ATTOM: Some Markets Still Vulnerable To Covid-19 Economic Pressures

Despite the pandemic receding and a housing market cooldown, some housing markets at the county level are still susceptible to damage from the pandemic, according to a new report from ATTOM. The Q3 2021 Special Coronavirus Report showed that New Jersey, Illinois, and Delaware had the highest concentrations of at-risk markets, totaling 26 of the 50 counties whose housing markets might be most impacted by Covid-19. To determine risk to the market, the report looked at the percentage of homes facing possible foreclosure, the portion with mortgage balances exceeding property values, and the percentage of average local wages required to pay for homeownership expenses on median-priced houses or condos. Included on the list are eight counties in the Chicago metro…

Freddie Mac: Interest Rates Keep Climbing

Mortgage rates continued their upward trajectory, hitting 3.09% over the past week, Freddie Mac reported Thursday. Freddie’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) found that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.09%, up from last week’s 3.05%. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 2.80% “Mortgage rates continued to rise this week due to the trajectory of both the economy and the pandemic,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist. “Even as the availability of existing homes is improving, prices remain high due to homebuyer demand and limitations on housing starts and permits resulting from the ongoing labor and material shortages. Despite these countervailing forces, we expect the housing market to remain strong as we head into the end of the…

MBA’s Broeksmit Warns: ‘Aggressive’ Regulation Is Back

In a speech to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s annual convention on Monday, President and CEO Bob Broeksmit told members that, to paraphrase former President Bill Clinton, the era of big, regulatory government is back. Broeksmit’s remarks addressed a range of issues, from the impact on the industry of the COVID-19 pandemic to minority homeownership. But his central theme for the industry is the political changes made in Washington, D.C. in 2020 are going to have an impact in 2021 — and beyond. Broeksmit said he spoke to Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and four of the other Governors of the Federal Reserve. “I always make the same points, too. The MBA supports regulation and legislation that is clear, easy to implement, and helpful…

Applications Drop, Refis Lowest Since July

Mortgage loan application volume fell 6.3% last week, the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) weekly survey reported. The Market Composite Index, which measures application volume, fell 6.3% on an adjusted basis. The Refinance Index fell 7% and was 22% lower than a year ago. It’s the Refinance Index’s lowest level since July 2021. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index fell 5%, while the unadjusted Purchase Index dropped 5% compared to the week before, down 12% from the previous year. “Refinance applications declined for the fourth week as rates increased, bringing the refinance index to its lowest level since July 2021. The 30-year fixed rate has increased 20 basis points over the past month and reached 3.23% last week – the highest since…

MBA: Forbearances Plunged Again

Forbearances fell again last week, dropping to 2.28% of servicers’ portfolio volume, down from 2.62% the week before, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) latest survey. The estimated number of homeowners in forbearance plans is around 1.1 million. This week’s drop of 34 basis points beats out last week’s decline of 27 basis points, which was at that point the fastest rate of decline since October 2020. For Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans, forbearances were down 16 basis points to 1.05%. Ginnie Mae loans fell 17 basis points to 2.77%. Portfolio loans and private-label securities shares fell 108 basis points, from 6.91% to 5.34%. Independent mortgage bank servicers saw a drop of 25 basis points to 2.57%, and…

Zillow Offers Won’t Buy Any More Homes This Year

Zillow’s iBuying division, Zillow Offers, will stop buying new homes for the rest of the year. Zillow Offers has been operating in house flipping for more than three years, buying, renovating, then selling homes. However, it has announced that it will switch gears and focus on its backlog of existing contracts and selling the homes it currently owns. In response to this news, Zillow stock plummeted 10% on Monday. The company cited challenges related to construction and labor contracts. “We’re operating within a labor- and supply-constrained economy inside a competitive real estate market, especially in the construction, renovation and closing spaces,” Chief Operating Officer Jeremy Wacksman said.  “We have not been exempt from these market and capacity issues.” Homebuilders have…

After 14 Months of Price Hikes, New Listings, Closings Down

A Redfin report found the number of new listings in September fell 9% year-over-year (YOY). Closed home sales and active listings also dropped — by 5% and 19% YOY — respectively. September marked the fourteenth month of consecutive double-digit price increases, with the median price of homes sold at $376,800, up 14% from the previous year. It was the slowest growth rate since December 2020. “The severe lack of inventory is restricting home sales,” said Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather.  “Even though plenty of people bought homes last year, many homebuyers waited while the pandemic went from bad to worse and remote-work policies were finalized. The homebuyers who are just beginning their search are finding that the well has run…

Millennial And Boomer Homebuyers Are Facing Off. Boomers Are Winning.

A Zillow analysis of the age, sex, race, and income of home buyers over the last decade revealed demographics might have more to do with the sizzling housing market than the pandemic. Millennials and baby boomers have been on a path to face off in the housing market since before the pandemic due to retirement trends and Millennials entering their 30s, typical homebuying years. Though Millennials are currently the most impactful force in the housing market, Boomers are currently gaining. The median buyer age rose from 40 to 44 between 2009 and 2019. The share of recent buyers who are over 60 years old rose 47% from 2009 to 2019, while the share of buyers ages 18–39 dropped 13%. Lack…

Black Knight: Forbearances Improved At Fastest Rate Since Pandemic Began

The number of loans in active forbearance have fallen another 10% since last Tuesday, adding to last week’s 11% drop, according to Black Knight’s blog, Vision. More than 450,000 homeowners have exited forbearance plans just in the last two weeks. Forbearances have fallen 22% over the last month, the fastest decline since the beginning of the pandemic. All investor classes have seen forbearances drop at least 20%. The total number of mortgages in forbearances is down 143,000 this week. The largest drop was in loans held by PSLs and bank portfolios, which fell by 88,000, or 19%. GSEs and FHA/VA loans in forbearance both dropped by 6%. Black Knight noted that this wave of exits was expected, as many plans…

Mortgage Rates Hit Six-Month High, Freddie Cites ‘Inflationary Pressure.’

Mortgage rates rose to their highest point since April, hitting 3.05% over the past week, Freddie Mac reported Thursday. Freddie’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) found that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.05%, up from last week’s 2.99%. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 2.81% “As inflationary pressure builds due to the ongoing pandemic and tightening monetary policy, we expect rates to continue a modest upswing,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist. “Historically speaking, rates are still low, but many potential homebuyers are staying on the sidelines due to high home price growth. Rising mortgage rates combined with growing home prices make affordability more challenging for potential homebuyers.” Mortgage applications have trended down with increasing interest rates…