Month: March 2016

Past, Present & Future Home Values

/ Elaine Hilton
 From Keeping Current Matters

In CoreLogic’s latest Home Price Index, they revealed home appreciation in three categories: percentage appreciation over the last year, over the last month, and projected appreciation over the next twelve months.

Here are state maps for each category:

The Past – home appreciation over the last 12 months


1KCM-1The Present – home appreciation over the last month2KCM-1-768x576

The Future – home appreciation projected over the next 12 months3KCM-1-768x576

Bottom Line

Homes across the country are appreciating at different rates. As we have mentioned before, the rate of home price appreciation across the country is due to a strong housing market reacting to supply and demand, and not a new housing bubble.If you plan on relocating to another state, and are waiting for your home to appreciate more, you need to know that the home you will buy in another state may be appreciating even faster.

Meet with a local real estate professional who can guide you through the next steps and help you decide what’s right for you.

Inventory Lacking In US Housing Market

/ Elaine Hilton

Insightful article by Myles Udland, recently published in the Business Insider.

With inventories down and supply tight — as of February the outstanding stock of existing homes would only last 4.4 months at the current selling rate — the lowest price points in the market are being disproportionately affected, preventing millennials from buying homes and pushing up rent inflation.

In commentary published Monday, Ralph McLaughlin, chief economist at Trulia, noted that inventory for both starter homes and trade-up homes — the two lowest price brackets in the housing market — is down about 40% in the last four years.

Overall, the total number of homes sitting on the market is down to around 860,000, down from 1.4 million 2012.

In short, the US housing market is facing a severe lack of supply that will either be resolved by higher prices (and more inflation) or more building.trulia_inventory_count_mar2016

Homeownership Produces Wealth

/ Elaine Hilton

Study Again Finds Homeownership to be a Better Way of Producing Wealth

Keeping Current Matters wrote this great article

According to the latest Beracha, Hardin & Johnson Buy vs. Rent (BH&J) Index homeownership is a better way to produce greater wealth, on average, than renting. The BH&J Index is a quarterly report that attempts to answer the question:

Is it better to rent or buy a home in today’s housing market?

The index examines the entire US housing market and then isolates 23 major markets for comparison. The researchers use a “’horse race’ comparison between an individual that is buying a home and an individual that rents a similar quality home and reinvests all monies otherwise invested in homeownership.” Ken Johnson Ph.D., Real Estate Economist & Professor at Florida Atlantic University, and one of the index’s authors states:

“The nation as a whole is in buy territory. Continued near record low mortgage rates, unsteady stock market performance, and rents (on average) now out pacing the cost of ownership (maintenance, taxes, insurance, etc.) all combine to favor owning and building wealth through home equity over renting and reinvesting in a portfolio of stocks and bonds.”

Dallas, Denver and Houston currently remain deep in rent territory but, “there is some degree of good news from these markets for homeowners as the cost of renting is now increasing at a faster rate than the cost of homeownership — reducing the advantage of renting over buying.” 

Bottom Line

Buying a home makes sense socially and financially. Rents are predicted to increase substantially in the next year, so lock in your housing cost with a mortgage payment now. To Find Out More About the Study: The BH&J Index and other FAU real estate activities are sponsored by Investments Limited of Boca Raton. The BH&J Index is published quarterly and is available online at http://business.fau.edu/buyvsrent.