U.S. house prices rose 0.7 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from September to October, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s monthly House Price Index. The previously reported 0.7 percent decrease in September was revised downward to a 1.2 percent decrease. For the 12 months ending in October, U.S. …
U.S. Monthly House Price Index Increases 0.7 Percent from September to October Read More
After stepping back in October, reversing into the negative territory, the Architecture Billings Index (ABI) rose more than three points in November to reach its highest mark since December, 2007. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine-to-twelve-month lag time between architecture billings and …
Architecture Billings Index Reaches Highest Score Since 2007 Read More
From Missouri, Knox.com reports about an effort underway to keep manufactured homes and other personal property items from being subject to a tax. According to the report, Richard LaViolet has approval from the Secretary of State to begin collecting signatures for a constitutional amendment that would do away with Missouri’s …
Missouri Man Goes to Battle with Tax on Manufactured Homes Read More
Improvements in consumer spending and consumer confidence, increased demand for goods and services, and falling unemployment claims are all positive factors for a brighter outlook as we move into 2011, according to the December 2010 Economic Outlook released today by Fannie Mae’s (FNMA/OTC) Economics & Mortgage Market Analysis Group. Downside …
Economic Outlook Brightens According to Fannie Mae Read More
A new Fannie Mae study may provide insight into the future buyers of manufactured homes. Fannie Mae released the second installment of its 2010 Own-Rent Analysis finding the U.S. population is projected to grow by nearly 130 million people over the next 40 years and much of this growth will …
FMI, the largest provider of management consulting, investment banking and research to the engineering and construction industry, reported that as of the 4th quarter, the Non-Residential Construction Index has been in positive territory for three quarters in a row. In its query, FMI found the long recession brought about many changes …
Growth Projected for Modular Commercial Construction Read More
CNBC reports Berkshire Hathaway is issuing $500 million of new notes to refinance a mortgage-lending unit. Berkshire uses the money to finance mortgages for people who buy homes from its manufactured homes unit, Clayton Homes. The report indicates investors can buy the bonds in thousand-dollar increments, with a minimum purchase …
The Commerce Department’s U.S. Census Bureau released data on new residential construction in November 2010. Permits for new housing units declined four percent in November, compared with private-sector expectations of a moderate 1.4 percent rise. Housing starts increased 3.9 percent, below private-sector expectations of a 6.0 percent increase. However, with …
RealtyTrac released its U.S. Foreclosure Market Report for November 2010 on Thursday, which shows foreclosure filings—default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions—were reported on 262,339 U.S. properties in November, a 21 percent decrease from the previous month and a 14 percent decrease from November 2009. One in every 492 U.S. …
Foreclosure Activity Decreases 21 Percent in November Read More
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey Wednesday for the week ending December 10, 2010. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 2.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 2.7 …
Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey Read More
BostonSF.com reports that Westchester Modular Homes of Greater Boston recently announced its plans to build a new, state-of-the-art showroom and sales center along the highly-traveled Route 1 in Saugus, MA, designed to introduce modular home construction to the North Shore and beyond. The new building is expected to be completed …
The Congressional Oversight Panel released its December oversight report this week, finding in the eight months since the Panel’s last report on the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), that Treasury has made minor tweaks to the program, but the changes have not resolved the Panel’s core concerns. The Panel now …
The Dow closed up 18 points—one sixteenth of one percent— Monday, but had been up as much as 50 point earlier in the day. The Manufactured Housing Composite Value once again rose more than the Dow with a 3.63 percent gain. Helping to bring those averages up was Skyline Corporation, …
The Manufactured Housing Institute’s actual shipments report indicates that 3,841 new HUD Code homes were shipped in October 2010, down 15.7 percent from October 2009. Decreases were across the board with shipments of both single-section and multi-section homes down compared with the same month last year. Compared with 2009, manufactured …
Last week, President Obama announced that the Administration and congressional Republicans had arrived at a “bipartisan agreement” to extend Bush-era tax cuts for two years, jobless benefits for 13 months, and other tax incentives to support business expansion. The Manufactured Housing Institute reports the compromise measure includes an extension of …
MHI Urges Congress to Enact Middle Class Tax Cut Bill Read More
Serving as leading indicators for the sector, two composite multifamily indices produced from NAHB’s survey of multifamily builders and property managers showed improvement in the third quarter of 2010. The NAHB Multifamily Production Index (MPI) increased to a value of 35.6, up from the 26.6 level reported for the second …
A new study released today by Fannie Mae finds that most Americans — both those who currently own their homes and those who rent — strongly aspire to own a home and to maintain homeownership, despite ongoing turmoil in the housing market. However, demographic trends such as fewer married couples …
U.S. homes are expected to lose more than $1.7 trillion in value during 2010, which is 63 percent more than the $1 trillion lost in 2009, according to analysis of recent Zillow Real Estate Market Reports. That brings the total value lost since the market peaked in June 2006 to …
Residential Home Value Loss Since Peak Exceeds Cost of 12 Iraq Wars Read More
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey Wednesday for the week ending December 3, 2010. The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 0.9 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 22.8 …
From Bloomberg we find a fiscal flood from taxpayers seeking to lower property-tax bills, which threatens to swamp local government budgets across the U.S. From Los Angeles to Atlantic City Bloomberg finds property owners are demanding lower taxes after real-estate values plunged. U.S. home prices are 30 percent below their …
