A new study from the University of Southern California Lusk Center for Real Estate concludes that new household formation, a key driver of housing demand, has recovered after the job losses that accompanied the recession. While it was known that negative economic shocks such as major drops in employment reduce household formations, little was known about how long these declines would persist. …
Real estate shows, especially those featuring pricey properties, often appeal to viewers on an aspirational or voyeuristic level. It’s all about seeing beautiful homes and properties that people might not get to see. However, those beautiful properties aren’t always what they seem. Last year, a Texas couple who appeared on “House Hunters” revealed that two of the houses they toured …
The total value of all the homes in the United States is expected to end 2014 at $27.5 trillion, a 6.7 percent increase from last year and the third consecutive overall increase, according to Zillow. Homes lost $6.1 trillion in value between December 2006 and December 2011. The cumulative increase in home values is slightly smaller than 2013’s 8 percent …
Clear Capital recently released its Home Data Index™ (HDI) Market Report with data through October 2014, which looked at the way colleges and universities are having an effect on housing across the country. Metros with noteworthy university influence are at the top of their class, with home price trends far outperforming national rates of growth since 2004. A sample of …
Later this week, after several years of back-and-forth debate. U.S. regulators are finally set to finalize a more relaxed set of mortgage standards. This new set of rules will be a win for the real estate industry, with the projected agreement much more moderate than the mortgage security standards proposed back in 2011. The federal reserve is scheduled to hold …
With the average American getting married later than they have in a century, according to the National Center for Family and Marriage Research, more and more singles aren’t waiting for wedding bells before they take the plunge into homeownership. A new CENTURY 21 Real Estate survey shows that while singles are less willing to make lifestyle sacrifices in order to …
A recent Clear Capital (www.ClearCapital.com) report touches upon what the industry is referring to as housing’s “lost decade,” the time from 2004 to 2014, where national home prices have been nominally unchanged. The Home Data Index™ (HDI) Market Report, which publishes the most granular home data and analysis earlier than nearly any other index provider in the industry, noted that …
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Builder Application Survey (BAS) data for July 2014 shows mortgage applications for new home purchases increased by 2 percent relative to the previous month. This change does not include any adjustment for typical seasonal patterns. By product type, conventional loans composed 68.8 percent of loan applications, FHA loans composed 16.1 percent, RHS/USDA loans composed 1.5 …
Fewer first-time homebuyers are finding a way to buy a house with a relatively low down payment as their options shrink and lenders’ down payment requirements rise. From April through June 2014, about 67 percent of first-time buyers made a down payment of 6 percent or less, down from 74 percent in 2009, according to the latest Realtor Confidence Index …
