New Home Sales Sank In October

New home sales sank in October as mortgage rates priced potential buyers out of the market, according to newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Sales fell by 5.6% from September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 679,000, below the rate of 730,000 units predicted by economists. New home sales are up 17.7% year-over-year, however, as lack of existing inventory pushes buyers to new construction. There were 439,000 new homes for sale at the end of October, representing a 7.8-month supply at the current sales rate. The median sales price of new houses sold in October 2023 was $409,300, while the average sales price was $487,000, both down by more…

Starts, Permits Saw Unexpected Gains In October

Housing starts surged unexpectedly in October, suggesting some relief for homebuyers grappling with tight inventory. Housing starts were up 1.9% last month to a 1.37 million annualized rate, their highest point in three months, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Single-family starts rose a modest 0.2%, adding to a 3.2% month-over-month increase in September, though they remain down 10.6% from the start of 2023. Multifamily starts saw a 6.3% boost to an annualized 402,000 pace. Permits also increased by 1.1% to 1.49 million, a boon after slipping the month prior. Permits indicate how many homes will be built in the coming months. Single-family permits rose 0.5% to 968,000, their highest level since May 2022, while multifamily permits jumped…

New Home Sales Spiked In September

New home sales sprang back to life in September, according to newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Sales rose by 12.3% from August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 759,000. This is well above the rate of 680,000 units predicted by economists. The median price for a new home was $418,800, while the average sales price was $503,900, both down. But the increase may not hold over as the end of the year approaches, bringing with it historically lower-volume months. “While the overall number of potential homebuyers is down, ‘patience’ seems to be the mantra for those still in the market, and lenders would do well to follow suit,…

Housing Starts Saw Surprise Uptick In September

Housing starts surged unexpectedly in September, suggesting some relief for homebuyers grappling with tight inventory. New U.S. home construction increased by 7% last month to an annualized rate of 1.36 million, resurfacing after an 11.3% drop in August, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. They rose in three of the four major regions, with just the Northeast seeing a decline. Multi-family starts in particular were up 17% after a slumping last month. Single-family starts also saw a boost, up 3.2% month-over-month. “The uptick in single-family production was somewhat unexpected as our latest builder surveys indicate that starts are likely to weaken in the months ahead due to recent higher mortgage rates that were near 7.6% in mid-October,” Alicia…

Housing Starts Sank In June, But Permits Offer A Glimmer Of Hope

Housing construction declined last month, but the future looks brighter thanks to a bump in permits. New U.S. home construction rose for the first time in six months, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Residential starts fell by 8% to an annualized rate of 1.43 million. This is well below estimates from economists surveyed by Bloomberg, who expected a pace of 1.48 million. Permits for new construction also dipped, down 3.7%% to a rate of 1.44 million. Permits offer an indication of how many homes will be built in the coming months. But on the bright side, single-family construction permits in particular saw an increase, up 2.2% from May to the highest pace since June 2022. Builders continue…

Starts, Permits Drop For Third Month Straight

Housing construction slid again in November as inflationary pressure and high rates kept demand down. Residential starts fell 0.5% from October to an annualized rate of 1.43 million, down 16.4% from the same time last year, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. This is the third consecutive decline for these data. Economists surveyed by the Wall Street Journal predicted starts would fall to 1.4 million from October’s initial estimate of 1.43 million. Single-family starts dropped 4.1% month-over-month to an annualized rate of 828,000. This is their lowest level since May 2020. Permits for new homes fell 11.2% to a rate of 1.34 million. Single-family permits tanked by 7.1% to their slowest pace since 2020. Permits offer an indication…

September New Home Sales See Downward Spiral

New home sales fell in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 603,000, down 10.8% from August and 17.6% YOY, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The month-over-month figure is slightly better than expected. Economists polled by The Wall Street Journal predicted home sales to fall 13.4%. The seasonally‐adjusted estimate of new houses for sale at the end of August was 462,000, representing a supply of 9.2 months at the current sales rate. September saw mortgage rates soar from the high-5%s to nearly 7% at month’s end, pricing many potential buyers out of the market. Home shoppers who could have afforded a mortgage payment earlier this year now may…

July New Home Sales Down 12.6% MoM

New home sales fell in July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 511,000, down 12.6% from June and 29.6% YOY, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The massive dropoff can be attributed to the rising cost of buying a home. Home price appreciation and increasing interest rates are pricing potential buyers out of the market. Between rates and prices, the monthly mortgage payment on a typical US home is 62% higher than a year ago. Meanwhile, some sellers are opting not to put their homes up for sale, exacerbating the stock shortage and driving up competition. About half of all homeowners have a rate under 4% and are disinclined…

New Home Sales Decline For Second Month Straight

New home sales dropped by 2% in February, declining for a second consecutive month, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Purchase of new single-family homes fell to a 772,000 annualized rate, down from a revised rate of 788,000 in January and 6.2% lower than the expected rate of 823,000. These declines suggest American house hunters are taking a step back as interest rates and inflation rise. The South and West, two regions that have been quite popular with homebuyers in the last year, saw sales decline, while the less popular Northeast and Midwest saw an increase in sales. At month’s end, an estimated 407,000 new homes remained on the market,…

Which City Would Win In The Super Bowl Of Housing Markets?

By KIMBERLEY HAAS It’s Super Bowl weekend and The Mortgage Note is taking a look at which city would win if Los Angeles and Cincinnati’s housing markets were pitted against each other. With sports commentators picking the Rams over the Bengals and the notoriously high-priced homes in the Los Angeles market, such as “The One” on sale now for $295 million, people might assume the California city would be the automatic winner. But that depends on how the two markets are lined up. As Tyler Sullivan says in his recent predictions for CBS Sports, both teams are worthy champions in their respective conferences and the Bengals have been a fantastic Cinderella story with their line-up of young faces. Is the same true for Cincinnati? Let’s look…