US Housing Market Slows for Santa

The U.S. residential real estate market historically enters a somewhat dormant period around the holidays as people spend more money on presents and time with family rather than …

The U.S. residential real estate market historically enters a somewhat dormant period around the holidays as people spend more money on presents and time with family rather than shopping for houses, and the new recovery is following old patterns. Clear Capital reports that price growth is slowing and is no doubt being helped by the approach of the fiscal cliff. Various regions are reporting different statistics, but the Midwest was to only one maintaining price momentum through October. Other regions are still seeing growth, just not at the speed the recovery has been keeping over the past several months.  For more on this continue reading the following article from Property Wire.

Residential real estate price gains across the United States started to soften in November showing that property markets are not immune to the seasonal slowdown, according to the latest data from Clear Capital.

The effects of winter are unfolding and as the fiscal cliff draws closer, 2012’s housing market momentum is most at risk, it says in its latest report.

National quarterly price gains were more than halved in November over the month, coming in at just 1.0%. While a slowdown in growth is typical in the winter due to fewer fair market sellers listing their homes, the percentage of REO sales held steady at 18.4%. Should the rate of distressed sales hold steady over the next several months, downward price pressure should be minimal, said Alex Villacorta, director of research and analytics at Clear Capital.

The seasonal effects of winter also started to take hold in three out of four regions. A pull back in growth at similar magnitudes was echoed in the West, South, and Northeast, with quarterly gains of 2.0%, 0.8%, and 0.3%, respectively.

The Midwest was the only region to hold the momentum of quarterly growth over October. However, at just 0.9%, the region is in line with the level of growth across the regions and at the national level.

Price gain stalls are not as evident in yearly price trends. National yearly home prices in November held their ground with 4.6% growth. Putting the recovery into perspective, this time last year, national home prices had declined 2.8%. The South also mostly held its ground, with gains of 4.0% over the last year.

Claim up to $26,000 per W2 Employee

  • Billions of dollars in funding available
  • Funds are available to U.S. Businesses NOW
  • This is not a loan. These tax credits do not need to be repaid
The ERC Program is currently open, but has been amended in the past. We recommend you claim yours before anything changes.

The West continued to lead the recovery, yet with softer yearly gains of 10.3% in November, over October’s yearly growth of 11.4%. The region continued to make progress in that REO saturation declined to just 17.8%. Since the peak in 2009, REO saturation has fallen by more than half.

The Northeast posted just 1.4% growth year on year, constrained by nearly flat quarterly gains. The region also saw price trends flat in the top tier sector, or homes selling for $423,000 and more.

The Midwest bucked the trend of softening gains, and posted yearly growth of 2.9% in November. While the Midwest hinted at a slowdown in October, things appear to be picking back up. We continue to expect volatility out of the Midwest moving into the deeper winter months. The region typically exhibits price fluctuations, as it represents the lowest median prices of any of the four regions.

The highest performing markets exhibited similar trends to those at the national and regional levels, where the range of quarterly gains were reduced by more than half. Yearly price changes continued to be mixed. Average REO saturation for the highest markets of 25% in November was 6.6% higher than the national average.
 
Villacorta said that markets like Detroit, Las Vegas, Tucson, and Atlanta are great examples of markets seeing growth alongside declining, yet relatively high rates of REO saturation.

The lowest performing metro markets started to show signs of weakness in November. Half of the markets posted quarterly losses, yet all but one had declines less than 1%. Yearly losses amongst the group were greater in volume and magnitude than the quarterly trends. Five out of 15 markets saw yearly losses, and three markets declined more than 1.5%.

Average REO saturation for the group was at just 15.9%, some 2.5% lower than national, and 9.1% lower than the average REO saturation of the highest performing metro markets.

‘Again, the trends in REO saturation signal the recovery being led by those markets that were hard hit with relatively high rates of REO saturation continuing to linger. The lowest performing group, on the other hand, is comprised of a handful of markets that haven’t seen a lift from their REO segment,’ said Villacorta.

‘The lowest performing group’s pull back serves as a reminder the recovery is not immune to the effects of seasonality, fiscal uncertainty, or notable reductions in income levels. The fiscal cliff remains a threat to consumer confidence and purchasing power as the markets move into the chill of winter,’ he explained.

‘November housing trends hinted at a winter slowdown ahead. While short term growth across the country generally slowed, the housing market has built good momentum over the last year,’ said Villacorta.

‘As previously reported, these gains coupled with reduced rates of REO saturation signal housing should be strong enough to ride out winter, barring any shocks. That said, we remain very concerned about the fiscal cliff given both the threat of uncertainty and the potential for fiscal constraint moving forward,’ he added.

‘And at the end of the day, going over the cliff translates to reduced net income for potential buyers. Even if prices remain attractive, taking a hit on income will surely deter some demand at a time when markets need it the most,’ he pointed out.

This article was republished with permission from Property Wire.

advertisement

Does Your Small Business Qualify?

Claim Up to $26K Per Employee

Don't Wait. Program Expires Soon.

Click Here

Share This:

In this article