Trends

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Housing affordability hits 10-year low

Just 56.6% of homes sold during the quarter were affordable to families earning the U.S. median income of $79,900, according to the National Association of Homebuilders/Wells Fargo Housing Opportunity Index.

How far are Houston homeowners willing to commute?

With the increased number of professionals working remotely, today’s homebuyers are putting less of a premium on commute time and more on affordability.

New-home sales fall 6.6% in June

The U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development reported that the median sales price slid to $361,800 from $380,700 in May.

Existing-home sales reverse four-month decline in June

At the same time, the median existing-home price for all housing types in May was up 23.4% on an annual basis, as every region in the country registered price increases.

Mortgage applications fall as interest rates rise

Meanwhile, the seasonally adjusted purchase index declined 6% from the previous week, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported.

Housing starts tick higher in June

Privately owned housing units authorized by building permits in June came in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of
1,598,000, down 5.1 % from the revised May rate of 1,683,000, but 23.3% above the year-ago rate of 1,296,000.

10 Houston developments rank in RCLCO’s 50 top-selling master-planned communities list 

Houston made up 20% of the top-selling master-planned communities in the country, with Texas making up 30% of the list. Read more to see which communities made the cut.

NAHB: Builder confidence drops again on materials costs, supply-chain woes

July’s reading of 80 was down one point from June, but still signaled strong demand for housing, the National Association of Home Builders said.

Redfin: Housing market could be reaching something of an equilibrium

During the four-week period ended July 11, the average weekly share of homes for sale with a price drop passed 4% for the first time since September 2020.

HAR: Houston’s real estate buying blitz persists in June

The Houston market saw its 13th consecutive month of sales growth, although the pace slowed. 

Mortgage applications surge 16% as interest rates fall

Meanwhile, the Mortgage Bankers Association’s seasonally adjusted purchase index rose 8% from the previous week.

Homebuying competition lessens in Houston. Could the market be losing steam?

The competitive homebuying market showed signs of loosening up last month as bidding wars dropped from May despite being higher than they were a year ago. 

Pandemic reshuffles homebuyers’ amenity priorities

Adjectives reflecting the desire for privacy and physical isolation gained a place of prominence: “private,” “covered,” “quiet,” “separate” and “enclosed” were among the top 100 most-used description terms.

NAHB: Residential construction spending rises in May thanks to single-family sector

Strong growth of single-family construction spending drove the increase, while spending on multifamily construction was flat, the National Association of Home Builders said.

NAR: May pending-home sales jump unexpectedly

“May’s strong increase in transactions — following April’s decline, as well as a sudden erosion in home affordability — was indeed a surprise. The housing market is attracting buyers due to the decline in mortgage rates, which fell below 3%, and from an uptick in listings.” — NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun

S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller: Home-price gains “truly extraordinary” 

The 10-city composite index rose 1.9% on a monthly basis and 14.4% on a yearly basis, while the 20-city composite rose 2.1% monthly and 14.9% annually.    

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