Mortgage rates shot back up after a one-week reversal of their upward trend, averaging 5.29% last week, Freddie Mac reported Thursday. Freddie’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) found that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 5.29%, up from 5% last week. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 2.96%. “Mortgage rates resumed their climb this week as the 30-year fixed reached its highest point since 2009,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist. “While housing affordability and inflationary pressures pose challenges for potential buyers, house price growth will continue but is expected to decelerate in the coming months.” Affordability dropped in Q1 2022, with monthly mortgage payments on the typical home rising to $1,383 (+30% YOY). Homeowners…
More metro areas saw double-digit YOY increases in their median single-family existing-home sales price in Q1 2022 than in Q4 2021, according to the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) quarterly report. Prices grew by double-digits in 70% of the 185 metros analyzed by NAR, up from 66% in Q4 2021. The median sales of single-family existing homes rose at a pace of 15.7% to $368,200, compared to 14.3% in the quarter prior. Affordability dropped as a result, with monthly mortgage payments on the typical home with a 20% downpayment rising to $1,383, up $319 (30%) YOY. Homeowners spent 18.7% of their income on mortgage payments, up from 14.2% the same time last year. The South region accounted for 45% of…
Existing home sales fell for a second month in March, down 2.7% from February and 4.5% YOY, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Existing home sales are now down to an annualized rate of 5.77 million. March sales dropped in three of the four major regions but stayed stable in the West. But all four regions saw YOY declines. “The housing market is starting to feel the impact of sharply rising mortgage rates and higher inflation taking a hit on purchasing power,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. “Still, homes are selling rapidly, and home price gains remain in the double-digits.” Properties remained on the market for an average of 17 days, down from 18 days both in…
Good Morning! Today is Monday, March 28. The White House will propose a 20% minimum tax on households worth more than $100 million. Russian and Ukrainian delegations will hold another round of peace talks in Turkey. Troy Kotsur became the first deaf man to win an acting Oscar for his role in “CODA,” which also won Best Picture. The Mortgage Note Reports Debt And Inflation Impacting The Housing Market: The pandemic has driven many people deeper into credit card debt. That, along with rising interest rates and inadequate housing stock, is reducing the number of new mortgages, Gregory Bresiger reports. Consumer Sentiment: Consumer sentiment fell again in March, hitting its lowest level since August 2011 thanks to rising rates, war, and inflation.…
Pending home sales dropped for the fourth month in a row in February, down 4.1% from January and 5.4% YOY, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported. NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI), which measures home sales using contract signings, fell in three of the major regions. The Northeast was the only region that saw an increase from January. All four regions saw year-over-year declines. “Pending transactions diminished in February mainly due to the low number of homes for sale. Buyer demand is still intense, but it’s as simple as ‘one cannot buy what is not for sale,'” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist. The Northeast PHSI rose 1.9% to 85.0 in February, down 9.2% YOY. In the Midwest, the…
Existing-home sales fell in February as rising interest rates and inflation continue to put pressure on consumers, according to the National Association of Realtors. Sales fell to a seasonally adjusted rate of 6.02 million, down 7.2% from January and 2.4% year-over-year. The inventory of unsold existing homes rose slightly to 87,000, or 1.7 months of supply at the current sales pace. Each of the four major U.S. regions saw sales fall on a month-over-month basis in February. Sales activity year-over-year was also down overall, though the South experienced an increase while the remaining three regions reported drops in transactions. The median existing-home sales price increased to $357,300, up 15% YOY and the 120th straight month of annual price increases. It’s…
Homebuyers who offered all cash won more bidding wars in 2021, making it the most effective strategy to beat out other buyers, according to a new Redfin report. Waiving the financing contingency and conducting a pre-inspection also increased potential buyers’ chances when facing off with other bidders, making them 31% and 25% more likely to win, respectively. Escalation clauses and waiving inspection contingencies are frequently seen strategies, but because they’re so common they’re also ineffective. They also do not benefit one buyer over their competition. Redfin also suggests offering more than asking price and waiving the appraisal contingency to set buyers apart from the crowd, as many can’t afford to pay all cash. Buyers planning to offer over asking may…
Pending home sales continued a three-month streak of declines in January, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported. NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) found contract signings fell 5.7% to 109.5 in January, down 9.5% year-over-year (YOY). Only the West saw any increases, with contract signings rising 1.5% from December to January, but down 9.7% from a year earlier. The Northeast saw the largest annual drop in contract signings, 16.7%, plus a 12.1% drop in the month-to-month numbers, down to 84.3. The Midwest saw a 5.9% drop both monthly and annually, while signings in the South fell 6.3% from December and 8.7% YOY. “With inventory at an all-time low, buyers are still having a difficult time finding a home,” said…
Bidding wars hit their highest level since at least April 2020, with 70% of home offers from Redfin agents facing competition in January, a new Redfin report found. This is up from 67.7% in December and 61% in January 2021. The report chalks up the increased bidding to a combination of rising interest rates, high demand, and low inventory. January marked the first time rates hit 3.5% since the beginning of the pandemic, and have jumped to nearly 4% in the first weeks of February. New listings continue dropping, hitting record lows. “Rising mortgage rates are intensifying an already-severe shortage of homes for sale because buyers are feeling more urgency to buy while homeowners are feeling less urgency to sell—an…
Home prices rose 17.5% year-over-year in Q4 2021 and 3.3% from Q3 2021, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s House Price Index (FHFA HPI). Home prices were up 1.2% from November to December. Home prices increased in every state between Q4 2020 and Q4 2021, with the highest appreciation in Arizona (27.4%), Utah (27.1%), Idaho (27%), Florida (25.6%), and Tennessee (24.1%). Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL, saw the greatest annual price increases. The metros with the least annual appreciation were Washington, D.C. (6.6%), Louisiana (10.2%), North Dakota (10.3%), Maryland (10.8%), and Alaska (11.3%). “House prices continued to climb but not as rapidly during the final quarter of 2021 as in earlier quarters,” said William Doerner, Ph.D., Supervisory Economist in FHFA’s…
