As first-time and lower-income buyers are being squeezed out of bidding wars against cash-rich investors, the homestead exemption could help combat take over by Wall Street, columnist and investment professional Conor Sen argued in Bloomberg. FHFA is attempting to address this issue by awarding a higher percentage of federal-backed mortgages to low-income households or for homes in minority communities. But Sen suggested that goal, while admirable, might not actually lead to major change and suggested that relying on the homestead exemption might prove more fruitful. The homestead exemption is a legal exemption that can shield owners from property taxes, but only for people actually living in the home. Sen argues that local governments can help homebuyers by increasing the amount…
US house prices continued to shoot up in the first quarter of the year, the Federal Housing Finance Agency reported Tuesday. Prices increased 12.6 percent from the first quarter of last year – and were 3.5 percent higher than the fourth quarter, FHFA announced in its House Price Index. The index also increased 1.4 percent in March. The index found: House prices have risen for 39 consecutive quarters, or since September 2011.House prices rose in all 50 states and the District of Columbia between the first quarters of 2020 and 2021.The top five states with the highest annual appreciation were Idaho (23.7 percent), Utah (19.2 percent), Arizona (17.4 percent), New Hampshire (16.2 percent), and Connecticut (15.9 percent).The states showing the…
House prices continued their climb in February across the nation and in every region, according to the latest House Price Index released Tuesday by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The Index found: House prices rose 0.9 percent for the month.From February 2020 to February 2021, prices skyrocketed 12.2 percent.For the nine census divisions, seasonally adjusted monthly house price changes for the month ranged from a 0.3 percent increase in the Middle Atlantic division to a 1.6 percent increase in the Mountain division. The 12-month changes ranged from 10.5 percent increase in the West North Central division to 15.4 percent increase in the Mountain division. “Annual house price growth acheived a new record high in February,” said Dr. Lynn Fisher, FHFA’s Deputy…
Home prices in the United States surged 10.8 percent in 2020 – the largest annual increase on record, according to a report released Tuesday by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. FHFA’s House Price index found: Prices were up 3.8 percent from the third quarter to fourth quarter of 2020.Prices increased 1.1 percent from November to December.Home prices have risen for 38 consecutive quarters – or since September 2011.Home prices increased in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2020. “House prices nationwide recorded the largest annual and quarterly increase in the history of the FHFA HPI,” said Dr. Lynn Fisher, Deputy Director of FHFA’s Division of Research and Statistics. “Low mortgage rates, pent up demand from homebuyers, and…
The official results are in, and house prices continue to soar. The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s Home Price Index released Tuesday showed prices were up 1 percent in November for the month – and a whopping 11 percent from November 2019 to November 2020. “House prices have risen by at least one percent for six consecutive months,” said Dr. Lynn Fisher, FHFA’s Deputy Director of the Division of Research and Statistics. “The acceleration has been slowing but annual gains now outpace the prior housing boom. Current conditions can be explained by fundamentals, including low rates and tight housing supply, which have been intensified by the pandemic.” For the nine census divisions, seasonally adjusted monthly house price changes from October 2020…
The official numbers are in, and home prices in the United States continue to climb. Home prices increased 1.5 percent in October – and were 10.2 percent higher than October 2019 levels, according to a report released Wednesday by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The 1.5 percent increased followed a 1.7 percent increase in September. “U.S. house prices rose for the fifth straight month since states re-opened their local economies,” said Dr. Lynn Fisher, FHFA’s Deputy Director of the Division of Research and Statistics. “The 12-month gain of 10.2 percent in October is the highest annual appreciation observed since the 2004-2005 period. Extremely low mortgage rates and a limited supply of homes for sale continue to propel price gains. The…
House prices in the United States surged in the third quarter of 2020, increasing 3.1 percent from the second quarter and 7.8 percent ahead of 2019 levels, according to a new report released Tuesday by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The report found: U.S. house prices have risen for 37 consecutive quarters.Prices rose in all 50 states and the District of Columbia between the third quarters of 2019 and 2020. The top five areas in annual appreciation were Idaho (14.4 percent), Arizona (11.1 percent), Washington (10.8 percent), Utah (10.7 percent) and Tennessee (10 percent).The areas showing the lowest annual appreciation were North Dakota (4 percent), Iowa (4.7 percent), Louisiana (4.8 percent), Alaska (4.9 percent) and Hawaii (5.2 percent).House prices rose…
House prices in the United States jumped by 5.4 percent over the year before in the second quarter – the 36th straight quarter home prices have risen, according to a Federal Housing Finance Agency report released Tuesday. For the month of June, house prices were up 0.9 percent over May. “Home prices grew by 5.4 percent in the second quarter of 2020 compared to a year ago, despite the impacts of COVID-19.” said Dr. Lynn Fisher, Deputy Director of the Division of Research and Statistics at FHFA. “Although house prices fell slightly in May relative to April, in June prices rebounded by 0.9 percent over the month as local economies re-opened and transactions picked up again.” The FHFA report found: House prices rose in…
Even as the COVID-19 pandemic hammered the economy, house prices in the United States increased 0.2 percent in April, according to a report released Wednesday by the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Prices also rose 5.5 percent from April 2019 to April 2020, FHFA’s House Price Index showed. “U.S. house prices posted another positive monthly increase in April. … We expect the normal spring bump in sales was pushed off by the COVID-19 shutdowns and may extend into the summer months as states reopen and real estate sales pick back up,” said Dr. Lynn Fisher, Deputy Director of the Division of Research and Statistics at FHFA. For the nine census divisions, seasonally adjusted monthly house price changes from March to April…
A new government report released Tuesday found that house prices in the United States increased 1.7 percent in the first quarter of the year. House prices were up 0.1 percent in March over February – 5.7 percent in the first quarter of 2020 over the first quarter of 2019, according to the Federal Housing Finance’s Agency’s House Price Index. “Home price growth in the first quarter outpaced annual growth from the same period a year ago as falling interest rates and shrinking inventories for sale led prices higher just prior to the crisis,” said Dr. Lynn Fisher, Deputy Director of the Division of Research and Statistics at FHFA. Fisher added, “Because of the lag between contract signing and sale closing…
