Tag Archives: Census Bureau

With home prices down so far down from their peak and mortgage rates hovering around record lows, many analysts are saying home affordability could hardly be any higher. However, a study released by Interest.com shows homes are only truly affordable in about half of the nation’s major cities. Rising expenses and stagnant wages are preventing median-income households from being able to afford median-income homes, explained Mike Sante, managing editor for Interest.com.

Housing starts and permits jumped in September to their highest levels since July 2008, Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development reported jointly Wednesday. Housing starts jumped 15.0 percent from August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 872,000, while permits improved 11.6 percent to 894,000.

Single family starts increased 28,000 in August to 535,000, the highest level since April 2010, the Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development reported jointly Wednesday. Despite the increase total, housing starts improved just 17,000 as multi-family starts fell.

A report released Monday from John Burns Real Estate Consulting revealed that the real homeownership rate-measured as the percentage of households that own a home and are not seriously delinquent on their mortgage-has fallen to 62.1 percent, the lowest level in almost half a century. The firm said that the Census Bureau's 65.5 percent homeownership estimate was a vast overestimate, as it includes 3.8 million homeowners who are 90 or more days delinquent.

According to Freddie Mac's weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS), the 30-year fixed rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.66 percent (0.7 point) for the week ending August 23, up from 3.62 percent the previous week. The 15-year FRM also slid up, averaging 2.89 percent (0.6 point). A week ago, the 15-year fixed averaged 2.88 percent.

New home sales regained all the ground they lost in June, jumping by 13,000 to an annualized rate of 372,000 in July, the Census Bureau and HUD reported Thursday. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expected the report to show a sales pace of 362,000.

Despite continuing improvement in builder confidence, housing starts slipped in July to 746,000, with single-family starts accounting for decline, the Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development reported jointly Thursday. On the other hand, housing permits improved to 812,000, the highest level in almost four years. Economists surveyed by Bloomberg expected 750,000 starts and 766,000 permits in July.

The nation’s homeownership rate rose to 65.5 percent in the second quarter, the Census Bureau reported Friday. The Census Bureau though revised downward the homeownership rate for the first quarter to 65.4 percent (from the originally reported 65.5 percent), the lowest since the first quarter of 1997 when the rate was also 65.4 percent. The Census Bureau also reported the homeowner vacancy rate fell to 2.1 percent nationwide, down from 2.2 percent in the first quarter and 2.5 percent one year ago. The homeowner vacancy rate is at its lowest level since the first quarter of 2006.

New home sales fell to a five-month low, 350,000, in June, the Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development reported jointly Wednesday. Economists had expected sales to inch up slightly from the preliminary sales report in May. May sales were revised up to 382,000 from the originally reported 369,000.

Housing starts in June soared to their highest level since October 2008, surging 6.9 percent to 760,000, the Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development reported jointly Wednesday but housing permits dropped 3.7 percent to 755,000 giving back half of May's gain.