Tag Archives: housing construction

Why Home Sales Rising Fast, Construction Lagging?

Posted on June 22, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner We are once again in a housing conundrum. May Existing-home sales just surged 1.1 percent to 5.62 million units, after falling for several months. And housing starts fell for the third straight month an unexpected 5.5 percent … Continue reading →

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Builder Optimism + Affordability Higher

Posted on May 15, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Some good news is that rising wages and moderating home prices offset a rise in mortgage interest rates to give housing affordability a slight boost in the first quarter of 2017, said the National Association of Home … Continue reading →

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Housing Recovery Still Uneven

Posted on May 4, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs Fresh data from real-estate website Trulia show that just 34.2 percent of homes have returned to the peak levels registered before the onset of the recession in 2008, reports Marketwatch’s Andrea Requier. What’s more, Trulia estimates it could … Continue reading →

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Return To Low Interest Rates Boosts Housing

Posted on April 20, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner The conforming 30-year fixed rate mortgage is now 3.50 percent and the so-called Hi-Balance conforming 30-year fixed rate is 3.75 percent these days for a 1 percent origination fee. And this is what has kept the demand … Continue reading →

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Single-Family Construction Exploding

Posted on March 16, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly Starts on new houses climbed 3 percent in February to the second-highest level since 2007, reflecting pent-up demand in a steadily growing economy that builders are aiming to address. And builder optimism continues to rise to new … Continue reading →

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Higher New Home Sales, Mortgage Lending

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner We wrote last week about unusually restrictive mortgage standards for conforming stalwarts Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that are still wards of the US Treasury. Now we’ve learned that they are still doing almost record loan volumes. … Continue reading →

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Housing Construction Boosted By Low Rates

Posted on February 16, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Housing starts returned to trend, reports the National Association of Home Builders, dropping 2.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.246 million units, according to newly released data from the U.S. Department of Housing and … Continue reading →

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Surging Construction Sector Aids Home Sales

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Construction payrolls were a positive surprise of the January employment report, rising 36,000 for the best gain since March. Construction was soft through most of last year though it did pick up at year end. And this … Continue reading →

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Pending Home Sales—Case-Shiller Prices Higher

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Pending home sales picked up in December as solid increases in the South and West offset weakening activity in the Northeast and Midwest, according to the National Association of Realtors®. And the S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Index … Continue reading →

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Housing Starts Surge With Builder Optimism

Posted on January 21, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner A surge in multifamily production resulted in overall nationwide housing starts rising 11.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.23 million units, according to newly released data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban … Continue reading →

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