Housing Analysis
Housing Market Index Shows Builders Continue To Have A Positive Outlook
The National Association of Homebuilders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index dropped two points to 55 from September’s revised reading of 57. Builder concerns over labor costs and availability and economic uncertainty related to the federal government shutdown were noted as factors contributing to the lower reading for October.
Read MoreWhat’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – October 7, 2013
This week’s economic news commentary has been dominated by the “what ifs” of a government shutdown; opinions of potential consequences are limited only by the number of commentators sharing their opinions. Unfortunately, more concrete examples of the shutdown were evident last Tuesday and Friday.
The Department of Commerce delayed release of August’s Construction Spending report that were due last Tuesday and The Bureau of Labor Statistics delayed the release of September’s Non-farm Payroll and Unemployment that were due last Friday.
Read MoreWhat’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week-September 30, 2013
What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week-September 30, 2013
Read MoreCase Shiller Price Index Shows An Annual Growth Rate Of Home Prices
Home prices were still gaining in July, but for 15 of 20 cities included the S&P/Case-Shiller 10 and 20-city Home Price Indices, the pace of increasing home prices is slowing down. National home prices rose by 1.80 percent in July as compared to 2.20 percent in June. Home prices grew by 0.60 percent from June to July on a seasonally-adjusted basis. This was the lowest month-to-month gain since September 2012.
Read MoreHighest Existing Home Sales Since February 2007
Sales of existing homes reached their highest volume in almost six years in August. The National Association of REALTORS reported Thursday that sales of existing homes rose 1.70 percent in August to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 5.48 million existing homes sold.
Read MoreWhat’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week — September 23, 2013
Last week’s economic news was dominated by the Federal Reserve’s decision not to taper its $85 billion in monthly securities purchases.
Read MoreHome Builder Confidence Has Far Outpaced Actual Home Construction
Home builder confidence was unchanged for September according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index HMI released Tuesday. After four months of rising confidence, September’s HMI reading came in at 58, which was not far from expectations of a reading of 59.
Read MoreWhat’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – September 16, 2013
Last week didn’t feature any housing-related news other than Freddie Mac’s weekly survey of mortgage interest rates. Reports on consumer credit, job openings and weekly jobless claims suggest that without some relief in the jobs market, Americans may be taking a “wait-and-see” stance toward buying homes.
Read MoreWhat’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – September 9, 2013
Last week was relatively calm due to the Labor Day Holiday on Monday little mortgage and housing related news. However, there were several positive indicators for overall economic conditions.
Read MorePending Home Sales Indicates That The Housing Recovery Is Progressing
The National Association of REALTORS reported Wednesday that pending sales of existing homes fell by 1.30 percent in July. According to the organizationâs Pending Home Sales Index, this was the second straight month that pending home sales dropped. Julyâs Pending Home Sales Index reading was 109.50.
Read More