First-time buyers are still living in last year’s housing market thanks to limited affordable inventory, leading to tight competition and soaring prices.
A new report from Zillow found that typical home values for the least-expensive one-third of houses rose by 8% YOY, or $13,000.
In comparison, mid-level homes saw a 3% YOY increase, and the most expensive one-third of houses lost value, experiencing a 1% drop. This is the first loss of value for the top tier since at least 2012.
“Buyers shopping for the least-expensive homes this spring aren’t noticing much difference from the pandemic-era market heat,” said Skylar Olsen, Zillow’s chief economist.
“Competition is fierce, but there aren’t many homes for sale, so buyers should be patient but…
Housing affordability is a bigger deal to Americans than the possibility of a recession, according to a new survey by Personal Capital. The survey found that 1 in 4 people have decided to put off buying a home “indefinitely.” Rising mortgage interest rates were the number one concern of respondents, despite the fact that more than 75% said they expect a recession within two years. Gen Z was the generation most likely to say homebuying isn’t currently an option for them, and nearly a quarter called homeownership “unattainable.” Gen Zers overwhelmingly want to own their own homes, with 59% identifying homeownership as a sign of success. But many are worried they may never be able to afford a home if prices continue…
As first-time buyers struggle to find an affordable home, many Millennials say they are willing to co-buy in order to access bigger mortgages. Pairadime, a new fractional ownership solution with a focus on co-buying, surveyed 1,000 Millennials who say they don’t want to wait for marriage to co-buy a home. Instead, they want to co-buy with their parents, friends, or other family members in order to afford a house in current market conditions. Only 4% of respondents said they would wait until marriage to buy with another person. “During the pandemic, people have been renting and they may have wanted more space, and so they looked at, perhaps, their roommate and decided, ‘Let’s go buy a home together,'” Jessica Lautz,…
The value of a typical American home dropped for the second straight month, down 0.3% from July to August in the largest monthly dip since 2011. Zillow’s latest market report found that affordability is directing market declines, with lower-priced homes staying hotly competitive while expensive markets see drastic declines. The U.S. typical home value is now $356,054. Areas that saw big gains during the pandemic are now susceptible to fast drops, losing their appreciation momentum from the Great Migration. Midwestern markets, which tend to be more affordable, remain hot, while Western markets are comparatively tanking. Volatile mortgage rates are impacting these areas as borrowers find it increasingly hard to even qualify for a loan, let alone house-hunt. “Substantial day-to-day and…
Affordability improved in July, with the national median payment applied for by applicants falling to $1,844 from $1,893 in June, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported. MBA’s Purchase Applications Payment Index (PAPI) fell for a second consecutive month, down 3.8% to a reading of 157.7. PAPI measures monthly payments across time and relative to income, so this reading indicates that payments on new mortgages accounted for a smaller share of a typical person’s income. The improvement can be attributed to lower mortgage rates and less competition as more potential buyers are priced out of the market. Rates dipped to 5.13% last week, though they are back up this week. Additionally, purchase demand has declined sharply this year. Overall loan application…
Rate lock volumes dropped again in May by 4.8% despite interest rate growth slowing, according to Black Knight’s latest Originations Market Report. While conforming 30-year rates rose at the beginning of the month to 5.5%, they cooled by month-end to 5.34%, 7 basis points down from April. Still, lock volumes fell for both rate/term and cash-out refis, down 23.6% and 11.9% respectively. Cash-outs are now down 42.2% from last year. “Ultimately, our OBMMI daily interest rate tracker showed 30-year conforming offerings finishing the month at 5.34%, down 7 basis points from last month. Still, despite this plateau in rates, rate lock volume continued to slide in May, with declines seen across all loan purposes,” said Scott Happ, president of Optimal…
