Inflation and price increases can be widespread and impact many, like gasoline or flour, or can be very specific and impact only a small portion of the population, like guitar strings or limoncello. Continued rent increases impact many, not the least of which are the roughly 50 million tenants themselves along with their potential loan originators who could help them finance a house. Word has it that owners stay in their homes 13 years, although this source says 16 years, whereas tenants stay in their rental about 3 years for a house and 2.5 years for multi-family/apartments. There is a lot of hope being placed by lenders in tenants who move into ownership, as volume stinks. According to Curinos, August 2023 funded mortgage volume decreased 26 percent YoY and increased 8 percent MoM. In the Retail channel, funded volume was down 31 percent YoY and up 8 percent MoM. The average 30-year conforming retail funded rate in August was 6.82 percent, 13bps higher than July and 124bps higher tha
It was a rough weekend. My cat Myrtle, resting comfortably at the top of the food chain, was visibly miffed at me not nominating her (again) for the vaulted “40 under 40” award. I reminded her that she is way over that in cat years, but my explanation fell on her one deaf ear and her one good ear despite me telling her how much line-caught salmon we could buy with the nomination fee. (Hey, don’t get me wrong. I know some of those folks who were nominated or selected, and the industry is better off because of them!) If lenders would like a little good news, they should know that, despite the low interest rates we saw a few years ago, people are still moving, and that’s a source of business. Around 8.6 percent of Americans moved last year, slightly more than the previous year, but still below pre-pandemic levels. Accordingly, WalletHub released its report on 2023’s Best States to Live in. Chalk it up to complete East Coast bias, but Massachusetts, New J
The great thing about inflation is if you spend the same on groceries, the bags are lighter and easier to carry home. Restaurants and food companies react to higher prices either by reducing their portion sizes or passing the cost on to the consumer. In real estate, does the modern definition of an “affordable” house mean 350 square feet for $130,000? Lennar thinks so. Owning a home has long been considered the quintessential American dream, but even with 84 percent of Americans saying they’d like to own a home one day, 51 percent who don’t own today worry they’ll never get there. 94 percent of consumers say owning a home is part of the American dream, but 49 percent say they can’t afford a down payment and 40 percent say home prices are too high in their area. Student loan debt weighs heaviest on millennials, with 19 percent citing it as a roadblock to homeownership. (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s is sponsored