Tag Archives: Home Prices

According to responses in the New York Fed's most recent Survey of Consumer Expectations (SCE), consumers last month indicated a median home price change expectation of 4.0 percent, reversing an increase to 4.6 percent in January. Price change expectations hovered around 4.5 percent for much of last year's second half, coming down only when national reports indicated a slowdown.

The “boom-and-bust” markets, which led the nation in pre- and post-crisis home price trends, are now at the forefront of a new price trend—a deceleration in home price gains across the nation, according to Trulia. The national real estate company released its Price and Rent Monitors last week, revealing trends in asking prices across the country.

After starting the year on a low note, consumer attitudes toward housing brightened overall in February, according to Fannie Mae. That renewed confidence in home prices spurred a boost in those saying now is a good time to buy a home; that number was up 3 percentage points to 68 percent. At the same time, though, the share of respondents saying they think it would be easy for them to get a mortgage right now retreated from January's all-time high.

Nationwide, the economy and housing market are functioning at a level about 87 percent of their pre-crisis normal levels, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and First American’s Leading Markets Index. Fifty-nine of the 350 metro markets are at or above their pre-crisis norms, according to the index, up from 58 metros last month. At the same time, 130 markets are at least 90 percent of their pre-crisis levels, according to NAHB.

Clear Capital released earlier this week its latest Home Data Index (HDI) Market Report, recording only a 1 percent gain in home prices over the quarter ending last month. That figure is down from a 2.5 percent pace of growth for the January quarter. While many price indicators have pointed to slowdowns over the last few months, the latest trend could be the start of something worse, says Dr. Alex Villacorta, VP of research and analytics at Clear Capital.

As of the end of 2013, CoreLogic estimates the number of mortgaged residential properties with equity totaled about 42.7 million, representing a share of about 86.7 percent. Due to a slowdown in the quarterly growth rate of the company's Home Price Index, the share of homes with equity versus underwater homes was mostly unchanged from Q3 to Q4.

CoreLogic’s Home Price Index (HPI) for January came out 12 percent ahead of last year’s report, marking the 23rd straight month of annual improvements. At the state level, Louisiana, Nebraska, and Texas each surpassed their respective price peaks in January. In all, CoreLogic reports 22 states and the District of Columbia are either at or within 10 percent of their peak home price appreciation.

The median days on market for homes sold in 20 metros tracked by Redfin rose to 41 in January, the company reported—five days longer than in December. At the same time, however, the share of listings under contract within two weeks jumped to a quarter. “That uptick indicates that determined buyers are still keen to quickly make offers on the most coveted listings,” said Redfin researcher Troy Martin.

On a quarterly basis, home prices rose 1.2 percent, marking the tenth consecutive quarter of price increases, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency's House Price Index report. The price appreciation that took place in the fourth quarter was "considerable, but more modest than in recent periods," said Andrew Leventis, principal economist for the FHFA.

It’s been accepted for the last few years that housing supply hasn’t been able to keep up with demand, contributing to large gains in home prices nationwide—but how do the numbers break down, and how do specific groups of buyers and sellers balance against each other?