As inventory improved in recent months, existing home sales surged to 8-month high in September, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Though housing demand remains strong as buyers want to take advantage of low mortgage rates before rates rise further, higher home prices are pricing out first-time and young buyers. Total existing home sales, including single-family homes, townhomes,… Read More ›
Home building has staged a slow, modest recovery over the last decade, following the Great Recession, with an accelerated uptick last year during the COVID-19 pandemic. Increased building activity can been seen in both the single-family and multifamily sectors, based on data for permits from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The last month of mortgage purchasing and refinancing activities, as reflected in the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) latest weekly application surveys1, shows a rise in purchase applications and a decrease in refinancing as compared to the prior month’s activity. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rate increased, averaging close to 3.15 percent for the month, and was 3.2 percent in the latest… Read More ›
Despite the volatility surrounding the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the housing market has shown remarkable resilience, fueled by demographic tailwinds and a housing shortage due to a decade of underbuilding. Home construction slowed after 2007 as a result of the 2008 Great Recession, but home building staged a slow, modest recovery over the last decade, with a sharp acceleration in 2020… Read More ›
NAHB analysis of the Census Bureau’s quarterly tax data shows that $703.5 billion in taxes were paid by property owners in the four quarters ending Q2 2021.[1] Four-quarter property tax revenues have climbed 13.2% since decreasing 0.2% in Q2 2020 (the first decrease since 2012). Year-over-year growth of four-quarter property tax revenue has accelerated each of the past four quarters. Prior to… Read More ›
