In September, new home sales were 29.8 percent higher than they were at the same time last year, according to new numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The data shows sales up 3.1 percent from the month before and at their second-highest level since the recovery began. That’s good news for the housing market because any increase in new home sales helps spur more new home construction, which raises for-sale inventory and moderates price increases on all homes up for sale. As it is, the median price of a new home sold in September was $313,500; the average sales price was $377,700. And, with the number of new homes for sale lower than the month before, prices will likely continue to rise in the near term. Still a more favorable labor market and low mortgage rates have helped balance higher prices and kept buyer demand high. As an example, economists and analysts predicted a sales decline for September, making the results both unexpected and a good indication that potential home buyers aren’t being deterred by higher prices. More here.

Where Are Mortgage Rates Headed Next Year?

Last week, average mortgage rates fell across

most loan categories, according to the latest survey from the Mortgage Bankers Association. In fact, rates for 30-year fixed-rate loans with both conforming and jumbo balances fell, as did interest rates on 15-year fixed-rate loans. Loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration rose slightly. For most of this year, mortgage rates have hovered near historic lows, providing incentive to buyers who may have otherwise been scared off by higher home prices and increased buyer competition. So what does the future hold for mortgage rates? Well, Michael Fratantoni, MBA’s chief economist and senior vice president for research and industry technology, says any increases over the next few years should be gradual. “Rate increases through 2017 and 2018 will likely be gradual, as Chair Yellen and the Fed have indicated that they are going to be cautious going forward,” Fratantoni said. “Historically low, and in some cases negative, rates around the world continue to put downward pressure on longer-term U.S.

rates … We expect that the 10-year Treasury rate will stay below three percent through the end of 2018, and 30-year mortgage rates will stay below 5 percent over the same period.”

Home Buyers Not Deterred By Rate Increase

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey, demand for loans to buy homes rose 3 percent last week despite a bump in mortgage rates. Average rates rose for 30-year fixed-rate loans with both conforming and jumbo balances, as well as 15-year fixed-rate loans. Rates for loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration were unchanged from one week earlier. Higher rates didn’t stop buyers, however. In fact, the MBA’s purchase index is now 13 percent above where it was last year at this time. That’s due, in part, to the fact that rates – though at their highest level since June – are still low by historical standards. Refinance activity, on the other hand, is more sensitive to rate increases and saw a 1 percent decrease last week. Michael Fratantoni, MBA’s chief economist, says average mortgage rates are as high now as they were the week of the Brexit vote in June. “Refinance applications dropped to the lowest level since the week of the Brexit vote, as mortgage rates reached their highest level since then,” Fratantoni said. The MBA’s weekly applications survey has been conducted since 1990 and covers 75 percent of all retail residential mortgage applications. More here.

Mortgage Rate Increase Slows Demand

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates increased across all loan categories last week, including 30-year fixed-rate loans with both conforming and jumbo balances, loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration, and 15-year fixed-rate loans. The increase brought rates to their highest level in a month and caused a decline in demand for home loan applications. Michael Fratantoni, MBA’s chief economist, told CNBC economic optimism led to the spike in mortgage rates. “As incoming economic data reassured investors regarding U.S. growth, and financial markets returned to viewing a December Fed hike as increasingly likely, mortgage rates rose to their highest level in a month last week,” Fratantoni said. “Total and refinance application volume dropped to their lowest levels since June as a result.” In fact, refinance demand – which is generally more sensitive to rate fluctuations – dropped 8 percent from the week before, while demand for loans to buy homes fell 3 percent. The MBA’s weekly applications survey has been conducted since 1990 and covers 75 percent of all retail residential mortgage applications. More here.