June Housing Starts: Rapid Reaction
June housing starts were soft nationwide, but one month of soft starts and permitting data is not enough to reverse the general upswing the new home construction and sales markets have been on for the past year or so.
Mortgage Rates Stable as Markets Keep Close Eye on Trade War, Earnings
Mortgage rates were flat over the past week as markets struggled to balance incoming data. While watching closely for reactions to new tariffs, stock and bond investors also have an eye on the start of earnings season.
Waterfront Home Premium Shrinking, Highest in Lower-Priced Markets
While waterfront homes nationally are worth a total $134 billion, the price premium for single-family homes on the water has fallen to 36 percent in April 2018, down from 54 percent in 2012 and an average of 41 percent over the past 22 years.
Non-Resident Foreigners Sell for Twice Median U.S. Home Value
The average price of real estate sold by non-resident foreigners in 2015 was $402,321 – more than double the value of the median U.S. home that year. The IRS withheld $922.3 million worth of real estate taxes from these transactions.
Homeownership Aspirations: The Enduring & Evolving American Dream
Almost all respondents (94 percent) said that if money were no object, they would own their home, and detached single-family homes are idealized among all age groups.
Quiet Week for Mortgage Rates as Markets Watch for Fed Minutes, Commentary
Mortgage rates inched higher over the past week after dropping last Wednesday, returning roughly to where they stood early last week. They remain below their mid-June highs.
Homes With Central Air Command $5,486 More on Average
Nationally, 66.1 percent of homes listed for sale over the past year have central air conditioning, selling for 2.5 percent -- or $5,486 -- more than comparable homes without central air. In Las Vegas, the share is 99.1 percent.
When Rent Growth Signals Stability, Not Stress (May 2018 Market Report)
Median rent is growing faster this spring compared to last spring nationwide and in 27 of the nation’s 35 largest markets, according to the May Zillow Real Estate Market Report. But in 25 of those same 35 markets, rent itself was down somewhat in May compared to recent highs.
Mortgage Rates Flat in the Face of Trade Worries, Stock Market Gyrations
Despite an escalating trade battle between the United States and China that has sparked stock market gyrations over the past week, mortgage rates remain flat – continuing to hover slightly below their highest levels in years.
April Case-Shiller Results and May Forecast: The New Normal
The U.S. National Case-Shiller Index rose 6.4 percent in April from a year ago, largely in line with expectations. April was the eighth straight month of annual appreciation of 6 percent or higher, and the longest such streak since a stretch of 19 months of breakneck appreciation that began in December 2012 as the housing market began to bounce back in earnest from the depths of the recession.
