Category Archives: Housing

Homebuyers on the Move Early

Posted on March 29, 2023 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner The home-buying season has begun earlier this year from a large rise in existing-home and new-home sales. It looks like families are already on the move, including retirees and seniors downsizing to more humble quarters. Calculated Risk … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, COVID-19, Economy, Housing, housing market, Weekly Financial News | Leave a comment

Housing Market Recovery–Part II

Posted on March 18, 2023 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Calculate Risk Real estate continues its slight recovery with housing starts and new residential permits on the rise in February. Most of the action was in rental housing, as apartment construction is up 9.9 percent YoY in … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, COVID-19, Economy, Housing, housing market, Weekly Financial News | 1 Comment

Housing Market Is Recovering

Posted on February 28, 2023 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Census.gov Real estate is the industry most affected by rising interest rates, so it’s encouraging to see that housing sales are showing signs of a revival. Both new-home and pending home sales jumped in January, even with … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, COVID-19, Economy, Housing, housing market, Weekly Financial News | 1 Comment

Chapter Eleven – Building a Livable Community

Posted on February 27, 2023 by Popular Economics Weekly

Old Town’s Revival In revitalizing Goleta’s Old Town District, we realized our efforts might apply to a livable city as well.  As recently as 2005, the Institute of American Architects defined such a community as. . . “broadly speaking, a livable community … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, Economy, Housing, Politics, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

What Interest Rates Are Declining?

Posted on February 9, 2023 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner FRED30yr The average 30-year fixed rate conforming mortgage has declined almost one percent since November 2022 to the current 6.12 percent as of February 2023, per the St. Louis Fed. The housing sector has been a leading … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, COVID-19, Economy, Housing, housing market, Weekly Financial News | Leave a comment

Housing Market Swoon–Part II

Posted on January 20, 2023 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner CalculatedRisk Despite improved builder sentiments, privately‐owned housing starts were down in December at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,382,000. This is 1.4 percent below the revised November estimate of 1,401,000 and is 21.8 percent below the December … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, Economy, Housing, housing market, Weekly Financial News | Leave a comment

Fourth Quarter Showing Stronger Growth

Posted on January 19, 2023 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs AtlantaGDPNow What are we to make of a predicted jump in fourth quarter GDP growth? The Atlanta Fed’s GDPNow prediction of Q4 growth was just increased to 3.5 percent and had been creeping upward as more positive economic … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, COVID-19, Economy, Housing, Weekly Financial News | Leave a comment

Housing Market Swoons

Posted on December 21, 2022 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Confidence among U.S. single-family home builders fell for a record 12th straight month in December as even a scramble to offer incentives for prospective buyers failed to boost traffic and lift sales in today’s high-inflation, high-interest rate … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, COVID-19, Economy, Housing, housing market, Weekly Financial News | Leave a comment

Consumer Sentiments Rising As Inflation Declines

Posted on December 9, 2022 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner UnivMichigan Consumers are feeling more optimistic, and it’s probably because they are seeing price rises beginning to moderate and prices decline in some areas. The University of Michigan reported in its preliminary sentiment survey for December that … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, COVID-19, Economy, Housing, housing market, Weekly Financial News | Leave a comment

Record Amount Housing Under Construction

Posted on November 28, 2022 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Calculated Risk There are a record number of housing units under construction, in part because of pandemic delays in construction (e.g., material shortages), but also because home sales have fallen sharply since the Fed’s rate hikes. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, COVID-19, Economy, Housing, housing market, Weekly Financial News | Leave a comment