National News

Millennials were once referred to as the “renter generation” because of their preference for apartment living in urban areas over purchasing a home in the suburbs like their Baby Boomer parents.

“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

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.

The median age of construction workers is 41, the same as a typical worker in the national labor force, according to the National Association of Home Builders’ analysis of the most recent 2019 American Community Survey data.

The real estate investment and land asset-management company has identified 17 near-term development opportunities and is in advanced negotiations to develop build-to-rent communities with about 2,500 units across the country.

The seasonally adjusted estimate of new houses for sale at the end of May was 330,000, representing a supply of 5.1 months at the current sales rate, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development reported.

The median existing-home price for all housing types rose to $350,300 in May, marking another new record.

On a year-over-year basis, new-home mortgage applications were down 5.9% in May, the Mortgage Bankers Association reported, citing its Builder Application Survey.

Single-family housing starts were up 4.2% from April and 49.8% from May 2020, at 1,098,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Although pending sales are up 29% from last year, they are starting to slow down, dropping 9.7% from their peak four weeks ago.

Increasing costs and declining availability of key building materials dampened builder sentiment, as higher costs have pushed some new homes beyond the budget of prospective buyers.

With high costs slowing construction and potentially lowering homeownership for many, easing zoning rules may be the most effective way to increase the supply of new housing.

High-end home sales surged in the three months ended April 30 as prices also rose and listings increased.

MyHouseDeals determined Houston was one of the hottest markets for residential real estate investing after analyzing the following: wholesale real estate deals, foreclosures, motivates Multiple Listing Service (MLS) deals and motivated seller deals.

Longer-commute areas continued to claim the largest market share in single-family home building, but the construction growth rate was strongest in places with shorter commuting times, the National Association of Home Builders said, citing its quarterly Home Building Geography Index.

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