INFO THAT HITS US WHERE WE LIVE The National Association of Realtors last Thursday reported existing home sales UP 27.2% for the last three months of 2009 versus a year earlier. This amounted to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6 million homes. -- a 13.9% increase over the third quarter's annual rate of 5.29 million homes. Clearly, buyers are taking advantage of the low mortgage interest rates and the tax credit that was extended and expanded by Congress.
The existing home sales increase from Q3 to Q4 occurred in 48 states and D.C., with 32 of those states showing double-digit gains. Year-over-year, sales were higher in 49 states and D.C., up by double digits in all but 3 states. And distressed property made up just 32% of Q4 sales versus 37% of sales a year ago. The national median price of an existing single-family home, at $172,900, was down 4.1% year-over-year -- but that was the smallest price decline in over two years. Even better, out of the 151 metropolitan statistical areas studied, 67 of them showed a RISE in the median home price!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
U.S. Homebuyer Tax Credit Extended, Expanded
The tax credit for U.S. homebuyers has been extended, and a new group of buyers has been made eligible.
The credit of up to $8,000 for first-time buyers, originally due to expire Nov. 30, has been extended into 2010. This is money that never has to be repaid, provided you live in the home for three years.
Homebuyers who owned and lived in their principal residence for five consecutive years of the last eight are eligible for a credit of up to $6,500.
Facts about the Homebuyer Tax Credit:
You must have a signed purchase agreement for your home no later than April 30, 2010, and the transaction must close before July 1.
First-time buyers receive a credit of 10 percent of the purchase price, up to $8,000. You are considered a first-time buyer if neither you nor your spouse has owned a principal residence in the U.S. within the last three years.
Buyers who owned and lived in their principal residence for at least five consecutive years of the last eight can receive credit of up to $6,500 when they contract to purchase a home before April 30, 2010, and close before July 1.
The upper income limit to receive the full credit is raised to $125,000 for individuals and $225,000 for couples.
If the purchase price is more than $800,000, the buyer is not eligible for the credit.
There is no minimum income for claiming the credit. You qualify for the full credit even if you won’t owe any taxes for 2009 or 2010.
You can claim the credit when you file your 2009 or 2010 tax return. And you can even apply the credit to your down payment for the purchase of an FHA-insured home.
The credit of up to $8,000 for first-time buyers, originally due to expire Nov. 30, has been extended into 2010. This is money that never has to be repaid, provided you live in the home for three years.
Homebuyers who owned and lived in their principal residence for five consecutive years of the last eight are eligible for a credit of up to $6,500.
Facts about the Homebuyer Tax Credit:
You must have a signed purchase agreement for your home no later than April 30, 2010, and the transaction must close before July 1.
First-time buyers receive a credit of 10 percent of the purchase price, up to $8,000. You are considered a first-time buyer if neither you nor your spouse has owned a principal residence in the U.S. within the last three years.
Buyers who owned and lived in their principal residence for at least five consecutive years of the last eight can receive credit of up to $6,500 when they contract to purchase a home before April 30, 2010, and close before July 1.
The upper income limit to receive the full credit is raised to $125,000 for individuals and $225,000 for couples.
If the purchase price is more than $800,000, the buyer is not eligible for the credit.
There is no minimum income for claiming the credit. You qualify for the full credit even if you won’t owe any taxes for 2009 or 2010.
You can claim the credit when you file your 2009 or 2010 tax return. And you can even apply the credit to your down payment for the purchase of an FHA-insured home.
Existing Home Sales Drop
During the month of December, existing home sales dropped more than expected.
According to the National Association of Realtors, existing homes sales dropped 16.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.45 million units.
Experts had expected December sales to reach 5.9 million annual units.
"We'll see a pickup in existing home sales in the next couple of months" as people take advantage of the tax-credit extension, said Adam York, an economist at Wells Fargo Securities LLC in Charlotte, North Carolina, who forecast a 5.4 million sales pace. Although "we're past the bottom," he said, "I don't think there's going to be a lot of buyers out there looking for a home outside of the tax-induced effects until they feel more comfortable with the labor market."
During 2009, there were 5,156,000 existing home sales, which was 4.9 percent higher than 2008's total.
During November, home buyers rushed to purchase homes to qualify for the first time home buyer tax credit, which helped existing home sales gain 7.4 percent.
Experts believe the tax credit will help boost the housing market as did the Cash for Clunkers helped auto sales.
"Since Cash for Clunkers has been over, autos have seen stronger and more sustainable sales -- and that's a function of a better economy," Thomas said. "That means home sales are likely to follow."
According to the National Association of Realtors, existing homes sales dropped 16.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.45 million units.
Experts had expected December sales to reach 5.9 million annual units.
"We'll see a pickup in existing home sales in the next couple of months" as people take advantage of the tax-credit extension, said Adam York, an economist at Wells Fargo Securities LLC in Charlotte, North Carolina, who forecast a 5.4 million sales pace. Although "we're past the bottom," he said, "I don't think there's going to be a lot of buyers out there looking for a home outside of the tax-induced effects until they feel more comfortable with the labor market."
During 2009, there were 5,156,000 existing home sales, which was 4.9 percent higher than 2008's total.
During November, home buyers rushed to purchase homes to qualify for the first time home buyer tax credit, which helped existing home sales gain 7.4 percent.
Experts believe the tax credit will help boost the housing market as did the Cash for Clunkers helped auto sales.
"Since Cash for Clunkers has been over, autos have seen stronger and more sustainable sales -- and that's a function of a better economy," Thomas said. "That means home sales are likely to follow."
Monday, September 28, 2009
Grand Rapids, Mi Real Estate Market
Contract activity for pending home sales has risen for six straight months, a pattern not seen in the history of the index since it began in 2001, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.
The Pending Home Sales Index,1 a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in July, increased 3.2 percent to 97.6 from a reading of 94.6 in June, and is 12.0 percent higher than July 2008 when it was 87.1. The index is at the highest level since June 2007 when it was 100.7.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said the housing market momentum has clearly turned for the better. "The recovery is broad-based across many parts of the country. Housing affordability has been at record highs this year with the added stimulus of a first-time buyer tax credit," he said.
"Other buyers are taking advantage of low home values before prices turn higher. Nationally, the typical mortgage payment now takes less than 25 percent of a middle-income family's monthly income to buy a median priced home, with payment percentages so far in 2009 being the lowest on record dating back to 1970. As long as home buyers stay within their budget, mortgage payments will be very manageable," Yun said.
NAR estimates that about 1.8 to 2.0 million first-time buyers will take advantage of the $8,000 tax credit this year, with approximately 350,000 additional sales that would not have taken place without the credit. Buyers have little time to act because they must complete the transaction by November 30 to qualify for the credit. Unless extended, contracts signed but not completed by that date will not be eligible -- it is taking approximately two months to complete home sales in the current market.
The Pending Home Sales Index in the Northeast declined 3.0 percent to 78.8 in July but is 4.7 percent higher than July 2008. In the Midwest the index slipped 2.0 percent to 88.1 but is 8.1 percent above a year ago. In the South, pending home sales activity rose 3.1 percent to an index of 103.8 in July and is 12.0 percent above July 2008. In the West the index jumped 12.1 percent to 112.5 and is 20.0 percent above a year ago.
NAR President Charles McMillan, a broker with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Dallas-Fort Worth, said Congress needs to keep the momentum going. "Even with a good recovery taking place, the market is not yet back to normal. With a gradual absorption of inventory, we are on the cusp of a general stabilization in home prices," he said.
"To ensure that housing has a broad stimulus to the overall economy and stays on sound footing, we're encouraging Congress to extend the tax credit into 2010, and to expand it to all buyers of primary residences. The faster we stabilize home prices, the fewer families will face foreclosure and the quicker credit can be extended to other sectors of the economy," McMillan said.
NAR's Housing Affordability Index2 stood at 158.5 in July, below the peak set in April but is still 36.0 percentage points higher than a year ago. The HAI is a broad measure of housing affordability using consistent values and assumptions over time, which examines the relationship between home prices, mortgage interest rates and family income.
Yun expects existing-home sales to rise through the fourth quarter. "Unless the tax credit is extended, no one should be surprised to see home sales drop in the first quarter of next year," he said. "However, the fundamentals of the housing market and the economy are trending up, and we expect home sales to generally pick up in the second quarter of 2010. The buyer psychology may be shifting from, ‘Why buy now when I can purchase later,' to ‘I don't want to miss out on a recovery'."
The National Association of REALTORS®, "The Voice for Real Estate," is America's largest trade association, representing 1.2 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
# # #
1The Pending Home Sales Index is a leading indicator for the housing sector, based on pending sales of existing homes. A sale is listed as pending when the contract has been signed but the transaction has not closed, though the sale usually is finalized within one or two months of signing.
The index is based on a large national sample, typically representing about 20 percent of transactions for existing-home sales. In developing the model for the index, it was demonstrated that the level of monthly sales-contract activity from 2001 through 2004 parallels the level of closed existing-home sales in the following two months. There is a closer relationship between annual index changes (from the same month a year earlier) and year-ago changes in sales performance than with month-to-month comparisons.
An index of 100 is equal to the average level of contract activity during 2001, which was the first year to be examined as well as the first of five consecutive record years for existing-home sales.
2The Housing Affordability Index is a relative index where a value of 100 means that a family with the median income has exactly enough income to qualify for a mortgage on a median-priced existing single-family home, taking into account the relationship between median home price, average effective interest rate for loans closed on existing homes, and median family income. The higher the index, the better housing affordability is for buyers.
The calculation assumes a downpayment of 20 percent and a qualifying ratio of 25 percent of gross income for mortgage principle and interest payments. The index is a general gauge with conditions varying widely around the country. Affordability conditions are lower for first-time buyers with smaller downpayments and less income.
Monthly publication of the index began in 1981 with annual data calculated back to 1970.
Existing-home sales for August will be released September 24; the next Pending Home Sales Index will be on October 1.
The Pending Home Sales Index,1 a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in July, increased 3.2 percent to 97.6 from a reading of 94.6 in June, and is 12.0 percent higher than July 2008 when it was 87.1. The index is at the highest level since June 2007 when it was 100.7.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said the housing market momentum has clearly turned for the better. "The recovery is broad-based across many parts of the country. Housing affordability has been at record highs this year with the added stimulus of a first-time buyer tax credit," he said.
"Other buyers are taking advantage of low home values before prices turn higher. Nationally, the typical mortgage payment now takes less than 25 percent of a middle-income family's monthly income to buy a median priced home, with payment percentages so far in 2009 being the lowest on record dating back to 1970. As long as home buyers stay within their budget, mortgage payments will be very manageable," Yun said.
NAR estimates that about 1.8 to 2.0 million first-time buyers will take advantage of the $8,000 tax credit this year, with approximately 350,000 additional sales that would not have taken place without the credit. Buyers have little time to act because they must complete the transaction by November 30 to qualify for the credit. Unless extended, contracts signed but not completed by that date will not be eligible -- it is taking approximately two months to complete home sales in the current market.
The Pending Home Sales Index in the Northeast declined 3.0 percent to 78.8 in July but is 4.7 percent higher than July 2008. In the Midwest the index slipped 2.0 percent to 88.1 but is 8.1 percent above a year ago. In the South, pending home sales activity rose 3.1 percent to an index of 103.8 in July and is 12.0 percent above July 2008. In the West the index jumped 12.1 percent to 112.5 and is 20.0 percent above a year ago.
NAR President Charles McMillan, a broker with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Dallas-Fort Worth, said Congress needs to keep the momentum going. "Even with a good recovery taking place, the market is not yet back to normal. With a gradual absorption of inventory, we are on the cusp of a general stabilization in home prices," he said.
"To ensure that housing has a broad stimulus to the overall economy and stays on sound footing, we're encouraging Congress to extend the tax credit into 2010, and to expand it to all buyers of primary residences. The faster we stabilize home prices, the fewer families will face foreclosure and the quicker credit can be extended to other sectors of the economy," McMillan said.
NAR's Housing Affordability Index2 stood at 158.5 in July, below the peak set in April but is still 36.0 percentage points higher than a year ago. The HAI is a broad measure of housing affordability using consistent values and assumptions over time, which examines the relationship between home prices, mortgage interest rates and family income.
Yun expects existing-home sales to rise through the fourth quarter. "Unless the tax credit is extended, no one should be surprised to see home sales drop in the first quarter of next year," he said. "However, the fundamentals of the housing market and the economy are trending up, and we expect home sales to generally pick up in the second quarter of 2010. The buyer psychology may be shifting from, ‘Why buy now when I can purchase later,' to ‘I don't want to miss out on a recovery'."
The National Association of REALTORS®, "The Voice for Real Estate," is America's largest trade association, representing 1.2 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
# # #
1The Pending Home Sales Index is a leading indicator for the housing sector, based on pending sales of existing homes. A sale is listed as pending when the contract has been signed but the transaction has not closed, though the sale usually is finalized within one or two months of signing.
The index is based on a large national sample, typically representing about 20 percent of transactions for existing-home sales. In developing the model for the index, it was demonstrated that the level of monthly sales-contract activity from 2001 through 2004 parallels the level of closed existing-home sales in the following two months. There is a closer relationship between annual index changes (from the same month a year earlier) and year-ago changes in sales performance than with month-to-month comparisons.
An index of 100 is equal to the average level of contract activity during 2001, which was the first year to be examined as well as the first of five consecutive record years for existing-home sales.
2The Housing Affordability Index is a relative index where a value of 100 means that a family with the median income has exactly enough income to qualify for a mortgage on a median-priced existing single-family home, taking into account the relationship between median home price, average effective interest rate for loans closed on existing homes, and median family income. The higher the index, the better housing affordability is for buyers.
The calculation assumes a downpayment of 20 percent and a qualifying ratio of 25 percent of gross income for mortgage principle and interest payments. The index is a general gauge with conditions varying widely around the country. Affordability conditions are lower for first-time buyers with smaller downpayments and less income.
Monthly publication of the index began in 1981 with annual data calculated back to 1970.
Existing-home sales for August will be released September 24; the next Pending Home Sales Index will be on October 1.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Most affordable city to buy in! Grand Rapids, MI
Most affordable cities to buy!!! Grand Rapids, Mich. $236,000 buys a five bed, four bath house in Grand Rapids. • Life after foreclosure: 4 stories • Big cities: Big changes to foreclosure rates Median home price: $100,000 Median income: $63,100 Affordability score: 92.9% -- 5th best The huge tracts of nearby hardwood forests that helped make Grand Rapids "furniture city" starting in the late 19th century may be mostly gone but it still is a center for office furniture manufacturing. Today, however, there's a lot more diversity in its economy mix. It has some auto plants, which are seriously suffering, and has attracted some health science facilities, consumer goods manufacturers and aerospace products. Foreclosure has not visited households as often as other cities in Michigan but Grand Rapids has still suffered during the foreclosure plague. According to RealtyTrac, there were nearly 4,200 properties with foreclosure filings during the first half of 2009, the 61st highest rate among the 203 biggest metro areas. ...
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
The Pitfalls of shopping for a new home in todays market!
Today like any other day I started out filling out my "to do list" which because I was up late last night working, it is short:) So, I decided it was time to write something here. If you are a home buyer this may interest you or if you are someone interested in listing your home this may also interest you. But keep in mind there are areas of the state (Michigan) that this won't apply too.
Looking at GRAR (The Grand Rapids MLS) I see that homes are selling with a good percentage between the $100,000/$160,000 range. The problem is that most of these homes are either forclosures or short sales, both of which are distressed sales. For the month of April we had 718 distressed sales in our area out of 1141 total sales. That is almost 63% of the homes sold last month were distressed. The problem were seeing for buyers is that there are fewer and fewer homes available that are not a foreclosure or short sale. Yes, great you say for the investor, but what if you want to buy something that you don't have to put alot of work into? Most foreclosures you will have to do some work.
In my opinion we are getting to the bottom of the barrel. There are fewer options out there for the regular home buyer as normal listings are few with limited access to areas of interest. Homes that do come on the market with a good price and in good shape are snapped up quickly. This means you have to be quick as a buyer and make quick purchace decisions.
The good news for a home owner that wants to sell, is that you may have something that someone wants. Yes, prices are down, but will go up with demand. This is the start of that cycle as people are getting tired of looking through distressed properties. Not that you will get what you want out of your home, but you may come close if your in a high demand area. There is also the fact that there are fewer and fewer foreclosed properties coming on the market. This will also increase demand.
An example is that for the month 0f March in our area the distressed sales were 65%. February was 68% and January was 69% and of course April was 63%. You can see the trend here and it will continue.
So if you are a home owner and want to sell the time is right. If you are a home buyer you must be quick at your purchase and be persistant in your shopping!
Looking at GRAR (The Grand Rapids MLS) I see that homes are selling with a good percentage between the $100,000/$160,000 range. The problem is that most of these homes are either forclosures or short sales, both of which are distressed sales. For the month of April we had 718 distressed sales in our area out of 1141 total sales. That is almost 63% of the homes sold last month were distressed. The problem were seeing for buyers is that there are fewer and fewer homes available that are not a foreclosure or short sale. Yes, great you say for the investor, but what if you want to buy something that you don't have to put alot of work into? Most foreclosures you will have to do some work.
In my opinion we are getting to the bottom of the barrel. There are fewer options out there for the regular home buyer as normal listings are few with limited access to areas of interest. Homes that do come on the market with a good price and in good shape are snapped up quickly. This means you have to be quick as a buyer and make quick purchace decisions.
The good news for a home owner that wants to sell, is that you may have something that someone wants. Yes, prices are down, but will go up with demand. This is the start of that cycle as people are getting tired of looking through distressed properties. Not that you will get what you want out of your home, but you may come close if your in a high demand area. There is also the fact that there are fewer and fewer foreclosed properties coming on the market. This will also increase demand.
An example is that for the month 0f March in our area the distressed sales were 65%. February was 68% and January was 69% and of course April was 63%. You can see the trend here and it will continue.
So if you are a home owner and want to sell the time is right. If you are a home buyer you must be quick at your purchase and be persistant in your shopping!
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Expanded Tax Break Available for 2009 First Time Homebuyers!!!
WASHINGTON – The Internal Revenue Service announced today that taxpayers who qualify for the first-time homebuyer credit and purchase a home this year before Dec. 1 have a special option available for claiming the tax credit either on their 2008 tax returns due April 15 or on their 2009 tax returns next year.Qualifying taxpayers who buy a home this year before Dec. 1 can get up to $8,000, or $4,000 for married filing separately.
“For first-time homebuyers this year, this special feature can put money in their pockets right now rather than waiting another year to claim the tax credit, “ said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “This important change gives qualifying homebuyers cash they do not have to pay back.”
The IRS has posted a revised version of Form 5405, First-Time Homebuyer Credit on IRS.gov. The revised form incorporates provisions from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The instructions to the revised Form 5405 provide additional information on who can and cannot claim the credit, income limitations, and repayment of the credit.
This year, qualifying taxpayers who buy a home before Dec. 1, 2009, can claim the credit on either their 2008 or 2009 tax returns. They do not have to repay the credit, provided the home remains their main home for 36 months after the purchase date. They can claim 10 percent of the purchase price up to $8,000, or $4,000 for married individuals filing separately.
The amount of the credit begins to phase out for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income is more than $75,000, $150,000 for joint filers.
For purposes of the credit, you are considered to be a first-time homebuyer if you, and your spouse if you are married, did not own any other main home during the three-year period ending on the date of purchase.
The IRS also alerted taxpayers that the new law does not affect people who purchased a home after April 8, 2008, and on or before December 31, 2008. For these taxpayers who are claiming the credit on their 2008 tax returns, the maximum credit remains 10 percent of the purchase price, up to $7,500, or $3,750 for married individuals filing separately. In addition, the credit for these 2008 purchases must be repaid in 15 equal installments over 15 years, beginning with the 2010 tax year.
“For first-time homebuyers this year, this special feature can put money in their pockets right now rather than waiting another year to claim the tax credit, “ said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “This important change gives qualifying homebuyers cash they do not have to pay back.”
The IRS has posted a revised version of Form 5405, First-Time Homebuyer Credit on IRS.gov. The revised form incorporates provisions from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The instructions to the revised Form 5405 provide additional information on who can and cannot claim the credit, income limitations, and repayment of the credit.
This year, qualifying taxpayers who buy a home before Dec. 1, 2009, can claim the credit on either their 2008 or 2009 tax returns. They do not have to repay the credit, provided the home remains their main home for 36 months after the purchase date. They can claim 10 percent of the purchase price up to $8,000, or $4,000 for married individuals filing separately.
The amount of the credit begins to phase out for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income is more than $75,000, $150,000 for joint filers.
For purposes of the credit, you are considered to be a first-time homebuyer if you, and your spouse if you are married, did not own any other main home during the three-year period ending on the date of purchase.
The IRS also alerted taxpayers that the new law does not affect people who purchased a home after April 8, 2008, and on or before December 31, 2008. For these taxpayers who are claiming the credit on their 2008 tax returns, the maximum credit remains 10 percent of the purchase price, up to $7,500, or $3,750 for married individuals filing separately. In addition, the credit for these 2008 purchases must be repaid in 15 equal installments over 15 years, beginning with the 2010 tax year.
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