Home / Tag Archives: Housing Supply (page 20)

Tag Archives: Housing Supply

Homeowners, Buyers Maintain High Hopes in Survey

A recent survey from LendingTree shows the majority of current and potential homeowners have a bright outlook on the nation's housing market and economy for 2014—which may translate to a more active market. According to the findings, more than two-thirds—69 percent—of respondents have a positive outlook on housing this year, and 71 percent of current homeowners are thinking of selling their homes if trends remain positive.

Read More »

Survey: Mortgage Hurdles Least of Consumer Concerns

As analysts continue to watch market indicators for trends that might hamper the borrowing experience, a recent poll shows that borrowers themselves are more focused on customer service problems. The poll, conducted by real estate search engine Qazzoo.com, asked new homebuyers which aspect of the experience they found the most frustrating, from agent interaction to the loan application process.

Read More »

Feature: New World Order

The veterans of this business can remember when REOs ran in the neighborhood of 150,000 a year, delinquency rates were just around 4 percent, and you only needed a credit score of 620 to qualify for a prime mortgage loan. But the housing finance industry, and default servicing especially, has changed. In the cover story of it's September issue, DS News looks at the many factors--from a slew of new regulatory mandates to an altered public perception of debt obligations--that have altered the business into something far from customary.

Read More »

Commentary: What’s in Store for Housing in 2014, Part 1

Many economists and market observers have suggested the market is poised for continued growth as the recovery enters its third year, and there are positive elements in play that provide some reasons for optimism. Recent loan vintages continue to perform at levels better than historical norms, which has allowed the industry to work through its backlog of distressed assets; foreclosure activity is declining; and housing starts have begun to rise.

Read More »

Feature: Where Oh Where Did My REO Go?

With fewer properties entering the foreclosure process and more delinquent borrowers avoiding foreclosure, the number of foreclosed single-family homes held by lenders and government agencies has rapidly declined. In the April issue of DS News magazine, contributing writer Keith Button explored the many market drivers taking their toll on the once-strong stock of bank-owned homes.

Read More »

Sales of Existing Homes Decline Annually for First Time in 29 Months

Existing-home sales dipped on both a monthly and annual basis in November, marking the first year-over-year decline in sales in nearly two and a half years. Hurt by higher mortgage interest rates, constrained inventory, and tight credit, sales of previously owned homes came in at an annualized rate of 4.90 million last month, the National Association of Realtors reported.

Read More »

California Coastal Housing Unaffordable Again

One of the earliest phenomenon of the housing bubble was the ascension of home prices, making housing unaffordable relative to incomes. Markets across the nation cascaded from affordable to unaffordable--a key signal that prompted us to warn of the coming housing downturn. And it now appears that this symptom has cropped up once again, as almost all of California's coastal cities are now unaffordable.

Read More »

Homes Selling Swiftly in Southwestern Pennsylvania

Southwestern Pennsylvania saw a nearly 15 percent annual increase in the number of homes placed under sales agreement, according to the November housing report from the West Penn Multi-List, Inc. At the same time, the average number of days homes were on the market decreased by nearly 15 percent.

Read More »

Why so Few Houses for Sale? Lots of Reasons.

Inventories of homes for sale have been slow to bounce back since the 2007-09 recession, despite steady price appreciation since January 2012. Normally, higher prices reflect robust sales. But lately, prices have been rising even though sales remain stuck at relatively low levels, largely due to a lack of inventory. So why are there so few homes for sale? Two Fed economists examine the many factors affecting today's inventory levels.

Read More »

Estimated Time to Clear Distressed Inventory Rises

Distressed inventory is on the decline, but the number of months it will take to clear these distressed homes from the market is on the rise. According to the latest report from Morningstar Credit Ratings, distressed inventory among non-agency residential mortgage-backed securities dropped 20 percent to 891,000 properties as of September. However, Morningstar says it will take 49 months to work through this inventory given current market dynamics. That's 11 months longer than the assessment in 2012.

Read More »