A Brighter Forecast for Housing in 2011

The National Association of Realtors’ chief economist Lawrence Yun says the housing market has regained stability and expects further gains in 2011. Pointing to positive trends in the overall economy, as well as housing prices, sales, and affordability, Yun predicted existing-home sales will reach 5.5 million units next year, home prices will rise 1.0 percent, and GDP will be up 2.5 percent. Consumer confidence, business spending, and job growth are the keys to continued economic growth and recovery according to Yun. Also, NAR’s U.S. Economic Outlook for October forecasts a significant increase in sales in 2011 and continued improvements for residential construction. More here and here.

Filed under: Uncategorized, Foreclosures, Housing Market, Housing Starts, Prices, Real Estate, Sales, Views

The Housing Market & The Economy

Paul Nolte, Managing Director at Dearborn Partners, says, despite excess inventory in the housing market, the overall economy will continue healing at very slow pace.

Filed under: Uncategorized, Foreclosures, Housing Market, Inventory, Real Estate, Trends, Video, Views

Default Notices Fall For 9th Straight Month

Default notices fell 2.0 percent in October and were 19 percent below year-before levels, according to RealtyTrac’s U.S. Foreclosure Market Report. It was the ninth-straight month they’ve decreased on a year-over-year basis. Total foreclosure activity was down 4.0 percent from the previous month and repossessions were down 9.0 percent. James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer at RealtyTrac, said the declines were probably due to the foreclosure freeze, which may lead to further decreases in November. More here and here.

Filed under: Uncategorized, Default Notices, Foreclosures, Housing Market, News, Real Estate, Repossessions, Trends

NY Fed Releases 3rd Quarter Report

The New York Federal Reserve’s Quarterly Report On Household Debt And Credit finds new foreclosures fell in the third quarter while the number of mortgages that became delinquent rose slightly. About 2.7 percent of current mortgage balances transitioned into delinquency during the third quarter, up from 2.6 percent in the second quarter. The number of individuals with a new foreclosure notice added to their credit report fell 5.5 percent from the second quarter. Also in the report, mortgage originations rose 4.3 percent to $380 billion, 26 percent above their low in the fourth quarter of 2008. More here, here, and here.

Filed under: Uncategorized, Delinquencies, Foreclosures, Housing Market, News, Real Estate, Trends

Pending Home Sales Slip In September

The National Association of Realtors’ Pending Home Sales Index dipped 1.8 percent based on signed contracts in September. The drop follows two month of gains and puts the index 24.9 percent below last year’s levels, when first-time buyers were rushing to take advantage of the tax credit before its initial deadline last November. Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist, said the foreclosure moratorium is likely to cause some disruption in sales numbers but he believes there will be a surge of pent-up demand once the banks resolve their issues. More here and here.

Filed under: Uncategorized, Foreclosures, Housing Market, News, Pending Sales, Real Estate, Sales, Tax Credit, Trends

The Foreclosure Market Forecast

Rick Sharga, senior vice president of RealtyTrac, says uncertainty in the foreclosure market will lead to slower sales this quarter, followed by an accelerated rate of activity in the first quarter of 2011.

Filed under: Uncategorized, Foreclosures, Housing Market, Prices, Real Estate, Sales, Video, Views

Home Prices and The Slow Recovery

Robert Shiller, Yale University economics professor and co-founder of the Case-Shiller Home Price Index, expects home prices to continue to grow over the next four years, but at a slow pace.

Filed under: Uncategorized, Foreclosures, Housing Market, Inventory, Prices, Real Estate, Sales, Trends, Video, Views

Jobs and The Housing Recovery

Lawrence Yun, the National Association of Realtors’ chief economist, says job creation numbers are headed in the right direction and that, along with low mortgage rates, will be the key to bringing buyers back to the housing market.

Filed under: Uncategorized, Foreclosures, Housing Market, Interest Rates, Real Estate, Tax Credit, Trends, Video, Views

Foreclosures and The Housing Recovery

Mark Zandi, co-founder of Moody’s Economy, says growing issues in the foreclosure market may put the housing recovery on hold, but he believes the delay will be weeks rather than years.

Filed under: Uncategorized, Foreclosures, Housing Market, Prices, Real Estate, Video, Views

Foreclosures Up 4 Percent In Q3

One in every 139 housing units received a foreclosure filing during the third quarter. According to RealtyTrac’s U.S. Foreclosure Market Report, filings were reported on 930,437 properties, up nearly 4 percent from the previous quarter but down 1 percent from the third quarter of 2009. Scheduled auctions and bank repossessions hit record highs while new default notices were down one percent from the second quarter and 21 percent from last year. James J. Saccacio, chief executive officer of RealtyTrac, said the record number of foreclosures in the third quarter takes a bite out of the backlog of distressed properties. Foreclosure filings rose nearly 3 percent in September from a month earlier. More here and here.

Filed under: Uncategorized, Foreclosures, Housing Market, Inventory, News, Real Estate, Repossessions, Trends