Gay Real Estate News

Economist Says It's Time to Raise Rates

Some economists are saying that it’s time for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates.

Ken Rosen, chair of the University of California Fisher Center for Real Estate, says the financial crisis is over and short-term rates today should be 2 to 3 percent. By keeping rates so low, “We are encouraging asset bubbles in the stock market, bond markets, and global real estate,” Rosen says.

Demand for housing will increase as employers hire more workers, Rosen adds.

Rosen predicts construction of new homes will remain well below the historical norm of 1.1 million homes a year for at least two or three years and foreclosures will set records in 2010. “The shadow inventory is real,” he says.

Source: Inman News, Matt Carter (04/26/2010)

Housing Analyst says 'Worst Is Over'

Housing has slowed to the point where demand is again outstripping supply, says Metrostudy founder Mike Castleman.

Metrostudy, which researches the housing industry, says demand is forcing up prices in some markets, including Washington, D.C. and Indianapolis, but it remains stagnant in Houston, Naples, Fla., Charlotte, and Denver.

Overall, Metrostudy and Castleman believe the worst is over. "The good news is that builders will need to build a lot more houses than last year to keep up with demand. That will help the economy by creating jobs," Castleman says.

Source: Fortune

6 biggest mistakes homebuyers make

Buying a home is the biggest purchase most people will ever make, yet many go into it blind. Here are the 6 most common -- and costly -- mistakes homebuyers make.

1. Not knowing your credit score

If you're even toying with the idea of buying a home, you must find out exactly what your FICO score is. If you find it is less than ideal, wage a systematic campaign to raise it. Too many borrowers ignore this step and get surprised when they get interest rate quotes.

Once you've pored over your credit history and corrected any errors, your next step is to pay down revolving debt balances to no more than 30% usage. That will help raise your score significantly.

Why does it matter?

The lower your score, the higher your costs of borrowing. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, for example, charge higher up-front fees to borrowers with credit scores below 740.

For a buyer with a credit score between 680 and 700, the fee comes to 1.5% of the mortgage principal. On a $200,000 mortgage, that adds up to $3,000. Someone with a 740 score pays nothing.

Lower-score borrowers also get saddled with higher interest rates, about 0.4 percentage point more for the below 700 borrower. That costs an extra $62 a month -- $744 a year -- on a $200,000, 30-year, fixed rate loan.

2. Buying a car before a house

Anytime consumers open new credit accounts -- credit card, auto loan, etc. -- their FICO score could drop, according to Craig Watts, a spokesman for Fair Isaac, the creator of FICO scores.

"Hence the admonition to not open other new accounts while your mortgage application is in process," he said.

A big purchase would use up a considerable proportion of a borrower's total credit limit, which results in a drop in the score. Lenders often continue to check credit scores in the weeks before closing.

"The lender will likely slam on the brakes if the applicant's credit scores have suddenly dropped below the minimum required for the requested loan rate," Watts said.

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2010/autos/1004/gallery.Costly_homebuying_mistakes/3.html

Existing home sales soar in March

Existing home sales jumped 6.8% in March, with home buyers racing to get a tax credit that expires in April, according to a real estate industry report released Thursday.

The National Association of Realtors reported that existing home sales rose last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.35 million units, up from the revised rate of 5.01 million in February. Sales year-over-year were up 16.1%.

Analysts surveyed by Briefing.com had expected the March sales rate to hit just 5.29 million annual units.

Home resales have been above year-ago levels for nine straight months, according to the report.

"Buoyed by the unseasonably warm weather, home owners were out en masse scooping-up bargain-priced real estate," said Bob Walters, chief economist at Quicken Loans, in a research note.

In its February report, NAR said winter storms hurt figures for the month.

"Adding to the increase in sales [for March] is the looming deadline of the government's home buyer tax credit," Walters said.

First-time home buyers can qualify for a tax credit of up to $8,000, while those who are trading up could get as much as $6,500. In either case, buyers must sign contracts by the end of April and close the deal before July 1 in order to get the credit.

Legislators have twice extended the deadline to obtain the tax credit, but a further extension is not expected.

The tax credit "has been a resounding success," NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun, said in a prepared statement. "This is preserving perhaps $1 trillion in largely middle class housing wealth that may have been wiped out." 

 

Price and inventory: The median price of homes sold in March was $170,000, up 0.4% from March 2009. Distressed properties made up 35% of the houses sold during the month.

Total housing inventory rose 1.5% to 3.58 million existing homes for sale. That's an 8-month supply at the current selling pace, down from and 8.5 month supply in February.

Sales by property type: Single-family home sales rose 7.3% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.68 million in March from a pace of 4.36 million in February, and were 13.3% above the pace 12 months ago.

Condominium and co-op sales rose 3.1% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 670,000 units in March, from 650,000 in February, and were 39.3% above March 2008's rate.

Sales by region: Total existing home sales rose the most in the Midwest, up 7.2% in March to an annual pace of 1.19 million. That's up 15.5% from a year ago.

Sales in the South rose 7.1% to an annual rate of 1.97 million; the West gained 6.6% to 1.3 million; and the Northeast was up 6% to 890,000.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com)

First-Time Home Buyers, Sellers Optimistic

More than 48 percent of first-time buyers expect home prices to increase by this time next year, according to a survey by Century 21 Real Estate.

The survey posed questions to people who had bought or sold a home in the last year.

Sixty percent of first-time home buyers say they didn’t understand the process of buying a home, and more than 85 percent of both first-time buyers and sellers said that using a real estate professional was important.

The top three skills valued in a real estate professional by both buyers and sellers were knowledge of the area, trustworthiness, and responsiveness.

More than 80 percent of buyers believe now is a good time to buy a home. First-time home buyers rated these three factors as the most influential in their decision:

• Current housing prices: 66 percent
• Home Buyer tax credit: 63 percent
• Low loan rates: 60 percent

In choosing a home, 95 percent of first-time home buyers thought price was the most important consideration, but 90 percent were also very concerned about neighborhood safety.

About 54 percent of first-time sellers think home prices are more affordable now than they were this time last year, and 50 percent were selling because they were purchasing a property they saw as more attractive and better suited to their needs.

Source: Century 21 Real Estate LLC

Home Sales Rise on Tax Credit, Favorable Market

Buyers responding to the home buyer tax credit and favorable affordability conditions boosted existing-home sales in March, marking the beginning of an expected spring surge, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.

Existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops, rose 6.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.35 million units in March from 5.01 million in February, and are 16.1 percent above the 4.61 million-unit level in March 2009.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said it is encouraging to see a broad home sales recovery in nearly every part of the country, with two important underlying trends. “Sales have been above year-ago levels for nine straight months, and inventory has trended down from year-ago levels for 20 months running,” he said. “The home buyer tax credit has been a resounding success as these underlying trends point to a broad stabilization in home prices. This is preserving perhaps $1 trillion in largely middle-class housing wealth that may have been wiped out without the housing stimulus measure.”

Rise in Inventories, Prices

Total housing inventory at the end of March rose 1.5 percent to 3.58 million existing homes available for sale, which represents an 8.0-month supply at the current sales pace, down from an 8.5-month supply in February. Raw unsold inventory is 1.8 percent below a year ago, and is 21.7 percent below the record of 4.58 million in July 2008.

“Foreclosures have been feeding into the inventory pipeline at a fairly steady pace and are being absorbed manageably,” Yun said. “In fact, foreclosures are selling quickly, especially in the lower-price ranges that are attractive to first-time home buyers.”

A parallel NAR practitioner survey shows first-time buyers purchased 44 percent of homes in March, up from 42 percent in February. Investors accounted for 19 percent of transactions in March, unchanged from February; the remaining sales were to repeat buyers. All-cash sales remain elevated at 27 percent in March, the same as in February.

The national median existing-home price for all housing types was $170,700 in March, up 0.4 percent from March 2009. Distressed homes, typically sold at a 15 percent discount, accounted for 35 percent of sales last month – unchanged from February.

“With home values stabilizing, a revival in home buying confidence will likely help the housing market get back on its feet even as the tax credit impact disappears,” Yun said.

A Great Time to Buy

NAR President Vicki Cox Golder said buying conditions are in near-perfect alignment. “Even with tougher loan standards, historically low mortgage interest rates with affordable prices and a sense that the market is turning have created optimal conditions in much of the country,” she said.

“With the fast-approaching April 30 deadline to get a contract in place for the tax credit, REALTORS® are working harder than ever to negotiate transactions, arrange services and complete paperwork,” Golder said. “Because many repeat buyers need to sell their current home first, many will be purchasing later without the tax credit but now have the benefit of a more buoyant housing market.”

According to Freddie Mac, the national average commitment rate for a 30-year, conventional, fixed-rate mortgage dipped to 4.97 percent in March from 4.99 percent in February; the rate was 5.00 percent in March 2009.

Single-family home sales rose 7.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.68 million in March from a level of 4.36 million in February, and are 13.3 percent above the 4.13 million level a year ago. The median existing single-family home price was $170,700 in March, up 0.6 percent from March 2009.

Regional, Metro Area Performances

Single-family median prices rose in 14 out of 20 metropolitan statistical areas reported in March in comparison with a year earlier. Five metro areas experienced double-digit increases, including San Diego, St. Louis, and Boston.

Existing condominium and co-op sales increased 3.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 670,000 in March from 650,000 in February, and are 39.3 percent higher than the 481,000-unit level in March 2009. The median existing condo price was $170,600 in March, which is 0.7 percent below a year ago.

Regionally, existing-home sales in the Northeast increased 6.0 percent to an annual level of 890,000 in March and are 25.4 percent higher than a year ago. The median price in the Northeast was $249,800, up 8.9 percent from March 2009.

Existing-home sales in the Midwest rose 7.2 percent in March to a pace of 1.19 million and are 15.5 percent above March 2009. The median price in the Midwest was $139,300, up 0.2 percent from a year ago.

In the South, existing-home sales increased 7.1 percent to an annual level of 1.97 million in March and are 13.9 percent higher than a year ago. The median price in the South was $154,800, up 5.2 percent from March 2009.

Existing-home sales in the West rose 6.6 percent to an annual rate of 1.30 million in March and are 14.0 percent above March 2009. The median price in the West was $209,400, down 7.9 percent from a year ago.

Source: NAR

LGBT Real Estate Tips: Take the risk out of relocation.

 
As technology helps make the world a smaller place in which to live and do business, more members of the LGBT community find themselves able to live virtually anywhere – while telecommuting to work via laptops, Blackberries, and iPads. Others are moving from one place to another in search of a more advantageous job market, as the impact of high unemployment forces them to be more aggressive about overcoming obstacles in their career paths. Some are being relocated by corporate employers as a result of a promotion or additional managerial or executive responsibilities. Then there are those who simply want to move to the destination of their dreams and buy a home in a more vibrant, compatible, and interesting LGBT community.

But regardless of what it is that motivates a person, a couple, or a family to pack up and head off to a brand new city or town, the transition can be stressful and include some modicum of risk. Even people who just move across town, for example, often find that changing neighborhoods or school districts can bring unexpected challenges. Making a major move across state lines or over a distance of hundreds or thousands of miles – or relocating from a quaint rural setting to a thriving urban metropolis – can easily become a complicated and rather worrisome process.

That’s especially true for those who are LGBT, because members of the LGBT community often face issues that are unique and significant – including such unfortunate and troublesome personal experiences as a lack of acceptance or outright discrimination. The stress of insecurity and the frustration of unanswered questions can linger until one is actually settled into a place and has a chance to really get to know the community, its resources and support networks, and the LGBT amenities that are available there.

The solution to all of these potential problems is, of course, to already have a trusted LGBT friend or ally in the new area. That kind of person can offer inside information from personal experience. They can share the kind of insightful perspective that only a local who is totally familiar with the place can possibly provide.

One of the easiest and most reliable ways to get that kind of collaborative help is to hire a reputable and experienced LGBT Realtor. He or she can help with the house search and purchase while also offering guidance throughout the entire relocation process. Plus an active LGBT Realtor can provide valuable introductions to members of the local LGBT community. Just as the world of business and commerce is smaller thanks to communications technology, the global LGBT community is also a relatively tight-knit group. Practically speaking, those who want to make quick inroads into a LGBT community often have the best chance of doing so by just getting to know the local LGBT Realtors.

Realtors who specialize in relocation as knowledgeable experts typically cultivate and maintain a vast network of useful contacts, for example, because they are constantly involved in helping clients not just buy and sell homes but also establish their lives in new surroundings. They know the best moving company, the most reliable plumber, the favorite hair salon or florist, and where to go for yoga classes, wine tastings, or to get year-end taxes done.

But those who take the additional step of engaging the services of a Realtor who works primarily with LGBT clients will get added bonuses and benefits that cater to the LGBT lifestyle.

LGBT Realtors generally know practically everyone in the local LGBT population through their work, so suddenly it’s like being introduced to an entire community through a proactive LGBT community ambassador. While any competent relocation agent will be familiar with the features of an area, for instance, an experienced LGBT relocation agent will additionally understand the specifically LGBT-friendly features of that area. They don’t just know the best house painters, in other words, but they also know the best LGBT house painters. While any broker knows the good nightclubs, a LGBT brokers knows the outstanding gay bars. Whereas any real estate agent can offer help with finding a creative mortgage lender, a LGBT agent will have a list of lenders who each have a stellar track record of making great loans to openly gay couples.

Brochures and guidebooks are helpful, no doubt. Visits to the Chamber of Commerce are informative. A stroll around the city and an afternoon spent chatting with shop owners and neighbors can generate some great ideas about the attitude and personality of a place. But there is really no substitute for having a professional team member who is completely immersed in the local LGBT scene.

That’s why savvy members of the gay and lesbian community who are planning to relocate utilize resources such as GayRealEstate.com, GayMortgageLoans.com, and GayNeighborhoods.com – websites uniquely designed to meet the needs of the global LGBT community. The information is free – but may prove to be absolutely invaluable.

Connect to the world’s largest online network of real estate professionals dedicated to the LGBT community. Visit www.GayRealEstate.com, or call toll free 1-888-420-MOVE (6683).

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Real Estate Investors Optimistic

Real estate investors worldwide are convinced the market is at or near bottom and about to shoot up, according the Colliers International’s first survey of global investor sentiment.

Investors from Asia, Canada, Latin America, and Western European say financing is increasingly available, while investors in the Middle East and Eastern Europe make the opposite observation.

While there was considerable disagreement about what “normal” is, the majority of respondents say their respective markets will return to “normal” within 18 months.

Globally, rents are anticipated to hit bottom this year – the first quarter of 2010 for the office sector was the most frequently offered response, followed by the second quarter of 2010 for industrial, and the third or fourth quarter of 2010 for retail.

Source: Colliers International

Fed Beige Book: Real Estate Mostly on Upswing

Most districts reported improving economies and better residential real estate markets in the third of eight annual editions of the Federal Reserve’s Beige Book – this one published in April.

Every district but St. Louis and San Francisco reported that residential sales were up, but in Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Kansas City, there were concerns that the impending expiration of the first-time home buyer tax credit would slow sales.

Home prices continued to decrease in the New York and Atlanta districts, with sales particularly sluggish for high-end homes in New York, Kansas City, Dallas, and San Francisco. New residential construction increased in New York, Atlanta, St. Louis, Minneapolis, and Dallas, but was weak in Cleveland, Chicago, and San Francisco.

Source: HousingWire.com

American cities with sinking economies

Economic indicators in these metros have gone from bad to worse, with no sign of recovery.

Miami boasts a popular South Beach club scene, Art Deco Architecture, and perhaps the best Cuban food in the country. But residents don't have much else to celebrate.

More than three years after the economy started its downward slide, the Miami metro area, like a handful of Sun Belt cities, still hasn't begun to recover. Median home prices in Miami have fallen 38% since its market peaked in the second quarter of 2007; the city's 11% unemployment rate is above the national average and has grown more than most of the 40 cities we surveyed.

Cities in the "Sand States" of Florida, California, Arizona and Nevada, where overbuilding was rampant, are also in trouble, claiming nine of the top 10 spots in our list of cities in free fall. In Las Vegas, Riverside, Calif., and Phoenix, median home prices have fallen 50%, 44% and 37% from their respective peaks. Jobs are vanishing. Though country-wide, employers added 162,00 jobs last month, Riverside gained 13% fewer jobs in February 2010 (the latest numbers available by metro) than it did the same month three years earlier. Tampa, Fla., saw a 10% drop, and Los Angeles added 9% fewer jobs over the same time period.

These cities are also slow to absorb their glut of unsold foreclosed homes, keeping recovery at bay.

"These were highly speculative housing markets," says Jonathan Miller, president of Miller Samuel, a Manhattan-based real estate appraisal firm. "In the markets that have unloaded a lot of foreclosed housing stock there's still a lot more coming."

Behind the Numbers

To find the country's cities in free fall, we rated its 40 largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) on six metrics.

We ranked each MSA on the percent its median home price has fallen since its individual peak, using data provided by Local Market Monitor, a housing market data tracker. To get an estimate for the number of new homes being built, we used data from the U.S. Census Bureau, which tracks how many building permits are issued. Roughly 98% of these permits become new home starts. We looked at the percent change in new building permits between February 2007 and February 2010.

We also wanted to know how many people were moving in and out of these metros, since a growing population buoys a local economy. We used the Census Bureau's most recent population estimates to rank each metro on its net population change between July 2006 and July 2009. To judge each city's productivity we also ranked each metro on its per capita gross domestic product in 2008, the most recent year available, using data from Moody's Economy.com. Finally, we ranked the metros on the percent change in unemployment between January 2007 and January 2010 and the number of jobs they added between February 2007 and February 2010, with data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. We averaged these rankings to arrive at a final score.

Sunshine State Stagnancy

Florida cities dominate our list, with Tampa, Orlando and Jacksonville joining Miami. Florida's real estate market keeps falling even as some herald the start of a rebound. The state's comparatively sluggish foreclosure process keeps those homes from getting easily flushed out of the market. Because every foreclosure must be approved by a judge, the procedure takes a minimum of five months to complete.

"In states with complex foreclosure laws, the recovery is clearly being delayed," says Mike Simonsen, CEO of Altos Research, a Mountain View, Calif.-based real estate research firm, who adds that lengthy foreclosures may be driving away real estate investors in these cities.

A Trouble Spot in the Northeast

Picturesque Providence, R.I., is the only New England metro on our list. Economically, it's struggling far more than other cities in the region. Although Providence saw a slower three-year increase in unemployment than some other major metros, it still has a high unemployment rate, at 14%. The city also added 9% fewer jobs in 2010 than three years earlier. Workers are getting the message and leaving town. Providence is the only city in our top 10 to see a net loss in population.

Grim News for the Golden State

California cities are struggling too. Riverside, Los Angeles and Sacramento are suffering because of the knocks they took after their inflated housing markets began to plummet. Unemployment in the City of Angels has nearly tripled in three years, to 12%. Riverside's unemployment has also ballooned, to 15%. Meanwhile Sacramento saw a 75% drop in new building permits. These are troubling signs for Cali metros, but not surprising. The end of the state's home-price climb triggered more than just a housing slump.

"In California, so many jobs were concentrated in construction," says Michael Fratantoni, vice president of research at the Mortgage Bankers Association, the professional association for real estate financiers. "Jobs building single family homes wound up not being sustainable, and there were a lot of job losses."

The long-term consequences of the housing crash in these cities are still playing out, and new factors that complicate a recovery keep cropping up.

"Places like Phoenix and Riverside may take even longer to recover because people might just pick up and leave to go to places doing better," says Fratantoni. "It may make more sense to leave, rather than wait for jobs to return."

Top 5 Cities in a Free Fall

1. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach, FL
Net Population Change, 2006-2009: 1.47%
Per Capita Gross Domestic Product: $42,645.52
Change in New Building Permits, February 2007-February 2010: -77.46%
Change in Unemployment, January 2007-January 2010: 202.70%
Change in New Jobs Added, February 2007 - February 2010: -9.68%
Change in Median Home Price from Market Peak: -38%

2. Tampa-Clearwater, FL
Net Population Change, 2006-2009: 2.33%
Per Capita Gross Domestic Product: $42,562.92
Change in New Building Permits, February 2007-February 2010: -44.18%
Change in Unemployment, January 2007-January 2010: 235.90%
Change in New Jobs Added, February 2007 - February 2010: -9.87%
Change in Median Home Price from Market Peak: -32%

3. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Calif.
Net Population Change, 2006-2009: 4.40%
Per Capita Gross Domestic Product: $32,403.49
Change in New Building Permits, February 2007-February 2010: -65.69%
Change in Unemployment, January 2007-January 2010: 177.78%
Change in New Jobs Added, February 2007 - February 2010: -12.94%
Change in Median Home Price from Market Peak: -44%

4. Jacksonville, Fl.
Net Population Change, 2006-2009: 3.83%
Per Capita Gross Domestic Product: $16,035.65
Change in New Building Permits, February 2007-February 2010: -66.09%
Change in Unemployment, January 2007-January 2010: 227.03%
Change in New Jobs Added, February 2007 - February 2010: -7.74%
Change in Median Home Price from Market Peak: -23%

5. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ
Net Population Change, 2006-2009: 7.85%
Per Capita Gross Domestic Product: $40,870.16
Change in New Building Permits, February 2007-February 2010: -83.61%
Change in Unemployment, January 2007-January 2010: 148.65%
Change in New Jobs Added, February 2007 - February 2010: -10.01%
Change in Median Home Price from Market Peak: -37%

Click here to see the full list of Ten U.S. Cities In Free Fall