According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the first 11 months of 2012 is setting the stage for what is anticipated to be a record year for the housing market, once Dec. numbers are in. HousingWire says NAR’s Housing Affordability Index through Nov. 2012 stood at 198.2, and expects the average for 2012 will be 194, a record high, up from 186 in 2011, the previous record. The index is based on a compilation of median home price, median family income and average mortgage interest rate. MHProNews has learned as prices and mortgage rates increase, NAR expects the average in 2013 will hit 160, the third highest, which means a median-income family would need 160 percent of the income required to buy a median-priced single-family home. NAR president Gary Thomas says, “A more sensible lending environment that makes it easier for other financially qualified buyers to get a mortgage would allow many more households to enter the market, boosting home sales as much as 10% to 15%.”
