Monthly Archives: February 2016

Groovy Midcentury-Style New Jersey Home for sale | Bedford Corners Real Estate

 

All photos via Zillow

Location: Hopewell, NJ
Price: $885,000

Apparently undeterred by the climate of New Jersey, which has real seasons, midcentury architect Philip Collins designed this breezy timber-and-glass house for the ultimate indoor-outdoor experience. The 2,000-square-foot house no doubt looks desperate for some fixing up, but the original design intentions of the 1980-built home are clear and appealing: a central living room with a fireplace and glazing on three sides offer serene views of the 8.75-acre grounds filled with mature trees and a pool, while expansive decking on two sides (one with a fountain) provides plenty of space to lounge and entertain.

Inside, there’s a galley kitchen with pegboard walls and upgraded stainless steel appliances. Each wing of the house contains two bedrooms with large windows, and a separate office/guest room space that includes its own bathroom and kitchenette. Collins, perhaps best known for contributing a spiraling tent to the 964 New York World’s Fair, also designed another Hopewell home, a stone-and-cedar pavilion for himself a mile away, which sold in 2015 for $1.44M. According to Realtor, a listing agent found tax records that indicate this Collins design has only had one owner so far. What could be next?

http://curbed.com/archives/2016/01/28/midcentury-modern-homes-for-sale-new-jersey.php?utm_campaign=issue-43144&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Curbed

Single family construction spending increases for the year | Bedford Real Estate

NAHB analysis of Census construction spending data shows that total private residential construction spending for December increased to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $430 billion. On a month-over-month basis, private single-family spending was $231 billion, up by 1% over the revised November estimate. Private multifamily spending also increased to $53 billion, up by 2.66%. Over the same period, private construction spending on home improvements increased 0.12%.
Annually, the pace of multifamily is up 12% from the November 2014 estimate, and spending on single-family construction was 9% higher. Over the same period private construction spending on home improvements increased 5.9%. (Please see this analysis of recent data revisions for this series).

The NAHB-constructed spending index, which is shown in the graph below (the base is January 2000) indicates that recent gains have been driven by the steady increase in multifamily construction spending. The pace of the multifamily spending is gradually slowing. NAHB anticipates accelerating growth for single-family spending in 2015.

Slide1

The pace of total nonresidential construction spending was down by 0.4% on a monthly basis in December, but it posted an annual increase from the revised December 2014 estimate of 8%. The largest contribution to this year-over-year gain was made by the class of manufacturing-related construction (45% increase), followed by lodging (31% increase) and Amusement and Recreation (24% increase).

Slide2

 

read more…

 

http://eyeonhousing.org/2016/02/construction-spending-rises-in-december/

Electric out from area storm | Bedford Real Estate

Dear NYSEG Customer,

As a result of several rounds of lightning, severe wind and heavy rain beginning last evening, we’re currently reporting approximately 8,000 customers without power in our Brewster Division (parts of Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties). The outage count is down from a peak of more than 15,000 early this morning.

Easy ways to stay informed:

  • Report outages, view estimated restoration time and more by going to mobile-friendly Outage Central, or call our electricity emergency line at 1.800.572.1131.

  • Sign up to receive NYSEG Outage Alerts by text message, email, or voice message.

Our local crews and support personnel have been working since the outset and we are continuing to bring in additional resources – including line and tree crews – from across the state.

As we continue to respond to downed wires incidents to ensure public safety, we expect to have 90% of the original storm-related outages restored by 1 p.m. tomorrow.
For the latest outage counts; outage locations by county, municipality and streets/roads; and estimated restoration times (as they are available), visit Outage Central.

 

If your power is interrupted go toNYSEG’s Outage Central. Report outages and view estimated restoration times and outage maps at Outage Central from your computer or smart phone.
How we restore power: Our first priority is your safety. In the case of a large interruption, we first repair the main facilities (transmission lines, substations) that bring electricity to your neighborhood. Learn more by clicking here.
If someone in your household uses electrically powered life-sustaining equipment enroll in our program at 1.800.572.1111 to be updated on power restoration efforts if the duration of an outage extends beyond 24 hours.
To report a life-threateningelectricity emergency, call us at1.800.572.1131 or call 911. To report a natural gas emergency or if you smell a natural gas odor, call us at1.800.572.1121 or call 911.
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Home prices index continues to rise | Pound Ridge Real Estate

Recently, S&P Dow Jones Indices and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) released their home price indexes for November. The Case-Shiller (CS) National Home Price Index, reported by S&P Dow Jones Indices, rose at a 10.9% seasonally adjusted annual pace in November. The Home Price Index from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) rose at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.7% in November.

Despite monthly volatility the FHFA and S&P/Case-Shiller home price indexes have very similar trends.

Figure1_November

http://eyeonhousing.org/2016/02/fhfa-and-spcase-shiller-home-prices-in-november/

Mortgage rates average 3.62% | Armonk Real Estate

Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), showing fixed mortgage rates resuming their decline and aiding home buyer affordability amid a tight supply of for-sale homes in many markets.

News Facts

  • 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.62 percent with an average 0.6 point for the week ending February 25, 2016, down from last week when it averaged 3.65 percent. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 3.80 percent.
  • 15-year FRM this week averaged 2.93 percent with an average 0.5 point, down from last week when it averaged 2.95%. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 3.07 percent.
  • 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 2.79 percent this week with an average 0.5 point, down from last week when it averaged 2.85 percent. A year ago, the 5-year ARM averaged 2.99 percent.

Average commitment rates should be reported along with average fees and points to reflect the total upfront cost of obtaining the mortgage. Visit the following link for theDefinitions. Borrowers may still pay closing costs which are not included in the survey.

Quote
Attributed to Sean Becketti, chief economist, Freddie Mac.

“Yields on the 10-year Treasury continued their downward trend this week after a small rally the previous two weeks. The 30-year mortgage responded, falling 3 basis points to 3.62 percent. Since the beginning of 2016, 30-year rates have fallen almost 40 basis points helping housing markets sustain their momentum into this year. Earlier this week, the National Association of Realtors announced existing home-sales were up 4 percent month-over-month in January and up 11 percent from last year.”

The future of home ownership | Chappaqua Real Estate

Economists are hopeful that housing market activity — and prices — will continue to perk up generally in 2016, due to a number of factors. The most important catalyst for housing is the improving economy and employment landscape. As Americans feel more confident about the economy and more secure in their jobs, they will be more willing to take the big step of home ownership.

At the same time, despite the Fed’s first rate increase, mortgage rates remain low and banks are finally loosening credit conditions. Both of those factors are drawing more buyers into the market, further increasing housing demand.

One interesting group is the “boomerang buyers” — homeowners who lost their homes during the recession and are ready to jump back into the market. Some 7.3 million Americans lost their homes to foreclosures or short sales — two events that can stay on your credit report for up to seven years — from 2007 to 2014, according to real estate data company RealtyTrac. If they have no other major credit issues lingering, those first foreclosed owners are now coming out of the financial doghouse and qualify for a mortgage. RealtyTrac projects that 250,000 to 500,000 boomerang-ers will come back into the market this year, with another million or so more in the next few years.

One last group that could help boost the housing market is millennials, those aged 18 to 34. Sure, many of them are spooked by home ownership, because they watched their parents navigate the Great Recession and they themselves are graduating college with a hefty chunk of student loans. But young professionals may find that a fixed-rate mortgage is the perfect antidote to rising rents. And when they do come to that realization, the nation’s homeownership rate — which at 63.7% in the third quarter of 2015 was near multi-year lows — should reverse course.

 

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http://time.com/money/4193040/real-estate-housing-market/

Distressed sales fall | Armonk Real Estate

  • Of total sales in November 2015, distressed sales made up 11.9 percent and real estate-owned (REO) sales made up 8.7 percent
  • Maryland remains the state with the largest share of distressed sales among all states at 20.3 percent
  • Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, Colo. had the lowest distressed sales share among the largest Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) at 3.1 percent

Distressed sales, which include REOs and short sales, accounted for 11.9 percent of total home sales nationally in November 2015, down 1.9 percentage points from November 2014 and up 1.4 percentage points from October 2015. This month-over-month increase was expected due to seasonality, and the magnitude of the change was in line with previous Novembers.

Within the distressed category, REO sales accounted for 8.7 percent and short sales accounted for 3.2 percent of total home sales in November 2015. The REO sales share was 1.5 percentage points below the November 2014 share and is the lowest for the month of November since 2007. The short sales share fell below 4 percent in mid-2014 and has remained in the 3-4 percent range since then. At its peak in January 2009, distressed sales totaled 32.4 percent of all sales, with REO sales representing 27.9 percent of that share. While distressed sales play an important role in clearing the housing market of foreclosed properties, they sell at a discount to non-distressed sales, and when the share of distressed sales is high, it can pull down the prices of non-distressed sales. There will always be some level of distress in the housing market, and by comparison, the pre-crisis share of distressed sales was traditionally about 2 percent. If the current year-over-year decrease in the distressed sales share continues, it will reach that “normal” 2-percent mark in mid-2019.

All but nine states recorded lower distressed sales shares in November 2015 compared with a year earlier. Maryland had the largest share of distressed sales of any state at 20.2 percent[1] in November 2015, followed by Connecticut (19.1 percent), Florida (19 percent), Michigan (18.9 percent) and Illinois (17.8 percent). North Dakota had the smallest distressed sales share at 2.7 percent. Nevada had a 5.4 percentage point drop in its distressed sales share from a year earlier, the largest decline of any state. California had the largest improvement of any state from its peak distressed sales share, falling 59.2 percentage points from its January 2009 peak of 67.4 percent. While some states stand out as having high distressed sales shares, only North Dakota and the District of Columbia are close to their pre-crisis levels (within one percentage point).

 

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http://www.corelogic.com/blog/authors/molly-boesel/2016/01/distressed-sales-accounted-for-12-percent-of-homes-sold-nationally-in-november-2015.aspx#.Vqow2_k4H4Z

Existing homes sales surge | North Salem Real Estate

Existing home sales, as reported by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), surged 14.7% in December, including an increase in the first-time buyer share to 32%, the highest share since August. December sales snapped back from a November decline partially attributable to delays in closings from the rollout of the Know Before You Owe mortgage disclosure rule by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). The new rule was designed to help consumers understand their loan options and avoid closing cost surprises. Total existing home sales in December increased to a seasonally adjusted rate of 5.46 million units combined for single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, up from 4.76 million units in November. December existing sales were up 7.7% from the same period a year ago.

Existing Home Sales December 2015

Existing sales increased in all regions, ranging from 8.7% in the Northeast to 23.2% in the West. Year-over-year, all regions increased, ranging from 4.6% in the South to 11.9% in the Northeast.

Total housing inventory decreased by 12.3% in December, and is 3.8% lower than its level a year ago. At the current sales rate, the December unsold inventory represents a 3.9-month supply, down from a 5.1-month supply in November. Some 32% of homes sold in December were on the market for less than a month.

The distressed sales share decreased to 8% in December from 9% in November. Distressed sales are defined as foreclosures and short sales sold at deep discounts. The December all-cash sales share decreased to 24% from 27% in November and 26% in December 2014. Individual investors purchased a 15% share in December, down from 16% in November and 17% a year ago.

The December median sales price of $224,100 was 7.6% above last December, and represents the 46thconsecutive month of year-over-year increase. The median condominium/co-op price of $209,900 in December was up 4.9% from last December.

 

http://eyeonhousing.org/2016/01/existing-sales-surge/

Mortgage applications rise again | Mt Kisco Real Estate

Mortgage Applications in the United States is expected to be 0.98 percent by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. Looking forward, we estimate Mortgage Applications in the United States to stand at 0.48 in 12 months time. In the long-term, the United States MBA Mortgage Applications is projected to trend around 0.48 percent in 2020, according to our econometric models.

United States MBA Mortgage Applications

 

New-home sales crush estimates | South Salem Real Estate

2015 tally for new-home sales is 15% higher than 2014

Sales of new homes rebounded handily in December, a signal of continued strength in the housing market.

Sales ran at an annual pace of 544,000, the highest since February, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had forecast a 506,000 pace.

That represented a 10.8% increase over a slightly upwardly revised November pace of 491,000. New home sales are volatile and often revised, but the trend has been generally up. December’s number was 9.9% higher than the same period a year ago, and there were 501,000 new homes sold during 2015, a 14.5% increase over 2014.
Still, new-home sales are a fraction of what they used to be, even before the housing bubble began to swell. Some builders have found it difficult to attract workers, many of whom left the industry when the bubble burst. Many have remained tentative about building too many homes as the economic recovery remained tepid and wages stagnant.

Many builders have responded to those market conditions by targeting higher-end customers. Prices have risen steadily over the past few years. They averaged $294,575 throughout 2015, up 4% compared to 2014’s average.

Builders, and economists, want to see more first-time buyers entering the market, which would require more moderately-priced homes. That’s a strategy that has worked for the country’s largest builder, D.R. Horton DHI, -0.59% company executives said on a Monday earnings call.

Read: First-time buyers slowly return to housing market

Many builders have seen solid business growth over the past few years, even as their stocks have struggled. Lennar LEN, +0.12% shares have declined about 9% over the past 12 months, while Toll Brothers TOL, -1.12% is down 28%.

The sales data help confirm that the housing market is strengthening, Pantheon Macroeconomic Chief Economist Ian Shepherdson wrote in a note Wednesday. “The consensus always looked timid, given the very warm weather in December; new home sales are measured at the point contracts are signed, which often happens at sales offices at construction sites. Unseasonably warm winter weather makes these sites much more appealing places to visit.”

But other data, including builder sentiment and mortgage applications, signal stronger activity than the pace of new home sales suggest, Shepherdson wrote, “so we have to expect further gains over the next few months.”

 

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http://www.marketwatch.com/story/new-home-sales-soar-to-annual-rate-of-544000-2016-01-27