Category Archives: housing market

Housing Starts, Home Sales ‘Yuge’

Posted on November 22, 2016 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Housing starts surged 25.5 percent in October to a 1.323 million annualized rate. This is the best rate of the cycle since August 2007 with the monthly percentage gain the strongest since 1982, says Econoday. It and … Continue reading →

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What Is the Future of Interest Rates?

Posted on November 15, 2016 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner The deficit is moving to the back burner with Donald Trump and congressional Republicans in charge of Washington, and that is causing interest rates to rise quickly. Republicans leaders on Capitol Hill are now papering over divisions … Continue reading →

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Housing Sales, Prices Continue Skyward

Posted on October 26, 2016 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner The S&P Case Shiller Home Price Index continues to soar, with Seattle and Portland existing-home prices up double digits in a year, while Dallas and Denver are up some 8 percent annually. Case-Shiller’s national index is within … Continue reading →

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A Recovery In Retail Sales?

Posted on October 18, 2016 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs September retail sales rose: total up 0.6 percent, ex-auto up 0.5 percent, ex-auto ex-gas up 0.3 percent, which indicates a good holiday season for retail. But this is bucking the downward trend that has sales sinking to the … Continue reading →

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Will Low Interest Rates Continue?

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner This question is behind much of the stock and bond market gyrations. We are near full employment with a 5.0 percent unemployment rate, some 11 million jobs created since the end of the Great Recession, yet we … Continue reading →

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When Will (Housing) Selling Season End?

Posted on September 26, 2016 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner It’s already October and the housing market continues to boom—even after the kids are back in school, the usual end of the sales season. Sales of newly-constructed homes dropped 7.6 percent in August, though they beat forecasts. … Continue reading →

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Why Isn’t It Easier to Qualify For A Mortgage?

Posted on September 12, 2016 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner It’s not getting any easier to obtain a mortgage. This is in spite of record low mortgage rates, as low as 3.0 percent for 30-year conforming fixed rates; as well as the appearance of so-called Alt-A, non-QM … Continue reading →

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US Consumers Are Happy Again

Posted on August 30, 2016 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly US consumers are feeling good, with higher confidence and rising wages pushing demand for housing and consumer spending. The Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index rose a huge 4.4 points to 101.3 in August. It has been hovering … Continue reading →

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Home Sales Soar

Posted on August 24, 2016 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner It’s finally happened. Housing is now leading this 7-year recovery—finally. It’s taken a long time for those wanting to form new households to leave their parents, or school, or even pay down their education loans sufficiently to … Continue reading →

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Much More Housing Needed

Posted on August 22, 2016 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner There’s an exception to the current low inflation prognostications echoed in my column by the San Francisco Fed Prez John Williams. It’s in housing, which is struggling to meet the surging demand for both new homes and … Continue reading →

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