The 5 Real Estate Trends That Will Shape 2017

2017

We won’t pretend to know everything that 2017 will bring—heck, 2016 sure surprised us—but we’re pretty certain there will be changes. A lot of them. And while the surprise triumph of Donald Trump in the presidential election won’t alter the fundamentals shaping the 2017 real estate market, its impact is already being felt.

We’ve seen interest rates jump since the election, a movement that’s likely to affect the youngest generation of home buyers.

Just like last year, realtor.com®’s economic data team analyzed our market data and economic indicators to come up with a picture of the key housing trends for 2017. As we prepare to bid farewell to 2016, it looks like we’ll be saying goodbye to the last of the record-low interest rates of the past few years, too. Interest rates have shot up 40 basis points, or 0.4 percentage points, since Trump’s election.

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December 2016 RE/MAX National Housing Report

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November Home Sales Defy Seasonal Trend

Despite the typical winter slowdown, November home sales finished 19.1% above a year ago and prices increased 1.4% over October. All but one of the 53 markets in the RE/MAX National Housing Report posted an increased number of sales over November 2015, with nearly half of the markets at least 20% higher. In all, last month saw more homes sold than any other November in the eight-year history of the report.

With one month to go, 2016 is on pace to exceed what was a strong 2015. Year-over-year, 2016 has posted price increases or stayed flat in all 11 months to date, and sales increases in nine months. November posted the largest percentage year-over-year sales increase thus far in 2016.

November 2016 RE/MAX National Housing Report

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Last month saw the second-most sales – and the smallest inventory – of any October in the 9-year history of the RE/MAX National Housing Report. Add to that combination the highest year-over-year price increase of 2016 thus far: 8.3%.

Although posting near-record sales, this October finished 1% below October 2015 sales, which posted the highest of any October dating back to 2008. Sales declined year-over-year in 28 of the 53 markets surveyed, including many New England markets.

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Big Expectations That’ll Drive Housing in 2017

Young Family

The 2017 housing market is looking bright, fueled by a big wave of first-time home buyers emerging.

First-time home buyers are predicted to make up more than half of home buyers next year – up to 52 percent, surging from 33 percent in 2016, according to realtor.com®’s Active Home Shopper Report, based on survey data from buyers who plan to purchase homes in the spring or summer of 2017. Also, realtor.com® predicts that will spark greater demand for suburban homes in the new year.

Millennials are finally expected to unleash their buying arm in 2017. They are predicted to make up 61 percent of the first-time home buyers under age 35 in the new year. The top motivators getting millennials moving now are getting married or moving in with a partner, growing tired of their current living space, and planning to increase their family size.

Read the article on REALTORmag…

October 2016 RE/MAX National Housing Report

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Though posting a typical seasonal dropoff from August, September’s U.S. home sales represented the most of any September in the 9-year history of the RE/MAX National Housing Report. Home sales dropped 11.7% from August to September – nearly the same as the 11.0% average decline over the previous eight years of the Report. But sales increased 2.0% over September 2015 which had previously been the best September.

Read the full article in RE/MAX’s Newsroom…

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Predictions Roll in: 2017 Housing Forecasts

Thoughts

We can expect a hot year for home sales in 2017, according to recent forecasts from the National Association of REALTORS®, the Mortgage Bankers’ Association, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, and more.

NAR is predicting existing-home sales to reach 6 million in 2017, higher than its 5.8 million forecast for this year. But other entities are even more bullish. MBA is predicting home sales to eclipse 6.5 million next year, while Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are both predicting 6.2 million.

A huge wave of Generation Yers, who have delayed home buying, are emerging into their key buying years. They are predicted to keep home sales and condo sales strong well into 2020, according to economists.

The top markets for price appreciation likely will be in Seattle, Wash.; Portland, Ore.; Denver, Colo.; and Boston, predicts Eric Fox, vice president of statistical and economic modeling at VeroForecast. These markets’ robust economies have growing populations but a tight supply of homes for sale on the market that will likely lead to some of the largest price increases across the country.

Meanwhile, new-home construction starts likely will tick up to about 1.5 million per year to 2024, predicts Forisk Research.

Home builders likely will continue to be more subdued, despite calls for more inventory.

“Home builders behavior likely is a continuing echo of their experience during the crash,” Pantheon Macro Chief Economist Ian Shepherdson told MarketWatch. “No one wants to be caught with excess inventory during a sudden downshift in demand. In this cycle, the pursuit of market share and volumes is less important than profitability and balance sheet resistance.”

Source: REALTORmag

September 2016 RE/MAX National Housing Report

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August home sales increased 5.8% over a year ago, reversing July’s decline of 8.8%. At the same time, the median price climbed 5.1% as steady monthly increases continued. August sales were up year-over-year in 41 of the 53 U.S. metro areas analyzed in the RE/MAX National Housing Report. Twelve metro areas posted double-digit increases, including major markets along the east coast from Washington, DC to Charlotte, NC. So far in 2016, seven of the eight months have seen year-over-year sales increases nationally.

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New-Home Sales Near 10-Year High

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New-home sales in July jumped to the highest level in nearly a decade, with sales of new single-family homes climbing 12.4 percent month-over-month and reaching a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 654,000, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. That marks the highest level since October 2007.

Low mortgage rates, improving income growth, and steady job creation have helped propel home buying for both new and existing homes. New-home sales have posted strong gains since the beginning of this year, up 13.3 percent compared to a year ago. In June, sales of existing homes also reached their strongest pace in nearly a decade, though they slipped in July, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.

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August 2016 RE/MAX National Housing Report

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Unlike the month’s temperatures, July home sales cooled off from June’s highest year-to-date level. In the RE/MAX National Housing Report analysis of 53 U.S. cities, July sales fell in 49 markets by 8.8% from July 2015 and by 13.1% from June. Over the last seven years, the average drop in sales from June to July has been 8.2%. The Median Sales Price dropped slightly from June to $225,000, which is still 4.7% higher than one year ago. At the same time, inventory continued to tighten by dropping 3.0% lower than June and 16.6% lower than a year ago, resulting in a Months Supply of just 3.5. Five metro areas reported an inventory supply of less than two months. Meanwhile, the average Days on Market dropped to 53 which is just one day less than the average in June and four days below last year.

Read the full article in RE/MAX’s Newsroom…

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What Are Americans’ Top Housing Concerns?

Planning

It might not be all low inventory and high prices. It seems Americans have a confidence problem when it comes to the housing market. They’re increasingly apprehensive to move forward, citing concerns over the economy and job security, according to the latest ValueInsured Modern Homebuyer Survey, a measure of confidence in the health of the housing market among more than 1,000 home owners and buyers.

Americans also still express lingering concerns from the housing crisis of 2008, particularly millennials. Sixty-three percent of Americans and 72 percent of millennials say the crash worried them and impacted their decision to either purchase their first home or upgrade to a new one, according to the survey.

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