08 May 2013
By Mark Feder
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Upswing In April 2013 Jobs Report Signals Good News For Real Estate

Housing Analysis
The Bureau of Labor Statistics released its monthly Non-farm Payrolls and National Unemployment Rate for April last Friday. These two reports are collectively called the Jobs Report. 165,000 jobs were added in April, while the unemployment rate dropped from 7.60 percent in March to 7.50 percent in April. 673,000 jobs have been added since January. Jobs were added in employment sectors including business and professional, health care and eating and drinking establishments. The main impact of the jobs report on home sales and mortgage lending is the ability of would-be home buyers to qualify for mortgage loans. Long term unemployment…
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01 May 2013
By Mark Feder
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Case-Shiller Home Price Indices Post Highest Growth Rates Since 2006

Housing Analysis
Housing markets continue to improve according to the S&P Case Shiller Home Price Indices released April 30 for February's data. The Indices consist of a 10-City Composite Index and a 20-City Composite Index with housing markets for each city reported based on a three-month rolling average of home prices. Case Shiller Posts Highest Growth Rates Since 2006 The data released yesterday comprised the Indices' highest growth rates since May 2006. For the 12 months between February 2012 and February 2013, the 10-City Composite Index reports that average home prices posted a gain of 8.6 percent and average home prices for…
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24 Apr 2013
By Mark Feder
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Existing Home Sales Numbers Show Value Gains Across America

Housing Analysis
The National Association of REALTORS® released its Existing Home Sales report for March on Monday. Sales dipped from February's seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.95 million to 4.92 million existing homes sold in March, a decrease of 0.6 percent month-to-month.  This reading was lower than Wall Street's consensus of 5.03 million existing homes sold, but there is also good news. Sales of existing homes are up by 10.3 percent as compared to March 2012. Economists note that existing home sales have performed within a narrow range of 4.90 to 4.96 million since November 2012. This illustrates the impact of lower…
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16 Apr 2013
By Mark Feder
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Home Builders Hold Great Confidence For New Homes Over Next 6 Months

Housing Analysis
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) report for April shows that builder confidence slipped by two points to a rating of 42 from the March reading of 44. The Housing Market Index (HMI) measures home builder confidence in market conditions for newly built single family homes. A reading of more than 50 indicates better than average confidence, while readings below 50 indicate that home builders have concerns about current market conditions. NAHB Housing Market Index Results For April Home builders expressed concern over a gap between a growing demand for homes and builders'…
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