Existing-home sales rebounded from a December plummet in January, increasing month-over-month, but not annually.
Sales increased by 3.1% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.00 million, according to the latest data from the National Association of Realtors. They were down 1.7% from the same time last year, however.
The Midwest, West, and South all saw sales increase, while the Northeast held steady but didn’t decline.
This is a turnaround from December, which saw existing sales shrink to their lowest point since 1995.
“While home sales remain sizably lower than a couple of years ago, January’s monthly gain is the start of more supply and demand,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. “Listings were modestly higher, and home buyers are…
By ERIN FLYNN JAY
When it comes to investment properties, both fix-and-flip investors and rental property owners stand to make money this year, but their outlooks are vastly different.
According to the Winter 2023 Investor Sentiment Survey from RCN Capital, conducted by market intelligence firm CJ Patrick Company, 50% of flippers felt things were better today than last year, and 51% expected things to improve over the next six months.
In comparison, only 20% of rental property owners felt conditions were better today, and 22% expected things to improve over the next six months.
Overall, after jumping from 30% to 39% in the Fall Survey, investor optimism was basically flat with 40% of the respondents saying the environment for investing…
Rising rates sent mortgage applications spiraling last week, sidelining homebuyers and forcing refis to a standstill.
The Mortgage Bankers Association’s weekly survey shows the adjusted Market Composite Index – a measure of mortgage loan application volume – decreased by 10.6%, piling onto the week prior’s 2.3% dip.
Adjusted purchase applications slipped by 10%, while the unadjusted index was down by 6% and was 13% lower YOY.
Rates shot up to 7.06% on the heels of less-than-ideal inflation data from January. The Fed’s preferred inflation index came in hotter than expected for January, and Wall Street pared back its bets on rate cuts from the Central Bank, now predicting they won’t come until at least May.
“The much-anticipated CPI report is…
Home construction lost ground in January, collapsing to the slowest pace in five months.
Residential home construction fell to a 1.33 million annual pace, down from a revised 1.56 million in December, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. This is the biggest drop since April 2020, and a far cry from Wall Street expectations of 1.45 million.
Single-family starts fared poorly, down by a 4.7% adjusted annual rate of 1.004 million units last month. But the driving factor was multifamily, which shrank by 35.6%, wiping out gains the month prior.
On the bright side, permits once again rose, besting last month’s 5-month high. Permits offer an indication of future construction.
Analysts partly attribute the inconsistency to severe winter…
Tough inflation data led to mortgage rates increasing for a second straight week.
Officials at Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.77%, up from the week prior’s 6.64%. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.32%.
The 15-year fixed jumped to 6.12% from 5.90%. A year ago, it averaged 5.51%.
“On the heels of consumer prices rising more than expected, mortgage rates increased this week,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist.
“The economy has been performing well so far this year and rates may stay higher for longer, potentially slowing the spring homebuying season. According to our data, mortgage applications to buy a home so far in 2024 are down in more…
By ERIN FLYNN JAY
Compared to homeowners, renters feel bad about their finances, but in most of the country renting is the more affordable option right now.
A recent Axios Vibes survey by The Harris Poll shows that homeowners are nearly twice as likely to say they are getting ahead financially when compared to renters. 57% of renters and 29% of homeowners described their financial situation as “poor.”
According to Emily Peck, a markets correspondent at Axios, part of the problem is that the median asking rent in the U.S. is up 40% from the first quarter of 2020. With average hourly earnings rising only 20% during the same time period, wages did not keep up with costs.
Homeowners were…
Older Americans are choosing to age in their current homes, driving average tenure up to more than a decade and keeping inventory tight for buyers.
The typical homeowner spent 11.9 years in their current home, nearly double the 6.5-year average of two decades ago, according to a new report from Redfin.
This isn’t the longest on record – tenure peaked at 13.4 years in 2020 and declined during the pandemic buying boom. But it remains high, especially at a moment when inventory is difficult to come by.
The report attributes the data to Baby Boomers remaining in their homes late in life. Nearly 40% of this demographic have lived in their home for at least 20 years. An additional 16%…
With mortgage rates beginning to moderate, investors are back and snapping up the most wanted homes on the market.
Investors bought 26% of America’s lowest-priced homes in Q4 2023, according to a new report from Redfin, a record-high share and up from 24% at the same time last year.
By comparison, they bought 13.6% of mid-priced homes that sold and 15.9% of high-priced homes, both increases.
Investors are more choosey now than they have been in recent memory, looking for lower-cost homes they can rent or flip for better profits.
“I get tons of emails every day from investors looking for properties, but of course, they only want homes that are under market value, which are hard to come by.…
Mortgage applications are swinging up and down, falling last week as rates posted increases.
The Mortgage Bankers Association’s weekly survey shows the adjusted Market Composite Index – a measure of mortgage loan application volume – decreased by 2.3%, countering the week prior’s 3.7% rise.
Adjusted purchase applications slipped by 3%, while the unadjusted index increased by 4% and was 12% lower YOY.
Rates rose to 6.87%, their highest point since December, but have stayed in the mid-6% range since the beginning of 2024.
“Purchase applications remained subdued as elevated rates continue to add to affordability challenges along with still-low existing housing inventory. Refinance applications declined and remained depressed, with rates still higher than a year ago,” said Joel Kan, MBA’s…
By ERIN FLYNN JAY
Gross profits and profit margins remained near record levels for sellers last year but they decreased for the first time since 2011 in what could be seen as a sign of a cooling housing market.
ATTOM released its Year-End 2023 U.S. Home Sales Report on Jan. 24, which shows that home sellers made a $121,000 profit on the typical sale in 2023, generating a 56.5% return on investment.
Compare that to 2022, when the gross profit on median-priced single-family homes was $122,600 and the profit margin was 59.8%.
This drop in profits happened as the median nationwide home price rose at the smallest annual pace in more than a decade, according to ATTOM.
So is this…
