What's Up? Home Prices and Sales of Existing Homes

Hi Folks,
   It's great to report this, but guess what's up? The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) just released their figures for the June 2012-June 2013 time period, and there was a 7.7% increase in home prices. The big winner was the West Coast, which checked in with a 17% gain, followed by the Mountain Region, at 11%. The slacker was the Mid-Atlantic, including New York, which was only up 2.5%. Additionally, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) released figures for the July 2012 - July 2013 time period, and the median price of a previously owned home popped up close to 14%. As for sales, the sales of previously owned homes jumped by 6.5% last month.

   Know what else? Even with these increases, homes are reasonably valued, and they still have room to increase further. Additionally, it's still cheaper to buy than rent, which also bolsters the opinion that housing prices are still undervalued.

   What's going down? Not mortgage rates. That makes buyers nervous and makes them scramble to take action before the rates increase. A perfect example that John W. Schoen points out in his article on CNBC.com, titled, "Home prices across the US defy gravity, despite rising rates", Mortgage applications for both home purchases and refinancings dropped for a second straight week as rates rose, and he cites the Mortgage Bankers Association. "Demand fell 4.6 percent in the week ended Aug. 16 as the rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage rose to 4.68 percent, matching this year's high mark.". In order for people to keep buying homes, credit needs to stay available, and the post-bubble vice-grip needs to be eased further in order to allow folks to get approved.

   So overall, this is some pretty good news !! What are your thoughts?

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Have a Great Weekend, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes - Rent to Own Homes, since 2002
"Located at the Corner of Technology and Real Estate"
Rent to Own Homes and Real Estate Blog for HomeRun Homes: http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com


TAGS: #homeprices #existinghomessales #rates #mortgage applications #refinance #fixed mortgage #credit #bubble

4 Years Until a Housing Bottom ?

Hi Folks,
   I hope you had a great weekend, and welcome back. I'd like to thank all of our contest winners from Friday, and be sure to watch for new contests coming up very soon.

   "The Case for a Housing Bottom in 2013-14" - does that stun you? How about the following analysis; "Bubbles tend to rise and fall in symmetry, meaning that a bubble that took seven years to reach its apex typically takes about the same period to time to retrace to its starting point.". These are just a few of the points mentioned in an article on DailyFinance.com by Charles Hugh Smith. The article is worth a read, and for those who own multiple properties, take something for your stomach acid before reading the article.

   On a similar note, there are some important housing numbers being released this week:

   Tue 9/21 - Loan Performance Housing Price Index (MORE INFO HERE)
   Tue 9/21 - New Residential Construction (MORE INFO HERE)
   Wed 9/22 - FHFA House Price Index (MORE INFO HERE)
   Thu 9/23 - NAR Existing Home Sales (MORE INFO HERE)
   Fri 9/24 - New Residential Sales (MORE INFO HERE)

   It's worth it to take a look at these numbers as they come out. There are a million theories out there regarding the economy and the housing market. Is the sky falling? Well, for a lot of folks, it already has.

   I like to look at it as follows: The "Chicken Little" is someone who runs around claiming that the sky will fall, the "Optimist" is one who has the intestinal fortitude and cash reserves to stay the course and stay positive. The remainder are those who have lost their jobs and their homes. It is a sad mix, with a disproportionate amount of people falling into the remainder category.

   You know what? We are a strong country that has been through many hardships before. With a little optimism in the darkest days, the days of prosperity will return...they just have to. Everyone knows this. The questions is..."WHEN?".

Stay Strong !

Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !!