Thursday, May 5, 2011

Big Jump Expected in New U.S. Households

Big Jump Expected in New U.S. Households


Millions of young adults are beginning to move out of their parents’ homes and create new households at the fastest rate since 2007. Some housing experts are predicting these young adults may provide a major jump to U.S. housing starts--possibly by more than 50 percent, even by next year--and increase housing consumption at a rate nearly double that of the past two years, Bloomberg News reports.



In 2011, between 750,000 and 1 million new households are expected to be created, says UBS Securities LLC’s Maury Harris and IHS Global Insight’s Patrick Newport. In the year ended March 2010, new households stood at 357,000--the lowest on record, according to U.S. Census data. The “depressed rate” in new household formation has continued to jeopardize the housing market’s recovery, experts say.



But as the employment picture continues to improve, more young adults are leaving Mom and Dad’s house and making a new home for themselves. The “moving-back-in-with-Mom-and-Dad phenomenon” had caused a backlog of pent-up households, Charles Lieberman, chief investment officer with Advisors Capital Management LLC in Hasbrouck Heights, N.J., told Bloomberg News. “Improved economic conditions” will “enable these households to split up and resume living in their own residences.”



Housing starts are expected to get a boost to about 648,000 this year and near 900,000 in 2012 (it stood at 586,800 last year), says Brad Hunter, chief economist and national director of consulting for Metrostudy. The increase in housing starts, he says, reflects a “shadow demand” for new homes among family members who have moved in together because of economic conditions.



“The demographic component of housing demand is strong," he says. "It’s just the economic and psychological components that are holding things back.”



Source: “New Households Form at Fastest Rate Since ’07 in Resurgent U.S.,” Bloomberg News (May 1, 2011)




Tuesday, May 3, 2011

SnapShot





Wednesday, March 30, 2011

REALTOR® Magazine-Daily News-Mortgage Delinquencies Continue to Decline

REALTOR® Magazine-Daily News-Mortgage Delinquencies Continue to Decline


Mortgage Delinquencies Continue to Decline


Mortgages for single-family homes that are 90 days or more delinquent declined for the third consecutive month in February, Freddie Mac reports.



Delinquencies on single-family homes dropped to 3.78 percent in February from 3.82 percent in January. What’s more, delinquencies were lower than the 4.2% rate reported one year ago.



Freddie Mac also reported that it has completed 23,017 loan modifications for the first two months of the year. Loan modifications in February totaled 11,885 and totaled 11,153 in January.



Source: “Freddie Mac: February Mortgage Delinquencies Decline Again,” Dow Jones Business News (March 25, 2011) and “Freddie Mac Reports Drop in Single-Family Delinquencies in February,” LoanRateUpdate.com (March 28, 2011)





Wednesday, March 16, 2011

REALTOR® Magazine-Daily News-Tax Time Less Taxing for Home Owners

REALTOR® Magazine-Daily News-Tax Time Less Taxing for Home Owners


Tax Time Less Taxing for Home Owners


With a little more than one month before income taxes are due, many of the nation’s 75 million home owners may be appreciating the value of home ownership just a bit more as they take advantage of the tax benefits of owning a home.



“Owning a home offers myriad benefits throughout the year, but some of the financial advantages of home ownership are most apparent at tax time,” said NAR President Ron Phipps, broker-president of Phipps Realty in Warwick, R.I. “As many of today’s hard-working American families are feeling a financial squeeze, the tax benefits that can come from owning a home can be a welcome relief.”



A number of tax deductions and credits are still available for home owners; these include deductions – with specific limits – for mortgage interest and capital gains on home sales, and credits for certain energy-efficient home improvements. Even with these benefits, home owners pay 80-90 percent of all U.S. federal income taxes.



“It’s been suggested that many of today’s tax incentives for home ownership primarily benefit wealthy individuals, but that’s simply not true,” said Phipps. “As today’s public debate continues about what home ownership means for families, communities, and the nation’s economy, there’s no question that for many, owning a home is still the best way to begin building wealth.”



Ninety-one percent of home owners who claim the mortgage interest deduction earn less than $200,000 a year, and the ability to deduct the interest paid on a mortgage can mean significant savings at tax time. For example, a family who bought a home in 2010 with a $200,000, 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage, assuming an interest rate of 4.5 percent, could save nearly $3,500 in federal taxes when they file this year.



“REALTORS® see the very real positive impact of home ownership every day with our clients,” said Phipps. “Recent proposals to reduce or eliminate the mortgage interest deduction and remove government support of the housing finance market could have disastrous consequences for the economy, not to mention making it harder or nearly impossible for millions of families to own their own homes. We believe America must continue to invest in home ownership, for the future of our families and our nation.”



For home owner tax season tips, visit www.HouseLogic.com. HouseLogic is a free source of information from NAR that helps home owners maintain and enhance the value of their homes and engage in issues that affect their local communities.



Source: NAR

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Popular Kitchen Remodeling Trends

Popular Kitchen Remodeling Trends


Remodeling kitchen trends are creating stylish kitchens with cleaner lines, built-in dining, and pops of color, according to a recent article in RISMedia.



Here are some recent trends in kitchens across the country.



1. Built-in dining areas. Eat-in kitchens are in high demand as more remodelers are opting for extensions in counters that resemble a table, either in lower or higher height to the countertop. The counter extension is different than bar seating because diners can sit around the edge and face one another, and not just sit in a row. The counter extension saves space, offers an extra buffet service, and more kitchen storage, says Deanna Carleton of Kitchen Design Group.



2. Dressing up the kitchen with lighting. An affordable way to upgrade a kitchen is just by switching out the lights, designers say. For example, hand-blown glass shades on pendant lights, contemporary drum shades, and chandeliers can quickly update a kitchen. Layers of light continue to be popular, such as with a ceiling lighting fixture combined with under-counter lighting as well as ambient lights behind a glass-front door, designers say. LED under-counter lighting and LED recessed ceiling lights are also popular.



3. Pops of color. Neutral colors in the kitchen is the safe preference, but more kitchens are adding bolder pops of color--such as in persimmon or pomegranate--to spice up the kitchen. Colored knobs, kitchen accessories, and even appliances are bringing in these pops of color. Designers say pops of color can also be brought in by the fabric choice in kitchen window seats, the upholstered seats, or window valances.



4. Striving for simplistic luxury. Clean lines and transitional designs are “in” while ornate Tuscan and French country kitchen styles are falling out of favor in the kitchen. Betty Nairn of Cabinet-S-Top in Granger Township, Ohio, says “simplistic luxury” is the kitchen trend nowadays.



Source: "8 Areas to Pay Attention to When Updating Your Kitchen," RISMedia (March 5, 2011)



REALTOR® Magazine-Daily News-Selective First-Time Buyers Can Miss Deals

REALTOR® Magazine-Daily News-Selective First-Time Buyers Can Miss Deals

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

The Color of the Year for 2011

Last year, turquoise brightened up home interiors across the country, but now a new color has stepped into the spotlight for 2011.



Pantone recently announced honeysuckle — a reddish pink hue — as this year’s “in” color.

pantonehoneysuckle“Honeysuckle is a captivating, stimulating color that gets the adrenaline going – perfect to ward off the blues,” Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, said in announcing the color choice. “The intensity of this festive reddish pink allures and engages. … Honeysuckle may also bring a wave of nostalgia for its associated delicious scent reminiscent of the carefree days of spring and summer.”



How to incorporate it: Liven up an interior space with honeysuckle patterned pillows, bedspreads, or tabletop accessories, Pantone suggests. Or, for an even bolder statement, paint an accent wall in honeysuckle for a burst of energy in the kitchen, hallway, or family room, Pantone says.



Admittedly, this year’s more feminine color choice may be a little more challenging to weave into interiors when staging properties for sale. But for you staging masters out there, if you’ve used honeysuckle-like colors in your properties, we want to see how you did it! Send your photos to mtracey@realtors.org and we’ll feature them at Styled, Staged & Sold.


by Melissa Tracey

Filed under: Home Trends
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine

USDA Grants Aim to Improve Rural Living

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is taking steps to improve the quality of life in rural areas, which often lack access to modern amenities such as high-speed Internet, affordable electricity, and clean water supplies.



The USDA is extending funding to help reduce energy costs for residents who live in remote rural areas.



"These grants will help home and business owners offset rising energy costs by financing energy efficiency and power generation improvements to deliver energy in a more cost-effective and environmentally appropriate way," says Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.



Many of the communities that will be using the grants to improve energy efficiency are in Alaska.



Source: “Rural Initiatives,” Realty Times
 
 
 

Emily Lee
call/text 606-499-7836


w/The Realty Group II
broker:423-869-5111


Friday, January 14, 2011

2011 Mortgage Trends

2011 Mortgage Trends: Jumbo Loans, Cash Buys


The number of mortgage applications for home purchases is expected to become a bigger part of the mortgage market in 2011 as home prices stabilize, predicts the Mortgage Bankers Association. Refinancing has mostly dominated in recent months as home owners looked to lock-in low interest rates, but experts predict refinancing to slow as new mortgage shoppers dominate.



Real estate analysts predict the other following trends in the mortgage market for 2011:



Rates on the rise. The Mortgage Bankers Association predicts mortgage rates to rise slightly in 2011 and hover around 5 percent. They expect rates to increase to about 6 percent in 2012.



Jumbo loans become more attractive. Jumbo loans (loans over $417,000 in most housing markets and above $729,750 in high-cost housing markets) are expected to pick up pace in the next few months. Jumbo loans often have higher mortgage rates than conforming loans. However, with mortgage rates on jumbo loans dropping, experts predict a hike in refinancing and purchase applications for high-end housing.



All-cash purchases. All-cash purchases represented about a quarter of all existing home purchases in the last four months of 2010, according to Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the National Association of REALTORS®. He expects all-cash purchases to continue to represent a big part of the real estate landscape in 2011.



Slow and complex mortgage loan process. The time between application and closing can take as much as 60 days and that’s not expected to get any faster, experts say. Lenders often recommend borrowers lock in a loan 60, 75, or 90 days to help ensure the loan process will be completed within that lock-in period. The industry's new levels of documentation and verification that is now required is causing lengthy delays in the loan process, experts say.

Source: “7 Mortgage Trends to Expect in 2011,” MSNBC (Jan. 10, 2011)






Emily Lee
call/text 606-499-7836
Realty Group II
broker:423-869-5111


Housing Starts Expected to Climb in 2011

Housing Starts Expected to Climb in 2011


New home construction is looking up this year.



During an economic update Wednesday at the International Builders' Show in Orlando David Crowe, chief economist of the National Association of Home Builders, projected single-family housing starts to rise by 21 percent in 2011, reaching 575,000 units.



The estimate is slightly more conservative than the Dec. 30 projection of 716,000 housing starts this year by Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the National Association of REALTORS®. Both estimates assume sustained job growth, increasing U.S. population, as well as continued low interest rates driving construction.



Yun expects about 2 million jobs to be added in 2011. However, as NAHB presenter Frank Nothaft, chief economist for Freddie Mac, pointed out, 2011 got off to a slow start with nonfarm payrolls rising only by 103,000 in December. He called the figure weaker than expected.



Credit is another factor. Lending remains tight, but if it opens up with safe underwriting standards for creditworthy buyers, Yun says there would be a bigger boost to the housing market with spillover benefits for the broader economy. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is forecast to rise gradually to 5.3 percent around the end of 2011; at the same time, unemployment should drop to 9.2 percent, according to NAR.



In addition, over the past 10 years the U.S. has added 27 million people. Continued population growth will also spur home construction and sales. “All the indicator trends are pointing to a gradual housing recovery,” Yun says.



An even more conservative projection of 492,000 housing starts in 2011 was released by the Portland Cement Association during the International Builders Show Wednesday. Edward Sullivan, PCA chief economist, does not expect significant increases until 2012 due to tight lending standards, a high home inventory count, and unstable housing prices. He also says that new home construction will vary considerably by region.



-- Erica Christoffer, REALTOR® Magazine

 
Emily Lee
call/text 606-499-7836
Realty Group II
Broker:423-869-5111

States with the highest foreclosure rates

Lenders Repossess 1 Million Homes in 2010


Banks repossessed more than 1 million homes in 2010 and this year is expected to get even worse, according to RealtyTrac, a foreclosure tracking resource. About 5 million borrowers are at least two months behind on their mortgage payments, which industry analysts say will likely lead to lenders taking back even more homes this year as borrowers continue to struggle with job losses and dropping home values.



"2011 is going to be the peak," says Rick Sharga, a senior vice president at RealtyTrac Inc.

One in 45 U.S. households received a foreclosure filing last year, a record high and a 1.67 percent increase from 2009.



Some states are harder hit than others. In Nevada alone, one in every 11 households received a foreclosure filing last year. The state had a 71 percent spike in bank repossessions in December.



Banks in recent months have mostly slowed their pace in evictions, following allegations that they were handled improperly. But Sharga says banks will resume repossessions and the first quarter will likely show a rebound in foreclosure activity.



The states with the highest foreclosure rates:



• Nevada



• Arizona



• Florida



• California



• Utah



• Georgia



• Michigan



• Idaho



• Illinois



• Colorado



Source: “Lenders Take Back 1 Million Homes Last Year Despite Slowdown in Foreclosures in December,” Associated Press (Jan. 13, 2011)








Emily Lee
call/text 606-499-7836
Realty Group II
Broker:423-869-5111

Monday, January 3, 2011

Federal Tax Report

Law Extends Tax Rates, Some Credits

President Obama has signed a massive tax bill that includes numerous provisions of interest to REALTORS® or other people in real estate. Check out the clink below to review the bill.



TAX Summary


EMILY LEE
606-499-7836 or 423-869-2442
REALTY GROUP II
423-869-5111