A release last Thursday from the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index named the Indianapolis region the most affordable major housing market in the country, again. Over the last five years, Indianapolis has only not held the number one ranking one time. Of all homes sold in Indianapolis in the last quarter of 2010, 93.5 percent were affordable to households earning the area's median family income of $68,700.
Indianapolis Real Estate
Showing posts with label home price. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home price. Show all posts
Monday, February 21, 2011
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
NAR Sales Spike
The up and down pace of sales that characterized the second half of 2010 appears to be ending on a high note.
The National Association of REALTORS® reports that existing home sales during November rose 5.6 percent over the previous month.
Even though November 2010 sales are still 27.9 percent below November 2009 – the initial deadline for the first-time homebuyer tax credit – NAR chief economist, Lawrence Yun, notes, “Continuing gains in home sales are encouraging, and the positive impact of steady job creation will more than trump some negative impact from a modest rise in mortgage interest rates, which remain historically favorable.”
He adds, “The relationship recently between mortgage interest rates, home prices and family income has been the most favorable on record for buying a home since we started measuring in 1970.Therefore, the market is recovering and we should trend up to a healthy, sustainable level in 2011.”
Indianapolis Real Estate
The National Association of REALTORS® reports that existing home sales during November rose 5.6 percent over the previous month.
Even though November 2010 sales are still 27.9 percent below November 2009 – the initial deadline for the first-time homebuyer tax credit – NAR chief economist, Lawrence Yun, notes, “Continuing gains in home sales are encouraging, and the positive impact of steady job creation will more than trump some negative impact from a modest rise in mortgage interest rates, which remain historically favorable.”
He adds, “The relationship recently between mortgage interest rates, home prices and family income has been the most favorable on record for buying a home since we started measuring in 1970.Therefore, the market is recovering and we should trend up to a healthy, sustainable level in 2011.”
Indianapolis Real Estate
Monday, November 22, 2010
Housing Remains Highly Affordable For Seventh Consecutive Quarter
Housing affordability remained near its highest level nationwide for the seventh consecutive quarter as interest rates dipped below 5 percent for the first time since the series was first compiled nearly two decades ago, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index (HOI) released today.
The HOI indicated that 72.1 percent of all new and existing homes sold in the third quarter of 2010 were affordable to families earning the national median income of $64,400. The index for the third quarter almost equaled the record-high 72.5 percent set during the first quarter of 2009 and marked the seventh consecutive quarter that the index rose above 70 percent. Until 2009, the HOI rarely topped 65 percent and never reached 70 percent.
"With interest rates remaining at historically low levels, and house prices starting to stabilize, homeownership is within reach of more households than it has been for almost 20 years,," said NAHB Chairman Bob Jones, a home builder from Bloomfield Hills, Mich. "While these favorable conditions are beginning to draw home buyers back into the market, builders continue to have major problems in obtaining credit for new-home construction, and this obstacle must be overcome if builders are to respond to improving demand moving forward."
Indianapolis-Carmel, Ind., was the most affordable major housing market in the country, regaining the top ranking it held for nearly five years after being edged out by Syracuse, N.Y., last quarter. In Indianapolis, 93.3 percent of all homes sold were affordable to households earning the area's median family income of $68,700.
Also near the top of the list of the most affordable major metro housing markets were Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, Ohio-Pa.; Grand Rapids-Wyoming, Mich.; and Dayton, Ohio, and Wichita, Kan.
Among smaller housing markets, the most affordable was Kokomo, Ind., where 96.1 percent of homes sold during the third quarter of 2010 were affordable to families earning a median-income of $61,400. Other smaller housing markets near the top of the index included Mansfield, Ohio; Lima, Ohio; Monroe, Mich.; and Bay City, Mich., respectively.
New York-White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.-N.J., continued to lead the nation as the least affordable major housing market during the third quarter of 2010. In New York, 22.6 percent of all homes sold during the quarter were affordable to those earning the area's median income of $65,600. This was the 10th consecutive quarter that the New York metropolitan division has occupied this position.
The other major metro areas near the bottom of the affordability scale included San Francisco; Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Conn.; Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif.; and Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif., respectively.
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, Calif. was the least affordable of the smaller metro housing markets in the country during the third quarter. Other small metro areas ranking near the bottom included San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, Calif.; Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, Calif.; Ocean City, N.J; and Napa, Calif.
Please visit www.nahb.org/hoi for tables, historic data and details.
Indianapolis Real Estate
The HOI indicated that 72.1 percent of all new and existing homes sold in the third quarter of 2010 were affordable to families earning the national median income of $64,400. The index for the third quarter almost equaled the record-high 72.5 percent set during the first quarter of 2009 and marked the seventh consecutive quarter that the index rose above 70 percent. Until 2009, the HOI rarely topped 65 percent and never reached 70 percent.
"With interest rates remaining at historically low levels, and house prices starting to stabilize, homeownership is within reach of more households than it has been for almost 20 years,," said NAHB Chairman Bob Jones, a home builder from Bloomfield Hills, Mich. "While these favorable conditions are beginning to draw home buyers back into the market, builders continue to have major problems in obtaining credit for new-home construction, and this obstacle must be overcome if builders are to respond to improving demand moving forward."
Indianapolis-Carmel, Ind., was the most affordable major housing market in the country, regaining the top ranking it held for nearly five years after being edged out by Syracuse, N.Y., last quarter. In Indianapolis, 93.3 percent of all homes sold were affordable to households earning the area's median family income of $68,700.
Also near the top of the list of the most affordable major metro housing markets were Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, Ohio-Pa.; Grand Rapids-Wyoming, Mich.; and Dayton, Ohio, and Wichita, Kan.
Among smaller housing markets, the most affordable was Kokomo, Ind., where 96.1 percent of homes sold during the third quarter of 2010 were affordable to families earning a median-income of $61,400. Other smaller housing markets near the top of the index included Mansfield, Ohio; Lima, Ohio; Monroe, Mich.; and Bay City, Mich., respectively.
New York-White Plains-Wayne, N.Y.-N.J., continued to lead the nation as the least affordable major housing market during the third quarter of 2010. In New York, 22.6 percent of all homes sold during the quarter were affordable to those earning the area's median income of $65,600. This was the 10th consecutive quarter that the New York metropolitan division has occupied this position.
The other major metro areas near the bottom of the affordability scale included San Francisco; Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Conn.; Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, Calif.; and Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, Calif., respectively.
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, Calif. was the least affordable of the smaller metro housing markets in the country during the third quarter. Other small metro areas ranking near the bottom included San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, Calif.; Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, Calif.; Ocean City, N.J; and Napa, Calif.
Please visit www.nahb.org/hoi for tables, historic data and details.
Indianapolis Real Estate
Monday, November 15, 2010
How Rising Interest Rates Will Impact Affordability
In a recent Forbes blog post, multimillionaire hedge fund manager John Paulson declared that today’s record-low interest rates made this the best time to buy homes in fifty years. “If you don’t own a home, buy one,” Paulson said. “If you own one home, buy another one, and if you own two homes, buy a third and lend your relatives the money to buy a home.” Why should we care what Paulson thinks? Well, he was among the few to accurately predict the subprime collapse and, while no one has a crystal ball, a closer look at the numbers supports his call to action.
Historically low interest rates are the key…and they aren’t likely to hang around for long.
As we wrote in SHIFT, buyers who “choose to wait until prices come down more” are gambling that interest rates will hold steady or drop. The truth is even a 10 percent drop in home prices is nullified by a 1 percent increase in interest rates. The figure below illustrates how this works for a $250,000 home purchase and the relative likelihood of each scenario.
To figure out which was a smarter bet–counting on home prices to fall further or interest rates to rise–our research department took the last ten years of monthly home price and mortgage interest rate data and ran the numbers to see which was more likely: an increase in mortgage rates or a further drop in home prices. Here’s what we found:
1. A one percent increase in mortgage rates is ten times more likely to happen than a ten percent drop in home prices.
2. A one percent rate increase more than offsets a ten percent reduction in home prices.
3. When interest rates fall by one percent, the total interest paid is almost three times more than the interest savings from a ten percent drop in home prices.
4. The probability of both happening at the same time is ridiculously small, and homeowners would still pay 15 percent more in interest over the life of the loan.
Interest rates have dominated the news in recent months as we’ve shattered record low after record low. Potential home buyers need to understand the positive financial impact low interest rates have on the cost of home ownership and the thousands of dollars that can be saved over the life of a typical mortgage loan. For those who can afford to buy, trade up, or invest, our current market presents a lifetime opportunity.
Original artical available at: http://blog.kw.com/2010/11/11/how-rising-interest-rates-will-impact-affordability/
Indianapolis Real Estate
Historically low interest rates are the key…and they aren’t likely to hang around for long.
As we wrote in SHIFT, buyers who “choose to wait until prices come down more” are gambling that interest rates will hold steady or drop. The truth is even a 10 percent drop in home prices is nullified by a 1 percent increase in interest rates. The figure below illustrates how this works for a $250,000 home purchase and the relative likelihood of each scenario.
To figure out which was a smarter bet–counting on home prices to fall further or interest rates to rise–our research department took the last ten years of monthly home price and mortgage interest rate data and ran the numbers to see which was more likely: an increase in mortgage rates or a further drop in home prices. Here’s what we found:
1. A one percent increase in mortgage rates is ten times more likely to happen than a ten percent drop in home prices.
2. A one percent rate increase more than offsets a ten percent reduction in home prices.
3. When interest rates fall by one percent, the total interest paid is almost three times more than the interest savings from a ten percent drop in home prices.
4. The probability of both happening at the same time is ridiculously small, and homeowners would still pay 15 percent more in interest over the life of the loan.
Interest rates have dominated the news in recent months as we’ve shattered record low after record low. Potential home buyers need to understand the positive financial impact low interest rates have on the cost of home ownership and the thousands of dollars that can be saved over the life of a typical mortgage loan. For those who can afford to buy, trade up, or invest, our current market presents a lifetime opportunity.
Original artical available at: http://blog.kw.com/2010/11/11/how-rising-interest-rates-will-impact-affordability/
Indianapolis Real Estate
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
If you don’t own a home buy one...
It could be time to sell your low-yielding bonds and replace them with higher-yielding common stocks.
Multibillionaire hedge fund operator John Paulson, the investment genius who made a killing going short subprime mortgages a few years ago, told a standing room only crowd at New York’s University Club that double-digit inflation is about to rear its ugly head by 2012, killing the bond market, and restoring strength to equities and gold.
Paulson’s warning to sell U.S. government bonds is one of the latest signs that the most successful investors of this generation believe the run up in bonds is over. Paulson especially underscored the attraction of equities with earnings yields of 7%-8% compared to the 2.6% pittance available on 10-year Treasuries.
Paulson listed his favorite blue-chip stocks; JNJ (Johnson& Johnson) at a 3.8% yield; KO(Coca Cola);PFE, 4% yield., as well as C (Citigroup), BAC (BankofAmerica) and STI (Suntrust Banks) and RF (Regions Financial).
Paulson is a pro at buying the distressed bonds of bankrupt companies, and then converting the debt to equity in reorganization and benefiting from the potential run up. He mentioned one of his greatest plays — K-Mart, which emerged from bankruptcy at $10 a share and then skyrocketed to $190 a share.
His crystal ball is for 2% GDP growth for 2011 and 2012 and he warns that the Fed’s promise of quantitative easing should contribute to double-digit inflation over the next few years.
As this is the best time in 50 years to buy homes, Paulson advised his listeners, crowded into 3 separate dining rooms, to issue 30 year mortgages to buy a home as “your debt and interest payments get locked in at record lows, while the price of your home will rise.”
“If you don’t own a home buy one,” Paulson recommended; ” if you own one home, buy another one, and if you own two homes buy a third and lend your relatives the money to buy a home.”
Indianapolis Real Estate
Multibillionaire hedge fund operator John Paulson, the investment genius who made a killing going short subprime mortgages a few years ago, told a standing room only crowd at New York’s University Club that double-digit inflation is about to rear its ugly head by 2012, killing the bond market, and restoring strength to equities and gold.
Paulson’s warning to sell U.S. government bonds is one of the latest signs that the most successful investors of this generation believe the run up in bonds is over. Paulson especially underscored the attraction of equities with earnings yields of 7%-8% compared to the 2.6% pittance available on 10-year Treasuries.
Paulson listed his favorite blue-chip stocks; JNJ (Johnson& Johnson) at a 3.8% yield; KO(Coca Cola);PFE, 4% yield., as well as C (Citigroup), BAC (BankofAmerica) and STI (Suntrust Banks) and RF (Regions Financial).
Paulson is a pro at buying the distressed bonds of bankrupt companies, and then converting the debt to equity in reorganization and benefiting from the potential run up. He mentioned one of his greatest plays — K-Mart, which emerged from bankruptcy at $10 a share and then skyrocketed to $190 a share.
His crystal ball is for 2% GDP growth for 2011 and 2012 and he warns that the Fed’s promise of quantitative easing should contribute to double-digit inflation over the next few years.
As this is the best time in 50 years to buy homes, Paulson advised his listeners, crowded into 3 separate dining rooms, to issue 30 year mortgages to buy a home as “your debt and interest payments get locked in at record lows, while the price of your home will rise.”
“If you don’t own a home buy one,” Paulson recommended; ” if you own one home, buy another one, and if you own two homes buy a third and lend your relatives the money to buy a home.”
Indianapolis Real Estate
Thursday, September 30, 2010
REALTOR® Magazine-Daily News-Foreclosure, REO Home Prices Rise
The average price of these homes in the second quarter was $174,198 nationwide, but was significantly higher in California where the average price, according to RealtyTrac, was $256,833. These prices reflected homes sold by lenders or by homeowners who had received at least one notice of default.
About 24 percent of all properties sold in the second quarter were REOs and foreclosures. Their prices were on average 26 percent lower than those of homes not in foreclosure, RealtyTrac reported.
RealtyTrac Senior Vice President Rick Sharga projected that it would be the end of 2013 before the housing marked works its way through the foreclosure inventory.
REALTOR® Magazine-Daily News-Foreclosure, REO Home Prices Rise
Indianapolis Real Estate
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