Real estate investors bought 80,293 properties in Q4 2021, a record 18.4% of homes sold. Redfin reported that investor purchases were up from 43.9% YOY, though they fell 9.1% from Q3’s peak, likely due to stock shortages that impacted regular homebuyers and investors alike. Seasonality also contributed to the quarter-to-quarter drop, as the housing market typically slows in the winter. More than three-quarters of homes bought by investors (75.3%) were all-cash purchases. Atlanta saw the most investor activity in Q4 at 32.7% of market share, followed by Charlotte (32.1%), Jacksonville (29.8%), Las Vegas (29.2%), and Phoenix (28.4%). These are all popular destinations for moving Americans and have seen high demand during the Great Migration. “While record-high home prices are problematic…
“Million-dollar cities” skyrocketed in 2021, with typical home values reaching at least $1 million in a record 146 new U.S. cities. Zillow found there are now 481 cities where the average home is worth $1 million or more, and an additional 49 cities could make the list by mid-2022 if home appreciation continues at its current rate. Typical home values jumped 19.6% in 2021 as homebuyers faced severe stock shortages, causing bidding wars that pushed prices up. Homeowners gained $2.6 trillion in tappable equity in 2021, up by 35% YOY for an aggregate total of almost $10 trillion. In Q4 2021 alone, tappable equity rose by nearly half a billion dollars. “Home price appreciation over the course of 2021 was…
Mortgage credit availability fell in January after inching up in December, falling to its lowest level since August 2021, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI). The MCAI dropped by 0.9% to 124.8 in January, wiping out December’s 0.8% increase. This indicates that lending standards are tightening, while increases show loosening credit. The index was benchmarked to 100 in March 2012. The Conventional MCAI fell 2.5%, though the Government MCAI rose by 0.7%. Within the Conventional MCAI, the Jumo MCAI fell by 1.6% and the conforming MCAI fell by 4.2%. “The decline in credit supply came at a time of rising mortgage rates and limited inventory, which add to the challenges that some prospective buyers…
Overall rate locks rose 9.5% month-over-month in January, with a 19.9% increase for purchase loans and a 9.2% increase for cash-outs, Black Knight reported in its Originations Market Monitor. Rate/term refinance locks dropped for the fifth month straight, down 16.5% to its lowest level since May 2019. It is an 80% decline YOY. The refinance share of January originations fell to 43%, its lowest since July 2019. “With some $10 trillion in homeowner tappable equity in the market, it makes sense that we’d see cash-out refinance locks on the rise,” Happ said. “The significant jump in purchase originations can likely be attributed in part to typical pent-up, post-holiday demand. It could also represent skittish homebuyers hoping to lock in a…
Commercial and multifamily mortgage loan originations jumped in 2021 and are expected to continue booming in 2022, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported at its 2022 Commercial/Multifamily Finance Convention and Expo. Originations rose 79% YOY in Q4 2021 and 44% from Q3. A preliminary measure of commercial and multifamily mortgage bankers’ originations volumes found 2021 activity to be 67% higher than 2020’s. “The fourth quarter of 2021 was a record end to a record year of borrowing and lending backed by commercial and multifamily properties,” said Jamie Woodwell, MBA’s Vice President of Commercial Real Estate Research. “Part of the growth from 2020 was a bounce-back from the worst of the recession. However, rebounding property fundamentals and strong valuations, record sales…
Delinquencies on residential properties fell to 4.65% of all outstanding loans in Q4 2021, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) National Delinquency Survey. The delinquency rate fell 23 basis points from Q3 2021 and 208 basis points year-over-year (YOY). Q4’s delinquency rate was 67 basis points lower than MBA’s survey average of 5.32%, while the rate for seriously delinquent loans was 2.83%, close to the longer-term average of 2.80%. MBA’s survey classifies loans as delinquent if the payment was not made based on the original terms of the mortgage. “Mortgage delinquencies descended in the final three months of 2021, reaching levels at or below MBA’s survey averages dating back to 1979,” said Marina Walsh, CMB, MBA’s Vice President of…
Active forbearance plans fell by 29,000 plans (-4%) last week, according to Black Knight’s blog, Vision. Forborne loans held by portfolios and PSL dropped 22,000 (-8%), while GSE plans fell by 8,000 (-2%). FHA/VA loans in forbearance fell by 1,000 (0.4%). After falling last week, restarts once again rose while new plan starts remained the same. Plan volumes are down 18,000 (-2%) month-over-month. Black Knight notes that as many homeowners have already exited their plans, expiration activity will slow. Moderating improvement is the result of this “gradually flattening slope.” Some 150,000 plans are up for review in the coming weeks, with a third expected to expire. In a recent webinar, RealtyTrac EVP Rick Sharga and Mortgage Policy Advisors Managing Director…
Mortgage rates jumped to 3.69% from 3.55% this week, Freddie Mac reported Thursday. Freddie’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) found that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.69%. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 2.73%. “The normalization of the economy continues as mortgage rates jumped to the highest level since the emergence of the pandemic,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist. “Rate increases are expected to continue due to a strong labor market and high inflation, which likely will have an adverse impact on homebuyer demand.” The economy is slowly recovering. The Fed has said the labor market has recovered enough to implement rate hikes, with Fed Chairman Jerome Powell saying “labor market conditions have…
In January, second-home demand was up 87% from before the pandemic, the highest levels in a year and almost up to September 2020’s record 90% gain, Redfin reported. Second-home demand outpaced primary residence demand, which was up 42% from pre-pandemic levels. “Demand for second homes was strong in January as buyers tried to lock in relatively low mortgage payments,” said Redfin Deputy Chief Economist Taylor Marr. “Mortgage rates surpassed 3.5% in January for the first time since March 2020, encouraging buyers who were on the fence about purchasing a vacation home to commit before rates increase further. While I expect demand for second homes to remain higher than it was before the pandemic, mostly because of remote work, it may…
Mortgage loan application volume fell 8.1% last week, down after jumping 12% the week prior, the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) weekly survey shows. The adjusted Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, dropped 8.1%. The adjusted purchase index fell 10%, while the unadjusted purchase index fell 3% and was 12% lower YOY. The refinance index fell 7% and was down 52% YOY. Refinances made up 56.2% of total applications. “Purchase activity slowed after the previous week’s gain. Both conventional and FHA purchase applications saw proportional declines, resulting in purchase activity overall dropping 10 percent,” said Joel Kan, MBA’s Associate Vice President of Economic and Industry Forecasting. “The average loan size again hit another record high at $446,000.…
