Up until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (mid-March) home purchases for the first quarter of 2020 were on the upswing.
News in end use
Mortgage Applications Increase Ever So Slightly in Week Ending May 1st 2020
For the week ending May 1st, 2020, the Market Composite Index, increased 0.1% on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier.
Minority Homeownership Increases in 1st Qtr. of 2020
According to data recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau’s Housing Vacancies and Homeownership Survey the minority homeownership rated for the first quarter of 2020 increased.
Q3 2019 Absorption Rate for Apartment Holds Steady
According to data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Market Absorption the absorption rate of unfurnished, unsubsidized apartments remained essentially flat.
Homes For Sale Inventory Maybe Increasing . . . But Affordability Remains a Significant Issue
Last week’s Housing Trend Report (HTR) for the first quarter of 2020, gave buyers reason to hope that the recent tightness in the available homes for sale inventory was easing.
Pandemic Expected to Diminish 2020 Remodeling Spending in Top Metro Areas
Expenditures for home improvements to the owner-occupied housing stock are anticipated to decline in most of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas this year in response to the severe economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
U.S. Consumer Comfort Index Levels Record Smallest Decline in Six Weeks
According to Bloomberg, American consumer confidence fell for a sixth straight week.
Construction Spending in March Increases
The U.S. Census Bureau has announced that total construction spending during the month of March was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of $1,360.5 billion.
Bureau of Economic Analysis Reports Personal Income Declined 2% in March
According to data released by the BEA, personal income fell sharply in March, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of $18,693 billion.
Builders Confidence in 55+ Housing Market Drops to Lowest Reading Since 2012
According to the NAHB’s 55+ Housing Market Index, builders confidence in the single-family 55+ housing market fell 30 to a reading of 38, in the first quarter of 2020.