Tag Archives: First-Time Homebuyers

Findings released in the National Association of Realtors├â┬ó├óÔÇÜ┬¼├óÔÇ×┬ó (NAR) annual Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers survey demonstrate what industry experts have been saying since the housing market started to pick up: Access to credit is going to have to loosen before mortgage-dependent homebuyers can make a more meaningful contribution to the recovery. According to NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun, conditions are especially restrictive for single and first-time buyers.

Data from the latest Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance HousingPulse Tracking Survey shows a drop in traffic in August for all three groups of homebuyers.

Among three buyer types--current homeowner, first-time homebuyer, and investor--current homeowners were the only group to see activity rise in June, according to data from the latest Campbell/Inside Mortgage Finance HousingPulse Tracking survey. As rising home prices discourage investment activity, HousePulse found home purchases from investors slipped to 19.7 percent, down significantly from 23.1 percent from February. June was the fourth straight month to see investor traffic decline.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) took a look at Generation Y's browsing and purchasing habits to determine how their presence will affect the industry.

While competition over available homes remains fierce in many areas around the country, the latest Bidding War Report from Redfin shows some markets cooled off a bit in April.

In March, investors accounted for 13.3 percent of the market share for non-distressed properties, while current homeowners represented 50 percent of the market.

In today's seller's market, Trulia says buyers in today's market are especially vulnerable to making decisions they may regret in the future.

The number of homebuyers who think the price recovery will continue through 2013 has more than doubled throughout 2012.

New home sales barely budged in October, dropping 0.3 percent to 368,000 after September's report was revised sharply downward from an original 389,000 to 369,000 the Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development reported Wednesday. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expected the report to show a sales pace of 387,000. Even with the slow growth in October, sales are up 17.2 percent from October 2011. However, the year-over-year gain was weaker than the 25.3 percent annual growth reported for September.

Home prices and home sales are rising, despite lackluster demand of traditional owner-occupied housing, according to Tim Rood of The Collingwood Group.