Existing Home Sales Sales of existing homes fell in January to the lowest level in a year-and-a-half, but ongoing inventory shortages continue to lift prices in much of the U.S., according to NAR. Read the NAR press release. In the RE/MAX National Housing Report, sales dropped 7.1% as the result of unusually strong winter storms, while prices continued a trend of double digit increases. Read the RE/MAX National Housing Report.
Pending Home Sales Pending home sales were essentially unchanged in January, according to NAR. Sales edged up 0.1%, affected by the same dampening factors which affected activity in December. Read the NAR press release.
Industry, Technology & Competitor News Industry: • Tax Reform Proposal Would Cut Many Real Estate Deductions • Surging Homes Prices a Double-Edged Sword • Influx of Commercial Real Estate Lending Expected in 2014 • 30% Increase in Housing Starts Forecasted • Agents Grapple with Illinois' New Gun Law • Texas Housing Market Outperforms Nation • Japan Bank Taps Appetite for Tokyo Real Estate • Home Depot Benefits from Recovering Housing Market Technology: • So You’re On LinkedIn - Now Use It • Windows 8.1 Update Tries to Win Back Desktop Diehards • Four Tech Dinosaurs That Will Finally Die in 2015
Interest Rates • Bankrate.com: 4.31% for 30-year fixed mortgage
• Federal funds rate: 0.25%
National Housing Stats Existing Home Sales (seasonally adjusted annual rate by month)
5.59M 5.39M 5.29M
5,400,000
5,200,000
5,000,000
5.14M 5.06M 4.94M 4.95M4.94M 4.97M
5.12M
4.82M
4.87M
4,800,000
4.62M 4,600,000
4,400,000
4,200,000
Source: NAR
Months Supply of Inventory 6.0 5.0
5.2 4.3
4.0
3.0 2.0 1.0 0.0
Source: NAR
4.6
4.7
5.0
5.1
5.0
4.9
4.9
4.9
5.1 4.6
4.9
National Housing Stats Existing Home Median Sales Price (in U.S. dollars) 250,000
200,000
150,000
100,000
50,000
0
Source: NAR
U.S. Monthly Foreclosure Filings 160,000 140,000 120,000 100,000 80,000 60,000 40,000 20,000 0
Source: RealtyTrac
Tax Reform Proposal Would Cut Many Real Estate Deductions A major tax reform proposal floated recently by Rep. Dave Camp of Michigan, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, would eliminate or sharply reduce many long-standing home real estate tax benefits. Although the reform package has zero chance of enactment in an election year, many of its core concepts are likely to reappear on Capitol Hill as early as 2015. Read the complete story.
Surging Homes Prices a Double-Edged Sword The U.S. housing market faces a challenge at the start of the spring sales season: higher prices. It is hard to overstate the benefits of rising prices to the broader economy and to homeowners, banks and home builders. But those gains have a painful edge, too, especially because prices have bounced back so strongly. Read the Wall Street Journal story.
Influx of Commercial Real Estate Lending Expected in 2014 After three years of momentum building in commercial property lending, analysts are projecting that institutional lenders will place what could be record amounts of capital into commercial real estate in 2014. The markets are gaining momentum as evidenced by the increasing number of new players entering the market flush with capital and heightened competition among lenders. Read the complete story.
30% Increase in Housing Starts Forecasted Homebuilders across the country are responding to renewed buyer demand that in 2014 is expected to fuel the most housing starts in almost seven years. David Crowe, chief economist with the National Association of Home Builders, is forecasting that singlefamily home starts in the U.S. could rise more than 30% in 2014. Read the complete story.
Agents Grapple with Illinois' New Gun Law At homes listed for sale this spring in Illinois, a prospective buyer may notice the manicured lawn, the pot of flowers by the walkway, and possibly the state’s official “no guns” sign posted by the front door. Realty firms, like other businesses, are grappling with how to handle the state’s new concealed carry law. Read the Chicago Tribune article.
Texas Housing Market Outperforms Nation Texas outpaced the nation in median household income and new home sales in 2013, reflecting the state’s recent economic growth and hyperactive housing market, a new statewide report shows. New home sales accounted for 30% of all Texas homes purchased last year, a 4% increase over 2012. Read the Houston Chronicle story.
Japan Bank Taps Appetite for Tokyo Real Estate The top executive of Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank said he’s making a stronger push to broker real-estate deals with Asian investors as Japan's improving economy has sparked a resurgence in interest in the country's property market. The bank is looking to meet a growing investment appetite for condominiums and office buildings. Read the Wall Street Journal story.
Home Depot Benefits from Recovering Housing Market While spring season for Home Depot is always a time to hire additional staff members, it says it is strongly benefiting from the recovering housing market as well. The Atlanta-based retail chain says it plans to hire 80,000 additional staff members and while some may only fill seasonal positions , the company expects to be able to offer permanent positions to others. Read the complete article.
So You’re On LinkedIn - Now Use It Jon Sterling scored a new client in a peculiar way. He didn’t capture a lead through paid online advertising or through social marketing. He simply made a new connection with someone on LinkedIn who happened to have gone to the same school he did, and before Sterling knew it, the person became his client. So, how do you use LinkedIn for leads? Read the article.
Windows 8.1 Update Tries to Win Back Desktop Diehards Microsoft is about to deliver an update to Windows 8.1, its second significant set of changes since the launch of Windows 8 less than 18 months ago. The biggest mistake Microsoft made with Windows 8 was to deliberately eliminate some of the touchstones of the Windows 7 desktop interface, which alienated many desktop users. Read the ZDNet review.
Four Tech Dinosaurs That Will Finally Die in 2015 In recent years, technology has changed the way we view work, entertainment, media, and even our workout habits. While most people are focused on what’s next for wearables, cloud computing, and syncing gadgets, few have taken the time to consider the tech we’re going to be sending into retirement in the coming years. Find out what’s going the way of the dinosaur.
Economic Indicators National 30-Year Fixed Mortgage Rate www.bankrate.com 4.16%
4.50% 4.00%
3.61% 3.67%
4.39% 4.39% 4.47% 4.28%
4.15%
4.38% 4.31% 4.26% 4.31%
3.43%
3.50% 3.00% 2.50% 2.00% 1.50% 1.00% 0.50% 0.00%
Gross Domestic Product (% change from preceding period) 4.5%
4.1%
4.0% 3.5%
3.1%
3.0%
3.0% 2.5%
2.5%
2.3% 1.8%
2.0% 1.3%
1.5%
2.4%
2.0% 1.3%
1.1%
1.0%
0.5%
0.4%
0.4%
0.0% Q4-10 Q1-11 Q2-11 Q3-11 Q4-11 Q1-12 Q2-12 Q3-12 Q4-12 Q1-13 Q2-13 Q3-13 Q4-13 Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis
Jobs Created 350,000 300,000 250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Unemployment Rate 7.8% 7.6% 7.4%
7.7%
7.6%
7.5%
7.6% 7.6% 7.4%
7.3%
7.2%
7.3%
7.2%
7.0%
7.0%
6.7%
6.8% 6.6% 6.4% 6.2% 6.0%
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
6.6%
6.7%
Data and News Release Dates‌ NAR Existing Home Sales: Released on or about the 20th of each month Next release date: March 20, 2014 www.realtor.org
NAR Pending Home Sales: Released the last week of the month www.realtor.org
U.S. Monthly Foreclosure Filings: Released around the middle of the month www.realtytrac.com
30-Year Fixed Mortgage Rates: Released several times during the month www.bankrate.com
GDP: Generally released during the third week of the month www.bea.gov
Inflation Rate: Generally released during the first week of the month www.inflationdata.com
Unemployment Rate: Generally released during the first week of the month www.bls.gov