First-time home buyers accounted for 27 percent of sales nationally in December, the lowest since the National Association of REALTORS® began tracking them in 2008. Typically, first-time home buyers account for 40 percent of the market.
Why are their numbers dwindling? Housing experts point to several hurdles, such as high student loan debt, less-than-perfect credit, low employment and wage growth, and the double-digit growth in home prices this past year.
Applying for and getting a mortgage is one of the most daunting obstacles to overcome when shopping for a home. The process can be especially scary and confusing for first timers who may be unfamiliar with the various programs out there, or the advantages and disadvantages of each. Here is a quick rundown of the types of mortgages available, to help decide which may be the best option for your own situation.
The bursting of the housing bubble didn’t deter affluent buyers for long.
After the recession, the market for large, expensive homes slowed sharply. Yet despite the bursting of the housing bubble, the ensuing recession and the slow recovery, buyers have not abandoned luxury homes. It turns out that they just took a break. In July 2013, sales of homes costing more than $1 million were up 46.6 percent from the previous July. When it comes to new homes, bigger is again better.
Many brave buyers hope to find a diamond-in-the-rough area that will quickly turn from iffy to spiffy, teeming with new businesses, new residents, new life — and newly increased property values. Here are seven ways to sniff out the next big thing before property values shoot through the roof.
If you’re planning in the spring to buy your first house, you already may be feeling a bit overwhelmed about what can often be a complicated and convoluted process. The good news is that you have plenty of time to learn the myriad steps to buying a home and getting prepared for the endeavor. Many experts say that — even before finding a real estate agent — the first things you should do are to get your finances together and to find a lender who can get you prequalified and advise you on how much house you can buy.
The number of homes purchased with a home loan has been dropping steadily since May, according to RealtyTrac. Instead, cash is king for many reasons. As mortgage rates began creeping up, some home buyers started opting to purchase with all cash. And that trend may continue as new loan requirements become more strict.
However, for those buyers who do need to purchase a home with a loan, expect to see some changes in the loan requirements as the new year rings in. Here are a just a few of the changes that are going into effect in January 2014. Some of these requirements are already in place by lenders.
The top 20 master-planned communities in the country sold 15,338 homes in 2013, which is an 11% increase over 2012. With 9 communities, Texas dominated the list. Florida had 4, Nevada had 3, and California had 2. Colorado and the DC area round out the list.
Only 5 new communities joined the list, and 9 of the top 20 remained the same as last year, which is a reflection of how few new master-planned communities have started recently. Our consultants know this will change, however, as we consulted on dozens of planned new communities in 2013.
Though the housing market continues its halting recovery, thousands of homeowners are still struggling in the aftermath of the worst financial collapse since the Great Depression. Even as the overall foreclosure level has retreated to pre-2006 levels, the average length of cases already in the pipeline has increased.
But that may be changing.
The housing recovery is expected to remain strong in the new year, driven by economic growth and an improving employment picture, economists say.
In fact, job growth likely will be one key to driving housing growth in the new year. An estimated 2 million or more jobs will be created in 2014, predicts Lawrence Yun, National Association of REALTORS(R)’ chief economist.
As employment picks up, greater demand for housing is expected to occur and a surge in homebuilding activity. Celia Chen, housing economist at Moody’s Analytic, predicts a “homebuilding boom” in 2014 that will spark even more jobs — from construction workers to manufacturers — and bring about greater demand for housing overall.
Investments in single-family homes for rental properties will remain an attractive venture in many markets in the new year, says Ingo Winzer, president of Local Market Monitor. Winzer notes that Texas and Oklahoma offer some of the best bets “with their low unemployment rates and ability to profit for years from new shale oil and gas development.”
Local Market Monitor and HomeVestors, an investment company that brands itself “We buy ugly houses,” named the following top 10 housing markets for investing in single-family homes for 2014. All of these markets have posted strong appreciation in the past year but are still underpriced by up to 28 percent.
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