Mortgage Rates November 15, 2016

Trump’s Surprising Victory Sent Mortgage Rates Up

A surprising Donald Trump victory over Hillary Clinton sent interest rates on a dizzying Mario Kart ride Tuesday night and into Wednesday. They plunged for a few hours, then roared upward. That’s where mortgage rates ended up on Wednesday: Higher.

“The market doesn’t like uncertainty, and the market had a Clinton win baked into its forecasts,” says Rick Sharga, executive vice president of Ten-X, operator of Auction.com.

Mortgage rates tend to move up and down with yields on the 10-year Treasury note. On Wednesday afternoon, the 10-year note yielded 2.01 percent, its highest level since late January. The yield was 1.83 percent a day earlier. That’s an unusually rapid rise.

Mortgage rates this week

The benchmark 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose this week to 3.73 percent from 3.69 percent, according to Bankrate’s weekly survey of large lenders. A year ago, it was 4.11 percent. Four weeks ago, the rate was 3.62 percent. The last time the 30-year fixed was higher was June 8, at 3.74 percent.

The 30-year fixed mortgages in this week’s survey had an average total of 0.23 discount and origination points.

Over the past 52 weeks, the 30-year fixed has averaged 3.78 percent. This week’s rate is 0.05 percentage points lower than the 52-week average.

  • The benchmark 15-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 2.97 percent from 2.96 percent.
  • The benchmark 5/1 adjustable-rate mortgage rose to 3.15 percent from 3.14 percent.
  • The benchmark 30-year fixed-rate jumbo mortgage fell to 3.73 percent from 3.74 percent.

Information courtesy of:

Banrate.com

Housing Market Stats November 15, 2016

Q3 2016 Salt Lake County Housing Market Update

stock-photo-4121232-housing-price-rise-graphIn Salt Lake County, the housing market remains strong!

As compared to August 2015:

Median home price – $270,000 (↑8.4%)

Average sales price – $310,201 (↑6.3%)

New listings – 2,280 (↑6.9%)

Days on market until sale – 30 (↓18.9%)

Closed sales – 1,734 (↑5.7%)

Inventory of homes – 3,530 (↓25.2%)

Months supply of inventory – 2.4 (↓27.3%)

 

Information courtesy of:

The Salt Lake Board of Realtors

http://slrealtors.com/home-stats/

Housing Prices November 15, 2016

The Trump Effect on Housing

The Trump effect. How will it impact the US economy and housing?

Posted in Market News by Matthew Gardner, Chief Economist, Windermere Real Estate  

 

The American people have spoken and they have elected Donald J. Trump as the 45th president of the United States. Change was clearly demanded, and change is what we will have.

The election was a shock for many, especially on the West Coast where we have not been overly affected by the long-term loss in US manufacturing or stagnant wage growth of the past decade. But the votes are in and a new era is ahead of us. So, what does this mean for the housing market?

First and foremost I would say that we should all take a deep breath. In a similar fashion to the UK’s “Brexit”, there will be a “whiplash” effect, as was seen in overnight trading across the globe. However, at least in the US, equity markets have calmed as they start to take a closer look at what a Trump presidency will mean.

On a macro level, I would start by stating that political rhetoric and hyperbole do not necessarily translate into policy. That is the most important message that I want to get across. I consider it highly unlikely that many of the statements regarding trade protectionism will actually go into effect. It will be very important for President Trump to tone down his platform on renegotiating trade agreements and imposing tariffs on China. I also deem it highly unlikely that a 1,000-mile wall will actually get built.

It is crucial that some of the more inflammatory statements that President-Elect Trump has made be toned down or markets will react negatively. However, what is of greater concern to me is that neither candidate really approached questions regarding housing with any granularity. There was little-to-no-discussion regarding housing finance reform, so I will be watching this topic very closely over the coming months.

As far as the housing market is concerned, it is really too early to make any definitive comment. That said, Trump ran on a platform of deregulation and this could actually bode well for real estate. It might allow banks the freedom to lend more, which in turn, could further energize the market as more buyers may qualify for home loans.

Concerns over rising interest rates may also be overstated. As history tells us, during times of uncertainty we tend to put more money into bonds. If this holds true, then we may see a longer-than-expected period of below-average rates. Today’s uptick in bond yields is likely just temporary.

Proposed infrastructure spending could boost employment and wages, which again, would be a positive for housing markets. Furthermore, easing land use regulations has the potential to begin addressing the problem of housing affordability across many of our nation’s housing markets – specifically on the West Coast.

Economies do not like uncertainty. In the near-term we may see a temporary lull in the US economy, as well as the housing market, as we analyze what a Trump presidency really means. But at the present time, I do not see any substantive cause for panic in the housing sector.

We are a resilient nation, and as long as we continue to have checks-and balances, I have confidence that we will endure any period of uncertainty and come out stronger.

 

 

 

Matthew Gardner is the Chief Economist for Windermere Real Estate, specializing in residential market analysis, commercial/industrial market analysis, financial analysis, and land use and regional economics. He is the former Principal of Gardner Economics, and has over 25 years of professional experience both in the U.S. and U.K.

Housing Prices November 15, 2016

Record High: Salt Lake City Housing Prices

Salt Lake Home Prices at Record High

SANDY (Oct. 31, 2016) – The price of a single-family home in Salt Lake County has now surpassed the inflation-adjusted peak home price, which was reached prior to the Great Recession, according to the Salt Lake Board of Realtors®.

Single-family home prices in the third quarter of 2016 climbed to a median price of $301,000. The previous peak home price was in the third quarter of 2007 when home prices topped $256,000 (or $298,085 in inflation-adjusted dollars).

The higher prices and limited housing inventory have dampened sales. Single-family homes sold in the third quarter fell to 3,694 units sold, a 5 percent decline compared to 3,881 units sold in the third quarter of 2015. The median single-family home price in Salt Lake County increased 7 percent compared to $279,000 last year.

“Limited housing inventory and high demand continues to push home prices higher,” said Cheryl Acker, president of the Salt Lake Board of Realtors® and a Realtor® with South Jordan-based Utah Key Real Estate. “More housing inventory is needed to help balance current demands.”

Condominium sales in the third quarter in Salt Lake County increased to 1,151 units sold, a 7 percent increase compared to 1,044 sales a year ago. The median price of Salt Lake condos increased to $200,000, up 6 percent from $188,500 a year ago. Condo sales also increased in Tooele and Weber counties (up 11 and 10 percent respectively). However, fewer condos were sold in Davis and Utah counties (down 1 and 6 percent respectively).

New listings of homes on the market in Salt Lake County in the third quarter ticked up slightly to 6,235 units, a 1 percent increase compared to 6,166 listings in the third quarter of 2015. Based on sales trends of single-family homes over the past year in Salt Lake County there is currently less than a four-month supply of housing inventory.

The months of supply is the measure of how many months it would take for the present inventory of homes on the market to sell, given the current pace of home sales. A normal housing market is typically characterized by a five- to six-month supply of housing inventory. Levels below five months represent a seller’s market. Home buyers gain the advantage when levels start rising above six months.

Single-family home sales increased in Davis (up 2 percent), Utah (up 1 percent), and Tooele (up 7 percent) counties. Home sales fell slightly in Weber County.

The average cumulative days a listing was on the market in the third quarter in Salt Lake County fell to 33 days, down from 48 days in the third quarter of 2015.

 

Uncategorized November 15, 2016

Windermere Utah Living Fall 2016

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