Eye On Housing
Author Archives
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Among Government-Backed Home Loans, USDA Loans’ Average Size Spike
The latest data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Applications Survey show a decrease of 2.4% in fixed-rate mortgage applications on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. Currently, fixed-rate mortgages account for about 95% of all mortgage activity, with the rest of mortgage applications being adjustable-rate mortgages. While through most of June, refinancing activity was experiencing highs that… Read More ›
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Consumer Credit Report Shows Acceleration of Revolving Debt
The Federal Reserve’s latest G.19 Consumer Credit Report shows rising trends in consumer credit, excluding loans secured by real estate, through May 2019. As of May 31, 2019, consumer credit totaled $4.1 trillion on a seasonally adjusted basis, with $1.1 trillion in revolving debt1 and $3.0 trillion in nonrevolving debt2. This is an increase of $17 billion from the previous… Read More ›
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Refinance Activity Surges on a Year-over-Year Basis
Data from the latest survey of the Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Application Survey show small year-over-year gains in purchasing activity and larger year-over-year gains in refinancing activity. The Primary Market Mortgage Survey indicated no change in the 30-year fixed rate mortgage (FRM) from the previous week, at a non-seasonally adjusted rate of 3.8%. However, two weeks ago, the FRM decreased… Read More ›
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Homeowners Cautious with Lines of Credit Despite Equity Gains
The current release of the Federal Reserve’s Z.1 Financial Accounts report of the U.S., also known as the flow of funds report, shows a continuing increase in the market value of households in the U.S. Mortgage debt continues to expand as well, albeit at a much slower pace. The aggregate market value of houses represents assets on households’ balance sheets,… Read More ›
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Consumer Credit Posts Highest Yearly Increase Since July 2017
The Federal Reserve’s latest G.19 Consumer Credit Report shows rising trends in consumer credit, excluding loans secured by real estate, through April 2019. As of April 30, 2019, consumer credit totaled $4.1 trillion on a seasonally adjusted basis, with $1.1 trillion in revolving debt1 and $3.0 trillion in nonrevolving debt2. The latest monthly year-over-year percentage increase of 5.3% in the… Read More ›
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Small City Single-Family Building Growth Slowing
After several years of steady construction gains, single-family construction in small cities experienced a net deceleration of growth going into 2019. Such areas represent 37% of all single-family construction nationwide. With a population of nearly 95 million, small cities in the U.S. account for about 30% of the U.S. population and therefore serve as a good “demographic and economic microcosm”… Read More ›
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Single-Family Market Share Change
As tracked by the NAHB HBGI, the changing geographic shares of single-family construction across the U.S. reflect the evolution of home building. As can be seen from the above figure, the market share of single-family permits for small city core areas declined slightly over the last eight years, starting initially from a little less than 30% of single-family home construction… Read More ›
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Purchase Mortgages and Refinancing Slump Amid Trade Disputes
The Mortgage Bankers Association’s Weekly Application Survey’s latest survey cites the ongoing trade dispute with China as a source of worry for potential homeowners holding off home buying. As Treasury yields have fallen in the past few weeks, so too has the 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage (FRM). On a seasonally adjusted basis, refinancing activity fell by 6.0% from the previous week…. Read More ›
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HBGI Shows Multifamily Gains in Small Towns and Rural Areas
NAHB analysis of multifamily construction permits over the last four quarters indicates relatively higher growth rates in less populated areas. A prior post reviewed the newly released Home Building Geography Index (HBGI) through the perspective of single-family permit activity. This post examines multifamily construction as classified into the seven HBGI regional geographies, as differentiated by urban density. Economic theory suggests… Read More ›
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Exurbs Grow During a Weak First Quarter per NAHB HBGI
Following the Great Recession, the National Association of Home Builders created the Leading Market Index (LMI) to track the recovery of the housing market based on three factors: employment, house price indices, and housing construction. As the recovery transitioned into a period in which supply-side elements (land, labor, lumber, lending and laws) were limiting factors and housing affordability declined, the… Read More ›