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May 2019

Mortgage Environment 'Desperately' Needs Reform: Chase CEO

JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon stated in his annual shareholder letter that the U.S. housing market "desperately" needs reform and believes that at least $1 trillion in mortgages could have been made — but were not, HousingWire reported April 4. Dimon said the lending environment is too conservative, and reforms could help economic growth.

May 2019

Homebuyers Will Pay Extra for Energy Efficiency: NAHB

The housing market — especially the entry-level segment — could stumble this year due to "underbuilding," a situation exacerbated by rising materials costs, tariffs on imported materials and labor shortages, according to consulting firm Grant Thornton, HousingWire reported April 19. Housing starts and household formation analytics suggest the worst underbuilding since the 1970s.

May 2019

Tax Reform Is Hurting the Housing Market, New York Federal Reserve Study Shows

New home sales dropped 7.6 percent between the third and fourth quarters in 2018, according to a report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York released April 18, MarketWatch reported. Researchers cited changes to the federal tax code as the key factor in the slowdown.

May 2019

BofA Seeks to Boost Homeownership, Offers Borrowers up to $10,000 to Close a Loan

Bank of America has pledged up to $5 billion to boost affordable housing, including offering up to $10,000 to help borrowers close loans, HousingWire reported April 2. The lender further committed another $5 billion over the next five years for its Neighborhood Solutions program to boost homeownership rates.

May 2019

Home Prices Reach Record High, Realtor.com Reports

Home prices reached an all-time high in March with the median price topping $300,000 for the first time, according to a Realtor.com report released April 4. Listing prices in March were up 7.2 percent compared to the same point last year and are expected to continue rising.

May 2019

Gen Xers Buying Multigenerational Houses to Accommodate Adult Children: NAR

One in six members of Generation X purchased a multigenerational home last year, overtaking younger boomers as the generation most likely to do so, the National Association of Realtors reported April 1 in its Home Buyers and Sellers Generational Trends Report. More than half Gen X multigeneration homebuyers reported adult children living with them.

May 2019

Newark, New Jersey, Tops List of Markets Most at Risk for Housing Crash, Data Shows

Newark, New Jersey, is most at risk for a housing crash, with 27.9% of homes there underwater, 6.4% of homes delinquent on their mortgage and a high vacancy rate for rental units, the finance website GoBankingRates reported April 8. Detroit and Bridgeport, Connecticut, rounded out the top three on the list.

May 2019

Conservatorship Prevented Almost 4.3M Foreclosures: FHFA

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have completed nearly 4.3 million foreclosure prevention actions since they were put into conservatorship in September 2008, the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced March 21 in its 2018 Foreclosure Prevention Report.

May 2019

Spring Housing Market to 'Bifurcate;' Good for Mid-market, Bad for High-end: NAR

The housing market is expected to bifurcate this spring, with demand for homes near or below the $250,000 price point increasing and demand for homes priced above $750,000 decreasing, according to Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, HousingWire reported April 10.

May 2019

Median Home Prices Higher than Average Wages in 71 Percent of Counties, Data Shows

The median price for homes in 71 percent of the nation's counties is not affordable for the average wage earners living there, analytics firm ATTOM Data Solutions reported March 26. Homes in nearly half the counties studied were less affordable than their historic averages.