Tag Archives: Housing Affordability

The recent fast-paced home price appreciation across the country led some markets to the brink of a bubble, but deceleration over the summer months has Zillow analysts breathing a sigh of relief as the bubble threat deflates. Home value appreciation has declined steadily for three months, according to Zillow, and half of the nation's 20 largest metros experienced negative appreciation in September.

Existing-home sales slipped in September after reportedly reaching their highest level in nearly four years in August, according to the National Association of Realtors. Analysts attribute the drop to declining affordability resulting from limited inventory and rising home prices. Total existing-home sales fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.29 million last month. August's sales were revised downward to 5.39 million.

As most housing metrics turned around last year, one vital statistic stayed down: the homeownership rate. However, one analyst at Fannie Mae says low homeownership--when put in context with other data--might indicate a promising trend in sustainability; in particular, tight loan qualification standards should equate to new homeowners whose housing costs are much better aligned with incomes.

Having been historically high for the past few years, affordability dipped somewhat in the second quarter of this year, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity index. Increasing prices and mortgage rates ""contributed to affordability slipping to the lowest level in four years,"" said David Crowe, chief economist at NAHB. Affordability fell from 73.7 percent in this year's first quarter to 69.3 percent--meaning 69.3 percent of Americans earning the national median income could afford a home sold during the quarter.

Minneapolis-based Wolters Kluwer Financial Services recently announced that two members of its compliance management services team have earned the prestigious Certified Regulatory Compliance Manager (CRCM) designation from the American Bankers Association’s (ABA’s) Institute of Certified Bankers (ICB).