HousingWire informs MHProNews Freddie Mac says this spring homebuying season will be the best since 2007, with home sales increasing 8-10% and housing starts rising to 950,000 units, compared to 2012’s 780,000 starts. Frank Nothaft, chief economist and vice president of Freddie Mac says, “It will be the gradually declining …
The nytimes informs MHProNews the turnaround in the housing industry has led to such a shortage of existing homes for sale that would-be buyers in some areas are reluctant to list their homes for fear it will sell before they can find a replacement. Others are waiting to see how …
According to baltimoresun, while new home construction is on the rise in Harford County, MD just northeast of Baltimore, it is well below the 1,800 to 2,000 residential permits issued in the early 2000’s. In 2012 the county issued 450 residential building permits for modular homes, townhomes, apartments and condos, …
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reports bipartisan legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives to ease credit for the nation’s home builders. Sponsored by Reps. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) and Gary Miller (R-CA), H. R. 1255, the Home Construction Lending Regulatory Improvement Act, would address regulatory obstacles …
Bi-partisan Measure Introduced to Ease Tight Credit Read More
CNNMoney says building permits spiked 34 percent from Feb. 2012-Feb. 2013, and rose five percent from Jan. 2013, the top month for permits since June 2008, according to Census Bureau figures. While the permits amounted to an annual rate of 946,000, housing starts hit an annual pace of 917,000 in …
Mitch Zacks of zacksinvestmentmanagement says one of the major factors driving the stock market as it hits new highs is the strength of the job market, which has witnessed the strongest period of job increases in over five years, and a concurrent drop in unemployment claims to a five-year low. …
According to nationalmortgagenews, the first-quarter Zillow home price expectations survey reveals that 118 economists, real estate specialists, investment and market analysts believe home prices will rise this year 4.2 percent and hit 22 percent over the next five years, exceeding pre-bubble rates by 2017. While the most optimistic respondents say …
Single-family home builder confidence slipped for the third consecutive month, falling two points to 44 for March, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). MHProNews has learned any number above 50 indicates the outlook for the next six months is good rather than poor. …
With occupancy rates hovering near 97 percent in the South Florida apartment market, the bidding for Class A multi-units is so competitive many investors are seeking out lesser quality buildings, according to worldpropertychannel. In 2012 sales of multifamily units in the one million to ten million-dollar range reached $490 million, …
MarketPlace.org informs MHProNews Eric Belsky, managing director of the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, says in 2010 more than 25 percent of renter households paid over 50 percent of their income for rent, an increase from 20 percent in 2000, putting more people at the risk of …
According to originationnews, home loan applications followed by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) fell 4.7 percent on a seasonally-adjusted basis, fed by a boost in employment figures that led to the 30-year fixed mortgage rate (FRM) reaching its highest level since August, 2012. The average for conforming 30-year FRMs rose …
MarketWire says The Freedonia Group, Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio in a new study projects that manufactured housing production will rise 13.6 percent annually to 90,000 units by 2017 as part of the overall production of 140,000 pre-fabricated homes. Similar to a report MHProNews posted Feb. 28, 2013, Freedonia states factory-built …
HousingWire informs MHProNews, as the inventory of available homes continues to drop—Capital Economics says there are only 2.7 million units on the market, the sixth lowest in 30 years– homebuilders are patiently waiting for renters to transition into buyers. According to a survey by Opinion Research Corp. on behalf of …
In their monthly report, the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) informs MHProNews the 4,190 MH shipped in Jan. is a 6.2 percent increase in production of manufactured homes in Jan. 2013 over Jan. 2012, representing a rise in both single-section as well as multi-section homes. Total floors shipped in Jan. 2013 …
Number of MH Plants and Corporations Remains the Same Read More
“The appetite among lenders and investors for commercial and multifamily mortgages grew during the fourth quarter,” said Jamie Woodwell, Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) vice president of commercial real estate research. “The fourth quarter saw the largest increase in commercial and multifamily mortgage debt outstanding since 2008.” HousingWire informs MHProNews outstanding …
CNNMoney tells MHProNews according to RealtyTrac 4.8 million borrowers have lost their homes to foreclosure since the housing bubble, and another 2.2 million let go of their homes in short sales. But many of them are coming back, and they are searching for a new place to live. Veterans Administration …
According to originationnews, economists at Wells Fargo Securities have suggested that institutional investors account for 20 percent of existing home sales, but as the inventory of preferable distressed properties declines, investors may pull back from the market. Traditional homebuyers who need mortgages are not returning to the market in numbers …
U.S. employers added 236,000 jobs in February, including 48,000 construction jobs, reflecting the upswing in the housing market. As MHProNews has learned from CNNMoney, the unemployment rate dropped to 7.7 percent, its lowest level since 2008. In the last five months builders have added 151,000 construction jobs, the highest number …
The American Banker informs MHProNews the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) is issuing its own QM rule because the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)’s may conflict with the FHA’s Single-Family Program. HUD spokesman Brian Sullivan states FHA has the authority under Dodd-Frank to create its own ability-to-repay rule, and will be …
As washingtonpost informs MHProNews, while Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been vilified for allegedly causing the financial meltdown, for being bailed out by the government to the tune of $131 billion, and for taking business from private firms, neither the Democrats nor the Republicans are actively doing much to …
