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Housing Inventory Vanishing: What Is the Impact on You?
The real estate market is expected to do very well this year as mortgage rates remain at historic lows. One challenge to the housing industry is the lack of homes available for sale. Last week, move.com released a report showing that 2020 is beginning with the lowest available housing inventory in two years. The report explains: “Last month saw the largest year-over-year decline of housing inventory in almost three years with a dramatic 12 percent decline, pushing the number of homes for sale in the U.S. to the lowest level since January 2018.” The report also revealed that the decline in inventory stretches across all price points, as shown in the following graph:George Ratiu, Senior…
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3 Reasons This is NOT the 2008 Real Estate Market
No one knows for sure when the next recession will occur. What is known, however, is that the upcoming economic slowdown will not be caused by a housing market crash, as was the case in 2008. There are those who disagree and are comparing today’s real estate market to the market in 2005-2006, which preceded the crash. In many ways, however, the market is very different now. Here are three suppositions being put forward by some, and why they don’t hold up. SUPPOSITION #1 A critical warning sign last time was the surging gap between the growth in home prices and household income. Today, home values have also outpaced wage…
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A Lack of Inventory Continues to Impact the Housing Market
The housing crisis is finally in the rear-view mirror as the real estate market moves down the road to a complete recovery. Home values are up and distressed sales (foreclosures and short sales) have fallen to their lowest point in years. The market will continue to strengthen in 2019. However, there is one thing that may cause the industry to tap the brakes: a lack of housing inventory! Buyer demand naturally increases during the summer months, but supply has not kept up. Here are the thoughts of a few industry experts on the subject: Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist at National Association of Realtors “Further increases in inventory are highly desirable to keep home prices in…
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Mainstream Concerns about an Economic Slowdown Revisited
Recently, we reported that many believe a recession could happen within the next two years. We explained that 70% of economists and market analysts surveyed last year believe that a recession will occur in 2019 or 2020 and that 42% of consumers currently looking to purchase a home also agree that a recession will occur this year or next. However, the U.S. economy has performed well in the first quarter of 2019 and that has caused some experts to change their thinking on an impending economic slowdown. Here are a few notable examples: Anthony Chan, Chief Economist at JPMorgan Chase “I feel really comfortable that the economy is slowing down this year, but…
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Homebuyers Shouldn’t Worry About 2008 All Over Again
Last week, realtor.com released a survey of active home shoppers (those who plan to purchase their next home in 1 year or less). The survey asked their opinion on an impending recession and its possible impact on the housing market. Two major takeaways from the survey: 42% believe a recession will occur this year or next (another 16% said 2021) 59% believe the housing market would fare the same or worse than it did in 2008 Why all the talk about a recession recently? Over the last year, four separate surveys have been taken asking when we can expect the next recession to occur: The Pulsenomics Survey of Market Analysts The Wall Street Journal…
