property management Archives

Mortgage Demand Up 8% Over Last Year

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey, demand for loans to buy homes is now eight percent higher than it was at the same time last year. But, though that’s good news and indicates a strong level of interest from prospective home buyers, it doesn’t tell the whole story. That’s because, at the same time that demand is up from a year ago, it is lower than it should be considering the number of interested buyers and the fact that mortgage rates remain relatively low. Last week, for example, average mortgage rates fell again and are now at seven-month lows. Joel Kan, an MBA economist, told CNBC that low mortgage rates didn’t inspire an increase in purchase demand last week but it did rally refinance activity. “From a borrower’s perspective, rates held steady at seven-month lows last week providing some borrowers an opportunity to refinance,” Kan said. “Over the last two weeks refinance applications have increased 13 percent and the average loan size increased to its largest since September 2016, reflecting the tendency for jumbo borrowers to be more sensitive to rates than those with smaller loan balances.” The MBA’s weekly survey has been conducted since 1990 and covers 75 percent of all retail residential loan applications. More here.

The Top Things That Cause Home Buyers Stress

Home buyers have a lot to consider. Buying a home is no small transaction and the potential for stress is high. So what is the top thing stressing out home buyers these days? Well, it probably comes as no surprise that it involves money. According to a recent survey, the number one fear prospective buyers have is that they’ll lose their earnest money deposit – which is money buyers put down on the house once their offer is accepted. If the deal goes through, that money is used as part of the buyer’s down payment. But, if the buyer backs out of the deal, they risk losing that deposit. Naturally, this could cause concern among prospective buyers. After all, losing a percentage of their down-payment money could alter their buying power and price range. Some other worries buyers expressed included becoming house poor or financially burdened by the costs of homeownership and their new mortgage payment. Fortunately, this is a risk that can be easily avoided by having a firm budget beforehand and sticking to it. Knowing what you can and can’t afford is crucial, especially in a competitive market. Rounding out the top three, buyers expressed concern about getting into a bidding war that drives up the price of their desired home. More here.

Tracking The Habits Of First-Time Home Buyers

First-time home buyers have always been an important demographic when tracking the housing market’s health. Whether or not younger Americans were buying homes, where they were buying, and in what numbers has been used to gauge trends and patterns that affect, not only first-time buyers, but everyone active in the real-estate market. Because of that, a new report from Genworth Financial analyzing first-time home buyer records back to 1994 is an important look at the who, what, where, and how of Americans buying their first home. Some of the highlights include the fact that first-time buyers bought more single-family homes during the first quarter of 2017 than during any other first quarter since 2005 and drove 85 percent of the housing market’s expansion from 2014 through 2016. In other words, the report found that there is currently a high level of demand among younger Americans. But it also found that many potential buyers have been unable to buy or have stayed out of the market due to misconceptions about what was required. Tian Liu, Genworth’s chief economist, says one of the main issues is the mistaken belief that a 20 percent down payment is required to buy. “By studying this group more closely, we hope to bring a better understanding about the many low down payment options available to help first-time home buyers reach homeownership sooner.” More here.

Homes May Be More Affordable Than You Think

Rising home prices have gotten a lot of attention over the past couple of years. In some places, they’ve even been said to have fully recovered from the housing crash. But a closer look at the numbers reveals a different story. Because many gauges of national home prices use averages to measure how much prices have gained or fallen, higher-priced homes have more weight and can skew the results. For a more accurate look, a recent study from Trulia compared a home’s current market value to its pre-recession peak instead. Their method found that just 34.2 percent of homes nationally have recovered their value. That means, though prices have definitely been rising, there are still a lot of homes that haven’t yet climbed all the way back. That’s good news for buyers but it also means there are many homeowners who are still waiting for their homes to regain value before they sell – which is why there are many markets where there are fewer homes available for sale than usual. Also, it should be noted that, as with anything real estate, where you are has a lot to do with the conditions you’ll find. For example, markets in the West and South have generally seen home prices increase faster than those in the Midwest and Northeast. More here.

Survey Shows Homeownership’s Enduring Appeal

Buying a house, for many Americans, is seen as an achievement and evidence that they’ve reached a certain level of success. Put simply, there is no other symbol as closely association with the American Dream than owning a home. For Americans of all backgrounds and income levels, it has remained a shared aspiration. Because of this, there is a strong emotional pull toward buying a house that most Americans feel even today. Take a recent survey from the National Association of Home Builders as an example. The survey found that more than two-thirds of respondents said they believe owning a home is an essential part of achieving the American Dream. Granger MacDonald, NAHB’s chairman, says homeownership remains a priority for most of us. “Americans continue to place a high priority on homeownership and work hard to achieve this goal for their families,” MacDonald said. The survey’s results are consistent too. Over the years, and despite the ups-and-downs of the housing market, homeownership has consistently ranked high among Americans’ goals, whether it’s something they hope to achieve right now or a couple of years down the road. More here.

Why An Easy Commute Should Be On Your Wish List

If you’re thinking of buying a home and are spending all of your time dreaming of the type of kitchen you want or how big you’d like your master suite to be, there may be a thing or two to add to your wish list before you start your search. For example, have you considered the importance of having a short commute to work each day? Almost 11 million Americans drive an hour or more to work each way and the average commute has been getting longer over the past several years. So, if you’re lucky enough to have never sat in traffic after a long day at the office and don’t know just how draining it can be, here’s something to think about: A recent survey found a short commute or proximity to public transportation ranked second among factors people used when determining where to live. That means, only an area’s crime rate was deemed more important. In other words, having a long commute to-and-from work can negate some of the benefits of finding a great house. After all, what good is having the perfect kitchen, if you’re always on the road instead of at home enjoying it? More here.

Average Rates Remain Near This Year’s Low

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates were largely unchanged last week. Loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration and 15-year fixed-rate mortgages both saw slight declines, while 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with both conforming and jumbo balances were unmoved. This follows the previous week’s results which showed mortgage rates at their lowest point so far this year. However, despite favorable rates, demand for mortgage applications was down from the previous week. Michael Fratantoni, MBA’s chief economist, told CNBC the reason may be inventory. “Home sales remain constrained by a lack of inventory across the country, as evidenced by home price growth running almost three times the pace of overall inflation,” Fratantoni said. Still, though fewer homes for sale may be holding sales back, mortgage application demand remains 7 percent higher than at the same time last year, which indicates strong interest from buyers this spring. The MBA’s weekly survey has been conducted since 1990 and covers 75 percent of all retail residential mortgage applications. More here.

Renovations And The Cost Of Selling

It isn’t just the home’s buyer who has to settle up at the end of the closing process, sellers have costs too. In fact, according to one recent estimate, the average seller spends $15,000 before they hand over the keys to their home’s new owner. A big part of that is closing costs, agent commission, and any repairs required following the home’s inspection. But another chunk of that is renovations done before the sale. In fact, a large majority of homeowners fix up their homes before putting them on the market. Things like having the home painted, cleaned, and staged can add up for the 80 percent of homeowners who decide to spruce things up before showing their house. Nationally, the average cost of home improvements done before selling was $2,650, though that can vary greatly from region to region and is also dependent on the type of work that is done to get the house in shape. Of course, unlike buyers, home sellers have the sale of their home to help cover their costs but – assuming they’re going to buy another home – these expenses will obviously have an effect on how much money they have left over to put toward their next house. More here.

Today’s Typical Home Sells In Less Than A Month

Home buyers are out in large numbers this spring. Proof of that can be found in the most recent sales report from the National Association of Realtors. Their monthly tally of how many previously owned homes sold the month before found that the typical home for sale was on the market for just 29 days in April, down from 34 days the previous month. That’s a strong indication that buyer demand is outpacing the number of homes for sale this spring. And that’s saying something, especially since April saw a 7.2 percent increase in for-sale inventory by the end of the month. In other words, there are more homes coming on the market but still not enough to match the number of interested home buyers. Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist, says affordable homes are going fastest. “Homes in the lower-and mid-market price range are hard to find in most markets, and when one is listed for sale, interest is immediate and multiple offers are nudging the eventual sales prices higher.” But despite the competition, buyers aren’t deterred. In fact, the number of first-time home buyers was up for the month and, a look at regional results, shows existing-home sales are above or even with last year’s results in the South, West, and Midwest. More here.

Mortgage Rates At Lowest Point Since November

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey, average mortgage rates fell to their lowest level since last November this past week. Rates fell across all loan categories, including 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with both conforming and jumbo balances, loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration, and 15-year fixed-rate loans. Naturally, lower rates spurred an increase in the number of current homeowners looking to refinance their loans. Lynn Fisher, vice president of research at the MBA, told CNBC homeowners were quick to take advantage of the drop. “Homeowners took advantage of the 6 basis-point drop in rates,” Fisher said. “Jumbo rates fell even more, sending the average refinance loan size up 5 percent as borrowers with larger loans, who are typically more sensitive to rate changes, moved to refinance.” But though the rate drop led to more refinance activity, demand for purchase loans was relatively flat from the week before. Still, compared to last year at this time, application demand for loans to buy homes is up 3 percent. The MBA’s weekly survey has been conducted since 1990 and covers 75 percent of all retail residential mortgage applications. More here.