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Mortgage rates may be dropping, but buyers aren’t convinced it’s the right time to buy. (iStock )
Mortgage rates may be dropping, but buyers aren’t convinced it’s the right time to buy. (iStock )
There’s good and bad news for mortgage rates this week. The good news is rates have continued their slow downward trend, averaging 6.87% on 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages, Freddie Mac reported.
Although this is promising, lowering interest rates is far from the norm. Last week, 30-year mortgages had average rates of 6.95%. However, compared to a year ago when rates averaged 6.67%, this week and last week’s rates are still relatively high. Still, any improvement is better than nothing.
“Mortgage rates fell for the third straight week following signs of cooling inflation and market expectations of a future Fed rate cut,” Freddie Mac Chief Economist Sam Khater explained. “These lower mortgage rates coupled with the gradually improving housing supply bodes well for the housing market. Aspiring homeowners should remember it’s important to shop around for the best mortgage rate as they can vary widely between lenders.”
On top of 30-year rates, 15-year mortgage rates also dipped this week, but still remain above the 6% mark. Interest rates for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 6.13%, down slightly from last week when they averaged 6.17%.
If you think you’re ready to shop around for a home loan, consider using Credible to help you easily compare interest rates from multiple lenders in minutes.
MOST HOMEOWNERS WOULD RATHER REMODEL THEIR HOME THAN BUY ANOTHER HOME: STUDY
Down payment requirements are increasing across the country for the average prospective homebuyer. Households making a middle class income must put down $127,750 on an average priced home to realistically afford the monthly payments, according to a Zillow study.
This down payment is equivalent to about 35.4% of a $360,000 dollar home, which is the price of a typical U.S. home. A down payment of this size helps buyers pay no more than 30% of their income on mortgage payments.
Just five years ago, many households could afford monthly mortgage payments without paying any down payment for their new home.
“Down payments have always been important, but even more so today,” Zillow Chief Economist Skylar Olsen said. “With so few available, buyers may have to wait even longer for the right home to hit the market, especially now that buyers can afford less. Mortgage rate movements during that time could make the difference between affording that home and not.”
To save up the necessary down payment, it would take many households making a median income, 12 years to save. This assumes putting 10% of their income aside — an unlikely reality for many facing skyrocketing costs in all areas of their lives.
“Saving enough is a tall task without outside help — a gift from family or perhaps a stock windfall,” Olsen said. “To make the finances work, some folks are making a big move across the country, co-buying or buying a home with an extra room to rent out. Down payment assistance is another great resource that is too often overlooked.”
A site like Credible can let you view multiple mortgage lenders and provide you with personalized rates within just minutes, all without impacting your credit.
MILLENNIALS MOST LIKELY TO UNLOCK LOW MORTGAGE RATE TO MOVE: FREDDIE MAC
Interest may be lower to a small degree, but prospective buyers don’t seem to be ready to dive back into the buying market. Fannie Mae’s Home Purchase Sentiment Index dropped 2.5 points in May to 69.4, signaling that buyers don’t have positive attitudes about buying at the moment.
This drop puts the index at an all-time low. In May, only 14% of consumers believed it’s a good time to buy a new home, down from 20% in April. Consumers still think affordability will remain difficult for most buyers, at least for the foreseeable future.
“Consumer sentiment toward housing declined from its recent plateau, as an increasing share of consumers struggle to find the positives in the current housing market,” said Doug Duncan, Fannie Mae senior vice president and chief economist. “While many respondents expressed optimism at the beginning of the year that mortgage rates would decline, that simply hasn’t happened, and current sentiment reflects pent-up frustration with the overall lack of purchase affordability.
“This is most clearly evidenced by our ‘good time to buy’ component falling to a new survey low this month. On the other hand, homeowners’ perception of home-selling conditions declined only slightly and remains largely positive after a steady increase over the last few months,” Duncan said.
To see if you qualify for a mortgage based on your current credit score and salary, consider visiting Credible, where you can compare multiple mortgage lenders at once.
FREDDIE MAC PROPOSES PRODUCT TO HELP HOMEOWNERS TAP HOME EQUITY WITHOUT LOSING RECORD LOW MORTGAGE RATES
Have a finance-related question, but don’t know who to ask? Email The Credible Money Expert at [email protected] and your question might be answered by Credible in our Money Expert column.
Source: foxbusiness.com
Mortgage rates dropped to 6.74%, on average for 30-year mortgages. (iStock)
Mortgage interest rates on the 15-year and 30-year mortgages are down from last week, Freddie Mac reported.
“The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage decreased again this week, with declines totaling almost a quarter of a percent in two weeks’ time,” Freddie Mac Chief Economist Sam Khater said.
For 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages, the average interest rate was 6.74% this week, a decent drop from last week when rates averaged 6.88%. Rates aren’t down quite as much as last year when they were 6.6%, on average.
Additionally, 15-year mortgages averaged 6.16%, down slightly from last week when they averaged 6.22%. These mortgages also aren’t as low as last year when they averaged 5.9%.
“Despite the recent dip, mortgage rates remain high as the market contends with the pressure of sticky inflation,” Khater said. “In this environment, there is a good possibility that rates will stay higher for a longer period of time.”
If you want to take advantage of lowering interest rates, consider using Credible to help you easily compare interest rates from multiple lenders in minutes.
HOMEBUYERS FEEL GOOD ABOUT WHERE MORTGAGE RATES ARE HEADED: FANNIE MAE
Warmer weather tends to bring a booming housing market as more homebuyers start looking for homes and inventory grows.
Sellers who list their homes in the spring and summer months often make more money when their home sells because the market is more competitive. A Zillow study found that June was the most profitable month for sellers. Homes listed in the first half of June sold for 2.3% more, on average, putting about $7,700 more in the pocket of sellers.
Location matters when it comes to selling power. In San Francisco, the best time to list is the second half of February, but the first half of July is the best time to sell in New York and Philadelphia.
Certain locations also boast even higher profits during warmer months. During the hottest time of the year, homes in San Jose sold for 5.5% more, boosting profits by $88,000 on an average home, according to Zillow. However, homes in San Antonio sold for just 1.9% more during the same time frame.
“Most sellers don’t have the luxury of timing the market,” Zillow Chief Economist Skylar Olsen said. “The best time to list is when it makes the most sense for their lives.”
“Regardless of the month, sellers who list their home for sale this spring can expect plenty of interest if their home is marketed and priced right.,” she contined. “That’s why it’s more important than ever to hire a real estate agent with the experience to localize your strategy when comparable sales might be further afield.”
If you’re looking to compete with other buyers this spring, you can explore your mortgage options by visiting Credible to compare rates and lenders and get a mortgage preapproval letter in minutes.
HOMEBUYERS GAINED THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS AS MORTGAGE INTEREST RATES FALL: REDFIN
Buyers are facing a tougher market than they did a few years ago. To comfortably afford a home, buyers need to make more than $106,000 annually, another Zillow study showed. This income requirement is 80% higher than in 2020.
Monthly mortgage payments are higher than ever and have doubled since 2020. Payments average $2,188, assuming the buyer puts 10% down. With such high prices, affordability has become a major issue. In 2020, households earning $59,000 annually could afford the median-priced home without spending more than 30% of their income.
The $106,000 income needed today is well above the average household income in the U.S. The average household earns about $81,000.
Some areas are more affordable than others and require a much lower income to afford the average-priced home. Pittsburgh buyers need to earn just $58,232 to afford the average home. Memphis residents need $69,976 and Cleveland residents need $70,810.
Costlier cities like San Jose and San Francisco require much more in annual income to afford a home. San Jose requires an average annual income of $454,296 while San Francisco requires $339,864, according to Zillow.
To see if you qualify for a mortgage based on your current credit score and salary, consider using Credible, where you can compare multiple mortgage lenders at once.
15% OF AMERICANS HAVE CO-PURCHASED A HOME WITH A NON-ROMANTIC PARTNER, EVEN MORE WOULD CONSIDER IT
Have a finance-related question, but don’t know who to ask? Email The Credible Money Expert at [email protected] and your question might be answered by Credible in our Money Expert column.
Source: foxbusiness.com
With housing becoming more and more unaffordable in the U.S., a new Zillow analysis shows that residents in the capital, Washington D.C. have the most cash left over after paying their mortgage.
Zillow’s
study assumes the median annual gross income and mortgage payment for
each of the 35 largest housing markets in the U.S. Its data shows
that residents in the capital have almost $7,000 of their monthly
incomes left to spare after paying for their home. That compares to
second place San Jose, whose residents have on average, $6,800 after
paying their mortgage repayments.
At
the opposite end of the scale, residents of Los Angeles and Florida
struggle the most. In LA, homeowners there average $3,450 per month
left over, which is slightly less than those living in Miami, Tampa
Bay and Orlando. However, renters in those three Florida cities have
the smallest amount of leftover cash after paying their monthly rent.
Unfortunately
for LA residents, they’re left with even less when the substantial
income tax rates of California are taken into consideration. Those
taxes cut deep into whatever income is left over for other expenses,
such as food, transportation, child care and education costs.
“In
our quest for happiness, or at least satisfaction, we must accept
tradeoffs,” said Skylar Olsen, Zillow’s Director of Economic
Research. “A good-paying job with career growth potential often
comes with expensive housing, leaving less for life’s other
essentials such as taxes, child care, transportation, medical
services, food and leisure. Finding that balance where housing costs
leave a comfortable amount of spending money is tricky, especially
when the prices of life’s non-housing essentials also vary widely by
market.”
The
bad news for buyers is that affordability overall has worsened in the
last year due to rising interest rates and accelerating home value
appreciation over the last year. In November, the average 30-year
fixed rate mortgage had risen to 4.94 percent, up from 3.95 percent
at the start of the year. Fortunately, rates have now dipped slightly
to below 4.4 percent, while home value appreciation is finally
beginning to cool in many markets. That could lead to better
affordability in recent months, Zillow said.
Other
data from Zillow’s study shows that a mortgage payment on the
typical home in the U.S. required 17.5 percent of the median income
in Q4 2018. This is up from 15.4 percent in the last quarter of 2017
but still below the historic average of 21 percent from the late
1980s and 1990s. Using this traditional measure of housing
affordability, less expensive Midwest markets such as Pittsburgh, St.
Louis and Cincinnati top the list.
The
typical U.S. renter spent 27.7 percent of their income on rent
payments in 2018. This is down slightly from 28.1 percent in 2017,
but higher than the historic average of 25.8 percent. Rent payments
accounted for more than 30 percent of the median income in 13 large
U.S. metros, widely considered the standard for unaffordable housing
costs.
Source: realtybiznews.com
Households including at least one person with a high school diploma or GED can afford the typical mortgage payment in most large metro areas across the U.S., according to a new analysis by Zillow.
But soaring home values that have outpaced incomes have made down payments a barrier for many, particularly first-time home buyers.
Mortgage rates have dipped to multi-year lows in recent months, meaning monthly payments are relatively affordable for buyers who can secure a down payment. However, down payments are a challenge to afford for many as prices have grown faster than incomes over the past several years. An earlier Zillow study found that buyers need 1.5 years longer to save for a 20% down payment on the typical home than 30 years prior, and the difference is much more extreme in the most expensive metros – 13.3 years longer in San Jose, for example.
This effect is especially pronounced for first-time buyers who do not have the equity of an existing home to put towards a down payment on a new one. Zillow data shows that 46% of a typical down payment comes from savings for first-time buyers, compared with 35% for repeat buyersii.
“The influx of highly educated workers into already-expensive metros with stagnant or slow-growing inventory has made it difficult for those with less education and earning potential to enter those markets,” said Skylar Olsen, director of economic research at Zillow. “There can also be considerable variation within metros. While a bachelor’s degree may be enough to afford a mortgage on the typical home in the San Diego metro at large, it’s likely to be insufficient in pricey areas like La Jolla. And that’s only after scraping together a sizable down payment, which is a huge hurdle for most buyers.”
For households that secure a down payment, the median mortgage payments are affordable for those with a high school education in 36 of the 50 largest U.S. metros. The remaining 14 metros require earnings associated with at least a two-year associate’s degree.
The median income of a university degree holder is necessary to afford the median mortgage payment in the five most expensive West Coast metros. A bachelor’s degree is typically needed in San Diego and Seattle, while the typical income of someone with an advanced degree is required in San Jose, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The typical mortgage payment is affordable for those with associate’s degrees in Boston, New York, Sacramento, Washington, D.C., Denver, Portland, Riverside, Salt Lake City and Miami.
In only one metro, Oklahoma City, can those with less than a high school degree usually afford the typical mortgage payment. Households in Oklahoma City benefit from a combination of low housing costs – only three of the 50 largest metros have a lower median mortgage payment – and relatively high median incomes for households in which nobody has a high school diploma.
Median rent was 27.8% of the typical U.S. household income in Q1 2019. This is up slightly from the previous quarter and just below levels from a year earlier. Rent was most affordable for those in Pittsburgh, where the median rent is 21.4% of the typical household income. Los Angeles is the least affordable large metro for renters – 46.1% of the typical income is required to pay the median rent there.
Source: realtybiznews.com
Zillow has some rather disturbing news for budding academics that could well persuade them to forge an entirely different career path. It says that “entry-level” teachers will need to spend more than half of their salaries on the typical rent in 19 of the 50 largest U.S. metro areas this school year, according to its latest research.
Nationally, it would take 46.8% of a typical starting teacher’s salary to pay the median rent. This improves to 35.6% for a mid-career teacher – still above the generally accepted 30% threshold for housing costs to be considered affordable – and 26.6% for the highest-paid teachers.
Starting teachers literally cannot afford the typical home or rental in San Francisco or San Jose – median payments are greater than 100% of a starting teacher’s salary in both metros. Finding a roommate or moving back in with parents may be the only option for these teachers. Indeed, a previous analysis from HotPads, a Zillow Group-owned apartment search platform, found that San Francisco renters can save more than $1,000 a month by living with roommates.
But it is not only the most expensive markets where teachers are cost burdened. New teachers spend greater than half of their income on market rate rent in some broadly affordable metros like Salt Lake City, Minneapolis and Raleigh.
Of the 50 largest metro areas, only Pittsburgh offers affordable rent for starting teachers. And even the highest-paid teachers would find the typical rental affordable in just over half of large metros.
“Most acknowledge that building more homes is required to address the root cause of eroding housing affordability. Without that new influx to take the pressure off rent and aggressive home value growth, it’s the public servants, like teachers, fire fighters, and nurses – the professions that keep us safe, our kids smart, and our families healthy – that often feel the pinch most,” said Skylar Olsen, Zillow’s director of economic research. “So don’t think of housing affordability policies as a choice between change and the status quo. Crowded, job-rich communities will change — and it will be either the buildings that change or the mix of people who can afford to live in them.”
Teachers who own a home are in a better position, due in part to the benefit of low mortgage interest rates and decades-long terms that lock in payments even as home prices rise.
Starting-level teachers pay 26.6% of their income for the typical mortgage payment nationally and spend less than 30% of their income in 31 of the 50 largest metros. The highest-paid teachers can afford mortgages in all but the four most-expensive metros in California. An additional chunk will come out of households’ income for property taxes, homeowner’s insurance, and common homeowner maintenance, but even after those expenses, ownership is still more affordable in many markets. All of this presumes, though, that they have managed to put 20% down.
Source: realtybiznews.com