Daily Archives: December 11, 2014

Home Equity Grows | Bedford Hills Real Estate

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According to NAHB tabulations of the third quarter Federal Reserve Flow of Funds, the real estate equity position of U.S. households (the difference between assets and liabilities) increased nearly 1.6% for the quarter.

The market value of real estate held by U.S. households increased $180 billion dollars during the quarter, while liabilities (home mortgages) remained virtually unchanged. The value household-owned real estate, including owner-occupied and second homes, totaled $20.4 trillion for the quarter. Total home mortgage debt outstanding stands at $9.4 trillion.

Recent developments in terms of housing values and mortgage debt outstanding have been largely driven by tight lending conditions and steadily increasing home prices. Rising home prices, in particular, have boosted household balance sheets in recent years.

Chart1

To account for inflation in the quarterly series and measure changes in real values, it is also useful to examine owner’s equity in real estate as a percentage of the value of household real estate. The higher the ratio, the more favorable is the financial position of U.S. households with real estate. The current reading of 53.9% is a slight improvement over the prior quarter. The ratio has steadily improved from the 36.7% reading in the first quarter of 2009 during the depths of the Great Recession.

Chart2

This type of improvement in the balance sheet of U.S. households with real estate generally corresponds with the ongoing recovery in housing. It is likely that tight lending conditions have led to pent-up housing demand, which could release with further improvement to the economy.

 

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http://eyeonhousing.org/2014/12/home-equity-grows-during-the-third-quarter/

 

Mortgage rates average 3.93% | Bedford Real Estate

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Mortgage Rates Inch Up Slightly

 Freedie today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), showing average fixed mortgage rates slightly up from the last week, but with the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage remaining below four percent.

News Facts

  • 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.93 percent with an average 0.5 point for the week ending December 11, 2014, up from last week when it averaged 3.89 percent. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 4.42 percent.
  • 15-year FRM this week averaged 3.20 percent with an average 0.5 point, up from last week when it averaged 3.10 percent. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 3.43 percent.
  • 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 2.98 percent this week with an average 0.5 point, up from last week when it averaged 2.94 percent. A year ago, the 5-year ARM averaged 2.94 percent.
  • 1-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 2.40 percent this week with an average 0.4 point, down from last week when it averaged 2.41 percent. At this time last year, the 1-year ARM averaged 2.51 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 links for theRegional and National Mortgage Rate Details and Definitions. Borrowers may still pay closing costs which are not included in the survey.

Quotes
Attributed to Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist, Freddie Mac.

“Fixed mortgage rates rebounded this week with the 30-year fixed mortgage rate increasing to 3.93 percent after declining for four weeks in a row. The rate rise comes on the heels of an uplifting jobs report showing nonfarm payrolls adding 321,000 new jobs in November — 91,000 more jobs than expected. The unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.8 percent.”