Housing affordability

More than two-thirds of the counties most at risk of a housing downturn were concentrated in five states, according to a new report from Attom.

The latest plans include details on promoting housing development in underserved areas and increasing secondary market access to rural institutions.

Affordability improved for a fourth straight month, but questions remain about whether recent trends will bring a significant number of buyers into the housing market.

Moderating price growth and higher wages are leading to affordability relief, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Prices in several cities came in more than 20% above what would be considered a sustainable level when compared to local economic factors, according to the rating agency's report.

With a scarcity of listings driving high home prices, both repeat and new purchasers are putting the most money down in decades, the report found.

Home purchasers had to come up with 0.9% more in April versus what they would have paid in March and 11.8% higher on a year-over-year basis, the Mortgage Bankers Association said.

Fannie Mae researchers found housing costs decelerating for the fourth straight quarter, but limited inventory may be driving hopeful buyers to look for opportunities in the new-construction market.

Buyer affordability has decreased by almost 22% in the past year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Quarterly numbers also show the smallest gain in appreciation since 2011, with values decreasing on an unadjusted basis, according to Fannie Mae.

Consumer demands for lower density and more affordable prices fueled a larger share of construction outside urban cores, but recent trends have led to slowdowns across the board.

At the same time, homes bought with FHA-backed loans accounted for the smallest share since 2007, according to an Attom sales report.

The slowdown in new single-family construction is one of several headwinds homebuilders find themselves facing this summer.

A larger share felt it was a bad time for both buying and selling, but a growing number expect price growth to slow.

Suburban pushback against a proposal that would have loosened regulations of new units in New York State led to its removal from the state budget.

While the median income rose 1% over the last year, the median price of a home rose a staggering 25%, according to the the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

The share of borrowers who thought it was a good time to buy hit an all-time low, according to Fannie Mae.

Home prices grew at a record annual pace in April but indicators of a possible slowdown popped up in May, Redfin noted.

The increase won’t hurt the incentive for the average home shopper, but it means those who were looking to “buy the dip” in prices amid the pandemic may have missed their chance.

With a dearth of inventory, September generated the largest price growth in the housing market since May 2014, according to CoreLogic.