Mortgage Rates React to Fed Chair Comments, But End the Week Flat Again
Fed Chair Jerome Powell suggested that four rate hikes may be appropriate for the remainder of 2018 rather than the three that markets had anticipated. There is some uncertainty about the intent of the comments; Powell is scheduled to testify before the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday, where he could clarify his remarks.
In Contest for Amazon HQ2, Experts Bet on Atlanta and D.C. Suburbs
Atlanta and Northern Virginia are the most likely landing spots for Amazon’s coveted second headquarters location, according to a recent Zillow survey of economists and real estate experts. Los Angeles was deemed least likely to win the heated competition for Amazon HQ2.
January New Home Sales: Second Sharp Drop in a Row
If there was a silver lining in the January report, it was in the regional detail. While new home sales fell sharply – both from the prior month and the prior year – in the South and the Northeast, they increased in the West and the Midwest.
Notable Numbers From February 2018
February saw some surprising housing figures: How long it takes singles to save down payments. How quickly affordable homes are gaining value. How much the typical home in San Jose, Calif., is worth. Take a peek.
December Case-Shiller Results and January Forecast: Why 2018 Looks A Lot Like 2017
The familiar patterns in the housing market that emerged in the second half of 2017 – lots of demand from home buyers, limited supply of homes available to buy, quickly rising prices and slow but steadily deteriorating affordability – are continuing to shape the start to 2018 as well.
How Mortgage Payments Vary With Interest Rates, Loan Products
As discussions evolve around reforming mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (so-called GSE reform) -- the two institutions largely responsible for enabling the affordable 30-year mortgage in the first place -- it's worth taking a look at how monthly mortgage payments on the typical U.S. home would change if rates rose and/or other mortgage products became more popular.
Mortgage Comparison Tool: A Glimpse at Life Without the 30-Year Fixed-Rate Mortgage
Hoping to reduce taxpayers’ risk, policymakers are considering changing the mortgage guarantee, which may lead to a shift toward adjustable-rate products, higher fixed interest rates and/or shorter-duration loans. Here's a comparison tool that shows how sensitive house payments are to changes in interest rates and loan duration.
Rapid Reaction: January New Home Sales
January new home sales fell 7.8 percent from December and 1 percent from a year ago, to 593,000 units (SAAR) -- not what the market needed or wanted to see after an equally disappointing existing home sales report.
Experts: Changes to GSE Affordable Housing Goals Likely to Reduce Lending to Underserved Groups
Experts predict replacing Fannie and Freddie’s Affordable Housing Goals will result in decreased lending to underserved borrowers. They are split on whether potential changes will improve taxpayer protection or provide better targeting for borrowers in need.
Home Values Grow at Slowest Annual Pace in 15 Months (January 2018 Market Report)
January saw the slowest growth since November 2016 and follows a year in which homes regularly gained more than 7 percent from the prior year – including a 7.6 percent jump in May 2017, the fastest pace since June 2006 in the midst of the housing bubble.
