Choose your path
Mortgage rates rose during the past week as reports revealed greater economic activity and new inflation data, Freddie Mac reported June 9 in its Primary Mortgage Market Survey. The rising rates have put the housing market in flux as homebuyer demand wanes and home price growth returns to more normal levels.
Mortgage originations during the first quarter were down 18% from the previous quarter, which is the largest drop since 2017, ATTOM reported June 9 in its 2022 U.S. Residential Property Mortgage Origination Report. The decline is attributed to a double-digit drop in both purchase and refinance activity.
The global economic outlook is positive and a recession might be avoidable, despite the conflict in Ukraine, a tightening of the real estate debt markets and a decline in consumer confidence and spending, according to CBRE Chief Economist Richard Barkham, GlobeSt.com reported May 31. Barkham cited strong momentum in the U.S. and Europe after they reopened their economies, and China’s economic stimulus efforts.
The self-storage sector saw strong demand from new customers in April, while also benefitting from significant numbers of customers who renewed their leases and from monthly rental rates that hit historic highs, according to the Yardi Matrix National Self Storage report, GlobeSt.com reported May 27. Monthly rates grew the most in Southeast cities while new inventory increased the most in New York.
While mortgage rates dropped slightly during the past week, they’re still higher than at the same point a year ago, which is affecting housing affordability and purchase demand, Freddie Mac reported June 2 in its Primary Mortgage Market Survey. With the pool of potential homebuyers down and the supply of available properties up, the housing market is expected to normalize.
First-time homebuyers should have the best luck finding a starter home in the feeder cities outside of the Washington, D.C.; Indianapolis; and Pittsburgh metros, StorageCafé reported in a study published June 1. First-time buyers looking to live in a larger city will find their best options are Columbus, Ohio; Minneapolis; and Nashville, Tennessee.
The office market recovery paused during the first quarter following two months of occupancy gains, but overall trends point toward stabilization, according to the Colliers Office Market Outlook report, MBA NewsLink reported June 6. The office vacancy rate increased by 15% during the quarter, but some hot markets reported positive absorption, notably Seattle and Silicon Valley.
Austin, Texas, topped the list of cities with the highest rate of both single-family and multifamily construction permits per capita, Redfin reported May 27. The list of cities reporting an uptick in new construction is heavily populated by those in the Sun Belt; Raleigh, North Carolina; Jacksonville, Florida; and Phoenix.
The hospitality sector should see a full recovery in average daily rates this year and a full recovery in revenue per available room next year, according to the CBRE Hotel Horizons report, MBA NewsLink reported May 31. The average daily rate during the first quarter was 39% higher than the same point a year ago while revenue per available room is tracking 61% higher.
Eight of the 15 fastest-growing cities in the U.S. were in the West, according to a Census Bureau analysis of 2020 population figures, GlobeSt.com reported May 31. Nampa City, Idaho, experienced the most growth for cities with at least 50,000 people, followed by Georgetown City, Texas. The slowest growth was reported in Rhode Island, Illinois and West Virginia.
Pop up content here.