The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) reported that total existing home sales — completed transactions for single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops — increased 1.4% from May to a seasonally adjusted rate at 5.86 million homes in June. Year-over-year sales are up 22.9% (4.77 million June 2020).
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Americans Continue to Want to be Homeowners
According to the latest National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Housing Trend Report (HTR) for Q2 of 2021, 17% of American adults polled indicated that they are considering the purchase of a home within a year. The share (now seasonally adjusted) has increased for five quarters in a row.
Mortgage Rates Drop for Fourth Consecutive Week in the Week Ending July 22, 2021
Freddie Mac has released its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) for the week ending July 22, 2021. The PMMS reports that 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.78% with an average 0.7 point, down from last week when it averaged 2.88%. A year ago, at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 3.01%.
Statistics Canada Announces New Weights for Goods and Services in the Consumer Price Index
On Wednesday (7-21-21), Statistics Canada (StatsCan) revealed new weights for the basket of goods and services in the Canadian Consumer Price Index (CPI), with shifts including a higher weighting for the shelter component as housing prices soar. The previous basket update was based on 2017 purchasing patterns.
Weekly Jobless Claims Increase in the Week Ending July 17, 2021
The U.S. Department of Labor is reporting that an additional 419,000 Americans made their initial filing for unemployment benefits during the week ending on Saturday, July 17, 2021 — an increase of 51,000 from the previous week’s revised level.
Canadian Home Prices Increase 16% Year-Over-Year in June — Largest 12-month Gain on Record
According to the Teranet National Bank’s Canadian Home Composite Price Index (HCPI), Canadian home prices increased in June, marking the largest 12-month gain on record as prices climbed in all 11 markets. The HCPI was up 16% year-over-year, beating the 14.2% rise of June 2017.
Mortgage Applications Declined in the Week Ending July 16, 2021
According to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Application Survey, for the week ending July 16, 2021, the Market Composite Index — a measure of mortgage loan application volume — decreased -4.0% on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased -20% compared with the previous week.
Housing Starts Move Higher in June; Permits and Completions Trend Lower
On Tuesday (7-20-21), The U.S. Census Bureau reported that privately‐owned housing starts in June were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 1,643,000. This is 6.3% above the revised May rate of 1,546,000 and is 29.1% above the June 2020 rate of 1,273,000.
Mortgage Applications for New Home Purchases Drop Year-Over-Year and Month-Over-Month in June 2021
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Builder Application Survey (BAS) data for June 2021 reports that mortgage applications for new home purchases declined -23.8% when compared to June 2020 and by 3% when compared to May 2021.
Shares of Mortgages in Forbearance Decline for 20th Consecutive Week in the Week Ending July 11, 2021
The latest Mortgage Banker Association’s (MBA) Forbearance and Call Survey reports that the total number of loans now in forbearance decreased by 26 basis points from 3.76% of servicers’ portfolio volume in the prior week to 3.50% as of July 11, 2021. According to MBA’s estimate, 1.75 million homeowners are in forbearance plans.