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Residential sales remained flat or contracted slightly in most Fed districts as low inventory and high mortgage rates dampened homebuyer demand, the Federal Reserve revealed June 1 in its latest Beige Book. Many districts reported mixed commercial real estate activity, but demand for industrial and warehouse space was on the rise in multiple districts.
The Appraisal Institute designated 29 members in May, with 11 receiving an MAI designation, 7 receiving an SRA designation, 5 receiving an AI-GRS designation and 6 receiving an AI-RRS designation.
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.
Pending home sales fell 3.9% in April, marking the sixth consecutive monthly decline and 11 months of year-over-year declines, the National Association of Realtors reported May 26. The Midwest was the only region to see a monthly increase in April. Overall, pending contracts are at their slowest pace in nearly a decade.
Legislation introduced last month in the Senate would change the Department of Veterans Affairs’ valuation requirements to permit desktop appraisals and, in some cases, appraisal waivers, HousingWire reported May 23. Currently, all VA appraisals must be handled in-house, a process that has garnered complaints about taking too long and being too expensive.
The Appraisal Institute regrets the passing of the following Designated Members, as reported to the organization in May.
Amazon is reportedly shedding more than 10 million square feet of industrial space, GlobeSt.com reported May 23. At the end of last year, Amazon leased or owned more than 387 million square feet in North America. With industrial construction completions down and rents up, returning the surplus space to the market could help the sector find equilibrium.
Home price growth in opportunity zones is keeping pace with national home price growth, up by at least 20% in more than half of the nation’s opportunity zones between the fourth quarter 2021 and first quarter 2022, ATTOM reported May 26. The median home price in opportunity zones is still less than $200,000.
Mortgage loan applications were down 1.2% from last week, and the Market Composite Index, which measures mortgage loan application volume, decreased 1.2% from the previous week, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported May 25 in its Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey. The Refinance Index was down 4% from the previous week.
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