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US housing values drop for first time in almost four years
The housing market in the United States is slowing down, with home values falling month on month for the first time in almost four years, according to the latest index data. Prices fell 0.1% in July compared to the previous month and year on year growth was 3%, down from 3.4% in June, the Zillow real estate market report shows. The report says that nationally home value appreciation is levelling off after its rapid pace in the early years of the recovery. Of the 517 metros covered by the Zillow index, 204 saw a slowdown, including major metros like Washington, DC and Cincinnati. Zillow says that the slowing appreciation is a sign that the market is returning to normal and economists have expected to see growth flattening out as the recovery continues. Even strong markets like Denver, Dallas, San Jose and San Francisco, which had double digit annual home value growth in July, saw their monthly appreciation rates ease compared with June. ‘This slight dip in home values is a sign of the times. Many people didn't think it was happening, but it is. We've been expecting to see a monthly decline as markets return to normal,’ said Zillow chief economist Svenja Gudell. ‘However, this is not like the bubble bust. We're not going to see 10% declines. The market is levelling off, and it's good news, particularly for buyers, because it will ease some of the competitive pressure,’ Gudell added. She explained that slowing home values could provide more opportunities for hopeful buyers who have been waiting on the side lines for the market to cool off. ‘More homes may be coming online as home owners who have been watching strong home value growth decide to list their houses as appreciation slows and smaller gains are expected. This could help ease the constrained inventory the market has been facing for the past several months,’ she pointed out. Meanwhile, the index also shows that residential rents continue to grow at a rapid pace, up 4.2% from last July to $1,376. With no sign of rents slowing down and the potential for more homes for sale, conditions may be right for buyers to enter the market, the firm suggests. Continue reading
First time buying costs almost £700 a year less than renting, new research shows
The cost of buying a home for first time buyers in the UK is £670 a year lower than renting, according to new research by the Halifax. The average monthly costs associated with buying a three bedroom house in the UK for a first time buyer was £666 in June 2015, some 8% lower than the typical monthly rent paid on the same property type which was £722 a month. This is in contrast to June 2009, during the financial crisis, when the average cost of buying was 16% or £1,154 per year more than the average rent paid. Even though the average price paid by first time buyers for a three bedroom house is 25% higher than six years ago, the monthly costs of owning has come down as the average mortgage rate has fallen to 2.91% from 4.92%. Average rents have grown by 23% in the same period. In the past year, with the price of a typical first time buyer home rising by 8%, the difference between the cost of owning vs. the cost of renting has narrowed from £85 in 2014 to £56 in 2015, a fall of 34%. This is partly as a result of average monthly mortgage costs rising by £40 while average monthly rents have only increased by £8. The report also shows that first time buyers in London will have, in cash terms, experienced the largest benefit from buying rather than renting a home in the last year. The average monthly cost of £1,338 for those who have bought in London in 2015 compares to an average monthly rental price of £1,419, a saving of £81 a month or £973 over the year or 6%. The second largest difference is found in the South West where first time buyers were paying 9% less a month or £67 a month or £808 annually than the typical private tenant in the region. In the South East rental costs are marginally lower by 1% or £8 per month than buying, largely as a result of house price rises, but in all other regions buying costs are on average seven per cent lower than rental costs. According to figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders, there were 136,100 first time buyers in the first six months of 2015. Compared with the same period in 2014, this represents a 9% fall in purchases, the first annual decrease on this basis since the first half of 2011. However, in context, with the exception of 2014, it is still the highest total for the first six months since 2009 and was 87% higher than in the first half of that year. Part of the reason for the slowdown is that supply remains restricted, with the stock of homes available for sale falling further to new record lows. ‘Looking at monthly costs, the combination of lower mortgage rates and declining rental value over the past six years has made it cheaper to buy than… Continue reading
UK housing demand reaches 11 year high
Housing demand in the UK continues to growth, reaching an eleven year high in August, according to the latest monthly report from the National Association of Estate Agents. The number of house hunters registered per branch continued to grow this month, up 5%, to an average of 462 per branch compared to 439 in July. This is the highest recorded since August 2004, when an average 582 house hunters were recorded per NAEA branch. Available housing also increased in July, jumping 25% from an average of 44 properties available per NAEA member branch in June, to 55 in July. These levels have not been seen in almost two years, when 57 houses on average per branch were recorded in September 2013. However, the number of sales made in July remained static from May and June, with just nine per branch, indicating that although housing stock is starting to increase, it remains a struggle to complete a purchase. The July Housing Market Report also reveals that the number of sales made to first time buyers continued to fall in July, with the group now accounting for just 23% sales. This has fallen from 24% in June and 29% in May. However, it is an increase on last year, when only 20% of sales were made to first time buyers in July 2014. ‘Typically, we’d expect to see sales taking longer to complete during the summer months, as buyers and sellers are on holiday. It is alarming however, that the number of sales being made to first time buyers is steadily falling,’ said Mark Hayward, NAEA managing director. ‘Having said that, the fact that there is more housing coming on to the market means that hopefully over the next few months we’ll see activity in the market increasing and more sales completing, to respond to the growing army of house hunters we’ve seen emerging over the last few months,’ he pointed out. ‘The truth of the matter is though, there simply aren’t enough houses to meet growing demand, and until we see more physical bricks and mortar, there may be no hope in solving the housing crisis,’ he explained. ‘It’s also alarming that the number of sales being made to first time buyers is steadily falling; with reports of house prices increasing and expectations of rising in the future, first time buyers will continue to be pushed out of the market,’ he added. Continue reading
