Market Studies

Although 2013 was the strongest year for home prices in nearly a decade, is a slowdown on the horizon for 2014? The S&P Dow Jones Indices released Tuesday its S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, which had some interesting revelations for the housing market in the future.

The Data & Analytics division of Black Knight Financial Services released on Monday its latest Home Price Index (HPI), noting an increase of .1 percent in home prices to $232,000 for the month of December. The figure represents the price of non-distressed sales by taking into account price discounts for real estate owned (REO) and short sales.

Fannie Mae released its weekly yield for February 17, through February, 21. For 15-year, fixed-rate mortgages, the current market yield is noted was 2.970, up from the previous weeks figure of 2.870. The 15-year mortgage has increased from 2.310 a year ago. The Fannie Mae release comments that all yields are quoted on a net basis, and servicing fees are not included.

Chief economist at CoreLogic, Mark Fleming, notes new factors affecting a homeowners ability to buy a home. The ability for a prospective buyer to purchase a home depends greatly on whether the buyer already owns a home, a report released Thursday notes. The market is being affected by the intersection of rising home prices, rising interest rates and stagnating incomes, which puts first-time buyers behind the curve that has benefitted them greatly since 2007.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released its National Delinquency Survey Thursday, reporting the seasonally adjusted rate for delinquent mortgages is 6.39 percent, the lowest level since 2008. The figure represents mortgage loans for 1 to 4 unit residential properties, and takes into account all loans outstanding at the end of the fourth quarter of 2013.

A new report by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) attributes a slumping January for home sales to a myriad of factors. Some of the culprits to blame include freezing weather, tight credit, limited inventory, higher prices, and higher mortgage interest rates. According to NAR, last month's sales activity was the slowest since July 2012, when transactions stood at a rate of 4.59 million.

Low inventory and rising prices are thwarting demand in the housing market as overall home competition is down from last January. Numbers showing competition between buyers in January, 2014, are up, but yearly overall competition for 2014 is expected to dwindle as rising prices prevent many home shoppers from feeling that they are “getting a deal,” according to Redfin.

Realtor.com released Thursday its National Housing Trend Report for January. Despite severe weather conditions, the report notes positive trends in the number of listings and median list prices of homes.

RealtyTrac released a housing affordability analysis, noting an average 21 percent increase in monthly house payments from a year ago. The report showed that house payments in all counties purchased in the fourth quarter of 2013 rose to $865, based on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage with an interest rate of 4.46 percent and a 20 percent down payment.

In a report released by Zillow, national home values rose just .2 percent in January from December. Inventory rose in 22 of the nation’s 35 largest metros, and home values are expected to rise another 3.4 percent in the next 12 months. The Zillow Home Value Index notes that January's figure of $169,600 is the smallest monthly increase since May, 2012.