17 Oct 2013
By Mark Feder
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Housing Market Index Shows Builders Continue To Have A Positive Outlook

Housing Analysis
The National Association of Homebuilders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index dropped two points to 55 from September's revised reading of 57. Builder concerns over labor costs and availability and economic uncertainty related to the federal government shutdown were noted as factors contributing to the lower reading for October.  Key Points Noted In October's HMI included: Builder confidence remains above 50, which indicates that more builders have a positive outlook on housing market conditions than those with negative sentiment. The October HMI cites pent-up buyer demand in markets throughout the US as a positive influence on October's reading. A spike in mortgage…
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07 Oct 2013
By Mark Feder
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What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – October 7, 2013

Housing Analysis
This week's economic news commentary has been dominated by the "what ifs" of a government shutdown; opinions of potential consequences are limited only by the number of commentators sharing their opinions. Unfortunately, more concrete examples of the shutdown were evident last Tuesday and Friday. The Department of Commerce delayed release of August's Construction Spending report that were due last Tuesday and The Bureau of Labor Statistics delayed the release of September's Non-farm Payroll and Unemployment that were due last Friday. The ADP Employment report for September posted a reading of 166,000 private sector jobs added against expectations of 180,000 new…
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30 Sep 2013
By Mark Feder
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What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week-September 30, 2013

Housing Analysis
Last week brought a variety of housing related news. Highlights included the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index for July, which showed a 12.40 percent year-over-year increase in national home prices. This was up from 12.10 percent in June. The FHFA Housing Price Index reading traces home prices on properties securing mortgages owned or backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The year-over-year reading for July showed an increase of 8.80 percent as compared to a year-over-year reading of 7.80 percent in June. Rising mortgage rates and rising home prices have caused some buyers to leave the market, while others are jumping…
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25 Sep 2013
By Mark Feder
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Case Shiller Price Index Shows An Annual Growth Rate Of Home Prices

Housing Analysis
Home prices were still gaining in July, but for 15 of 20 cities included the S&P Case-Shiller 10 and 20-city Home Price Indices, the pace of increasing home prices is slowing down. National home prices rose by 1.80 percent in July as compared to 2.20 percent in June. Home prices grew by 0.60 percent from June to July on a seasonally-adjusted basis. This was the lowest month-to-month gain since September 2012. David Blitzer, index committee chairman of S&P Dow Jones Indices, said that higher mortgage rates are hitting the housing market. Mr. Blitzer noted that mortgage rates rose by more…
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