Tag Archives: Home Sales

In a report released this week, Clear Capital linked high levels of distressed sales activity with high levels of home price appreciation, something that may seem out of the ordinary. However, in a conversation with DS News Wednesday, the company's VP of research and analytics explained that this trend is in keeping with the ""first-in-first-out"" recovery the nation has been experiencing over the past 18 months.

Hudson & Marshall will auction more than 150 single-family properties for the FDIC using a specially tailored version of the company's online and offline auction process. Five separate auctions will take place from December 4–10 on properties located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina.

Independent mortgage bankers are a growing segment and they're poised to take over even more market share as larger institutions trim their mortgage businesses. The five biggest banks were responsible for 53.2 percent of new mortgage activity in the United States in 2012, down from nearly two-thirds in 2010. According to a recent FBR Capital Markets forecast, that share could shrink to 40 percent by 2014.

Home prices and home sales have been rising over the past few years, pointing to a recovery in the housing market, but some warn that what we are seeing may not be a true recovery but instead a mirage created by investors--a dangerous mirage that could lead to trouble in the years to come. According to multiple industry studies, cash purchases made up about half of all home sales across the nation in September.

Mortgage originators and servicing companies are facing the reality of decreasing new loan volumes and the entrance of new players to the industry, forcing them to reassess where the best sources of revenue can be found. Following an abrupt drop in its stock price, Nationstar recently announced the sale of its wholesale channel, indicating a shift toward its servicing business, and others appear to be following suit.

Pending sales of existing homes fell a bit further in October, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The trade group's Pending Home Sales Index is a forward-looking indicator; derived from contract signings, rather than closed sales, pending sales figures typically lag actual sales by one to two months. October's reading was the lowest recorded by NAR since last December and marked the fifth consecutive monthly decline.

While many Americans paused their homebuying plans during the federal government's partial shutdown last month, purchase activity rebounded once the government reopened, with buyer competition more robust than expected, according to a Redfin. Out of the 22 markets covered in the brokerage's report, San Diego experienced the biggest increase in multiple-bid offers on homes for sale, while Boston saw the biggest drop.

After two straight weeks moving upward, mortgage rates reversed course following Federal Reserve chair nominee Janet Yellen's comment to lawmakers that ""there is more the Fed can do."" Investors expect Yellen's retraction of the central bank's stimulus measures to be slow and measured, and both bond yields and mortgage rates came in lower in response. Freddie Mac puts the average 30-year rate at 4.22 percent.

In the aftermath of the federal government shutdown and contentious debt ceiling negotiations, Fannie Mae predicts continued market volatility for at least the next few months. Consumer sentiment toward the economy and the housing market wavered last month, and the expects that to continue into the new year despite low mortgage rates and robust annual home price gains.

Existing-home sales translate to an annual rate of 5.12 million at the October sales pace, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). October's sales volume was down 3.2 percent from September and marked the second consecutive month of declining transactions. NAR blames low inventory, diminished buying power from rising prices and interest rates, and a restrictive credit environment for the drop in sales.