For people who don't like their market too hot or too cold, these “sweet spots” have strong job and income growth but relatively affordable rents.
Affordability
Worsening Affordability Costs Renters Nearly $2,000 a Year
Rising rents are eating up an increasingly large share of tenants’ incomes, costing the typical U.S. renter almost $2,000 more per year than they would if renters were devoting the same-sized chunk of their paychecks to their landlord as they used to.
U.S. Stability Draws Foreign Buyers Leery of Uncertainty at Home
The primary drivers of foreign home buyers in the United States, in the near term, are expected to be economic and political factors in their countries of origin – and not necessarily the appeal of the United States’ domestic amenities.
The Impact of the Amazon Jobs Boom on Seattle Rents
Across the Seattle area, the South Lake Union job boom is associated with faster annual rent increases between 2011 and 2015.
Proposed Health Care Changes: Short-Term Gains, Long-Term Pains?
In 24 of the country’s 25 largest metro areas, low-income renters spend more than 45 percent of their incomes on rent. Against that backdrop, the rising cost of health-care premiums can be hard to bear. Whatever short-term savings low-income households might gain from newly proposed changes, the unknown is how much they might pay in the long run if they become sick.
15 Favorites From Zillow Group Report on Consumer Housing Trends Report 2017
Millennials make up almost a third of sellers. Forty percent of U.S. homeowners share their home with a pet. Nearly a third of buyers go over budget. We have the rundown on housing market data.
A Majority of U.S. Households Could – in Theory – Afford to Buy a $300K, Newly Built Home
Almost 60 percent of U.S. households earn enough money to theoretically buy a typical, newly constructed home priced at about $300,000 – and raising the price doesn’t thin the herd of potential buyers as much as may be expected, thanks in large part to very low mortgage interest rates.
For Many Low-Income Households, Even Low-Valued Homes Aren’t Affordable
Lower-income households spend 23 percent of their incomes on mortgages for homes valued in the lower third -- more than twice the 11.1 percent that a typical high-income homeowner pays for a home valued in top third of homes nationally. The inequality is worse in pricey coastal markets.
Q2 2017 Housing Affordability: The Squeeze Continues
Rents are far less affordable than mortgages, taking nearly twice the share of income. It's an issue that's become apparent among low-income renters as the eviction and homelessness crises worsen in some areas.
Financial Hardship Is Widespread, Especially for Households Earning Less Than $40,000
Nearly a third (30.0 percent) of households nationwide – meaning about 73 million adults— report they are struggling or just getting by financially, according to data from the Federal Reserve Board’s recently released 2016 Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED). More than half (51.3 percent) say they do not have enough funds saved to cover three months of living expenses.
