[1]As the new year rolls in, DS News is taking a look back at some of the biggest market studies headlines and stories of 2014:
1. Freddie Mac Predicts Biggest Year for Home Sales Since ’07 [2] – Freddie Mac predicted that 2015 will see the highest level of home sales in the U.S. since 2007 in its December 2014 U.S. Economic and Housing Market Outlook.
2. Millennials Expected to Power Housing Market in 2015 [3] – The year 2015 is gearing up to be a stronger, more expensive housing market powered for the first time by new millennial buyers, according to the Realtor.com 2015 Housing Forecast.
3. Survey: Many Still Believe Housing Recovery Still Three to Five Years Away [4] – Nearly a third of panelists took a more optimistic view, predicting the market will stabilize one to two years from now, while one in five responded that housing has either already returned to normal or will within the next 12 months.
4. Report: Housing in U.S. Not Set Up to Handle Aging Population [5] - The U.S. is not prepared to accommodate its aging population where housing needs are concerned, according to a report released by Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies and AARP Foundation.
5. Survey: Americans Say Student Loan Debt Burden Delays Homeownership [6] – A survey commissioned by NeighborWorks America, a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit community development corporation, revealed that nearly one out of four Americans knows someone who has delayed buying a home because of student loan debt.