Rapid Reaction: November Jobs Report
U.S. employers added 178,000 non-farm jobs in November. The unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent, the lowest since August 2007, largely driven by employment gains among adult men.
October Case-Shiller Forecast: Continuing to put the Recession in the Rearview
According to Zillow’s October Case-Shiller forecast, annual growth in the national index is expected to continue to accelerate, along with upticks in monthly growth in both smaller 10-city and 20-city indices.
September Case-Shiller: Home Prices Blow Past Pre-Recession Peaks
September Case-Shiller data revealed a national housing market that has – finally – exceeded it’s pre-recession peaks and continues to accelerate, growing slightly faster than in prior months and largely in line with our expectations.
U.S. Conforming Loan Limits Upped for First Time Since 2006
A broader pool of U.S. mortgage borrowers will be able to access the more flexible terms of government-backed loans next year after the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) upped the national conforming loan limits for the first time in a decade, effective in 2017.
October New Home Sales Report: Not Much to Be Thankful for
October new home sales fell 1.9 percent from September, to 563,000 units at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR), according to the U.S. Census Bureau, another month of anemic sales of new construction in the face of chronic inventory shortages and robust home buyer demand.
Rapid Reaction: October New Home Sales
The new home sales market continues to underwhelm, taking baby steps forward and baby steps backward from month-to-month when what we really need to see are giant leaps.
October Existing Home Sales Key Takeaways: When Do Surprises Stop Being Surprising?
October existing home sales defied gravity for the second consecutive month, beating expectations for flat to negative growth and instead rising 2 percent from September to 5.6 million units at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) according to the National Association of Realtors.
Rapid Reaction: October Existing Home Sales
The existing home sales market continues to show surprising strength, defying expectations for a modest fall and instead delivering the strongest month in almost a decade. Clearly, the market continues to underestimate just how much demand for homes is out there, even in the face of tight inventory and rising existing home prices that are now the highest on record.
California’s Dry Spell Leads to Flood of Drought-Related Listing Terms
The past five years have been the driest in California’s history, leading to a statewide water emergency and the imposition of water-use reduction targets. Homeowners have responded both by cutting their per-capita water use, and by changing how they market their homes.
