Five Million Homes Sit Empty Across Largest U.S. Metros

Nearly 5.5 million homes are sitting vacant in the U.S.’s largest metros, but they’re not going to save the housing market. LendingTree analyzed the latest U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey data to find out what cities have the highest shares of unoccupied homes and why. Their survey found that 5,475,687 housing units are vacant in the country’s 50 biggest metros, with a vacancy rate of 8.02% across them all. New Orleans (16.11%), Miami (14.48%), and Tampa, FL (13.83%), have the highest vacancy rates, with 600,000 empty housing units vacant collectively. Minneapolis, Austin, and Washington, D.C., have the fewest vacancies. While it’s important to know the number of houses sitting empty, the reasons behind them are far more significant. LendingTree…

Sun Belt Deals Called Off As Housing Market Slumps

By CHUCK GREEN During the pandemic homebuyers fled to southern states for warmer weather but now would-be purchasers are bailing out of deals at a faster clip than anywhere in the country. According to analysts at Redfin, 60,000 deals were called off nationally in September. That’s 17% of the homes that went under contract that month. In Florida, Jacksonville had 745 home-purchase agreements fall through, equal to 30.3% of homes that went under contract. That was the highest percentage among the metros Redfin analyzed. They were followed by San Antonio, TX (25.3%), Atlanta, GA (25%), Orlando, FL (24.6%), and Tampa, FL (24.5%). In August, about 800 home purchase agreements were tabled in Jacksonville. That’s 26.1% of homes that went under contract…

Home Price Growth Remains High, But Slows For Second Month Straight

Home price appreciation slowed for the second month straight in June, but remains in the high double-digits. CoreLogic’s Home Price Index found that home prices increased by 18.3% YOY in June, the 125th month of consecutive annual price growth. This is down from May’s 20.2% YOY increase. CoreLogic attributes the cool-off to reduced buyer demand from rising interest rates and concerns about the economy. Month-over-month, prices are down 0.6%. “Signs of a broader slowdown in the housing market are evident, as home price growth decelerated for the second consecutive month. This is in line with our previous expectations and given the notable cooling of buyer demand due to higher mortgage rates and the resulting increased cost of homeownership,” said Selma…

Housing Costs Pushing Inflation Up In Sunbelt Migration Hotspots

Inflation is soaring in America’s most popular migration locations, in part because of their boost of new residents and high home price appreciation, Redfin reported. Phoenix, Atlanta, Tampa, and Miami saw double-digit inflation in Q2 2022. They are also all high migration areas that are popular among Redfin’s users. Inflation in Phoenix was up 11.3% YOY and is the third most popular city for Redfin.com users looking to move to a new city. Atlanta was the twelfth most popular and had an inflation rate of 10.9%. Next came Tampa, the second most popular destination on Redfin, with the third highest inflation rate at 10.6%, followed by Miami, the single most popular destination, with the fourth highest inflation at 10% flat.…

Bidding Wars For Rentals Seen As Prices Rise

By KIMBERLEY HAAS As prices for rental housing continue to climb in many parts of the country, bidding wars are becoming more common. According to a report released last week by Joel Berner and Danielle Hale for Realtor.com, rent has reached another high in the company’s data history, averaging $1,827 in the 50 largest US metropolitan areas. Rental increases are most pronounced in Sun Belt metros, Berner and Hale wrote. That is because as more people have the opportunity to work remotely they are choosing warmer climates to live in. Three Florida metros are particularly affected. They include Miami, where rent was up 51.6% from April 2021; Orlando, 32.9%; and Tampa, 27.8%. Overall median rent in the Miami, Fort Lauderdale,…

Will The Housing Market Boom Or Bust In 2022?

By KIMBERLEY HAAS As the spring selling season begins, people in the mortgage and real estate industries are speculating on whether 2022 will be a year of growth or the start of the end for a red-hot market that has favored sellers and forced up the price of housing in many parts of the country. Numbers from the start of the year look promising for growth. On Tuesday, S&P Dow Jones Indices released the latest results for the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Indices. A 19.2% annual gain was reported in January, up from 18.9% in December. The 10-City Composite annual increase was 17.5%, up from 17.1% in December. The 20-City Composite posted a 19.1% year-over-year gain, up from 18.6% in the previous…

Getting Pushed Out Of The Housing Market? You’re Not Alone

By KIMBERLEY HAAS Low-income and minority buyers will continue to be crowded out of the housing market in 2022, according to the director of research at the AEI Housing Center. The American Enterprise Institute is located in Washington, D.C., and during a webinar on Monday, Director of Research Tobias Peter said entry-level homebuyers are being replaced by borrowers with higher incomes in many markets. “When we tally up the entry-level share of all home sales, we’re finding that the entry-level, as of December of 2021, accounted for 52.7%, which is, of course, much down from before the pandemic. In December of 2019, it was at 59.9%, and when we started tracking this back in 2012, it was at 71%,” Peter…

Look At The Most Expensive Homes In 2022’s Hottest Housing Markets

By KIMBERLEY HAAS Analysts at Zillow have made their predictions for the hottest housing markets of 2022, and we are bringing you a look at the most expensive homes in the top five cities listed. On Tuesday, the Seattle-based company predicted Tampa, Florida, will be the hottest housing market of 2022. NFL Quarterback Tom Brady’s new city is followed by Jacksonville, Florida; Raleigh, North Carolina; San Antonio, Texas; and Charlotte, North Carolina. “Homebuyers are attracted to markets in the Sun Belt that offer relative affordability, fast-growing economies, and weather that allows them to enjoy the outdoors year-round,” Zillow economist Alexandra Lee said in a statement. Lee also predicts the seller’s market seen in 2021 will continue and buyers should be ready…

Mortgage Industry Steps Up for Vets

By Kimberley Haas Veterans throughout the country are being gifted homes or renovations to their existing houses as lenders and other business leaders come together to honor the service and sacrifices of the men and women who served in the U.S. military. On Wednesday, Veterans United Home Loans in Columbia, Mo., announced they are giving away 11 homes to 11 veterans to celebrate Veterans Day. Actor, comedian, and retired United States Marine Officer Rob Riggle has teamed up with Veterans United to be part of the project. “These veterans have continued to live the military value of ‘selfless service’ even after they’ve hung up their uniforms,” Riggle said in a statement. Veterans United is surprising 10 veterans with new houses…