Housing Headlines
Who's Powering the Housing Market?
ECONOMIC NEWS
NBC News
Who's powering the housing market? Surprise! It's millennials
Millennials are growing up, settling down and looking to buy a house — for the extra room and the investment opportunity.
USA Today
Home building slowed as cities try to tame growth
James and Carrie Finan have been house-hunting in the Seattle area for four months in a seemingly futile race against time: They're living in a room in James' mother's house and their first child is due in September.
MarketWatch
Home prices pick up steam as spring selling season heats up, CoreLogic says
U.S. home prices marched higher in April, with the strongest gains in the West, according to a report out Tuesday.
HousingWire
HUD Secretary Carson: Homeownership is the foundation of the economy
And more highlights from HUD housing forum.
The Washington Post
How the government contributes to the low supply of starter homes
I hear a lot of criticism of millennials, with some implying they're lazy and perhaps entitled. However, when I look critically at this group I don't see much difference between them and my generation at the same point in life.
CBS News
House-hunting in 2017? You'll need a fatter wallet
What's on your TV? In many middle-class homes, programs about house-hunting now compete for viewers with sporting events, cooking shows and financial advice. Americans are house-hungry. And nothing proves this more than the latest figures from Black Knight's Home Price Appreciation (HPA) index, which in March tallied its highest monthly gain in nearly four years.
The Wall Street Journal
New houses get smaller as first-time buyers move into the market
Home construction still lags despite strong demand for single-family houses.
U.S. News & World Report
More homebuyers, more debt
There is a false narrative going around town about first-time homebuyers, and it could be dangerous to the very group it purports to describe. It is often written today that high down payment requirements, rising house prices, student debt and a lack of supply are keeping these new buyers from purchasing a home.
The Washington Post
Here's how much you would need to afford rent in your state
There is nowhere in this country where someone working a full-time minimum-wage job could afford to rent a two-bedroom apartment, according to an annual report released Thursday documenting the gap between wages and the cost of rental housing.
Forbes
African-American and Hispanic families priced out of real estate in West Coast markets
In 2016, just 18 percent of homes for sale in the 30 largest U.S. metros were affordable for middle-class Hispanic families and 14 percent were affordable for African-American families, according to a new study by national realtor Redfin. Both rates were down 11 percentage points from 2012. This is compared to 30 percent affordable for those earning the median income for white households, down 12 percentage points since 2012.
The Wall Street Journal
Millions of young people shut out of the housing market
Roughly three million potential first-time home buyers have been shut out of the market over the last decade, according to a new study, suggesting the market's recovery of the past few years could have been stronger. (Subscription may be required.)
HousingWire
Experts: Disappointing jobs report won't stop looming interest rate hike
Economists are voicing their disappointed in the weak and unexpectedly low employment report produced in May, however they say it will not be enough to stop an interest rate hike in June.
HOUSING FINANCE
National Mortgage News
How Trump can make the FHA more lender friendly
Regulatory relief has been a central tenet of the Trump administration's strategy to strengthen the economy. That philosophy could be applied to the housing market with changes to government-backed mortgage programs to improve access to credit and increase homeownership. (Subscription may be required.)
The Washington Post
Fannie Mae will ease financial standards for mortgage applicants next month
It's the No. 1 reason that mortgage applicants nationwide get rejected: They're carrying too much debt relative to their monthly incomes. It's especially a deal-killer for millennials early in their careers who have to stretch every month to pay the rent and other bills.
The Hill
As capital dwindles, trouble looms for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Mel Watt recently delivered two direct messages to Congress: First, it is dangerous to operate the two institutions that undergird half of the U.S. mortgage market and support over $5 trillion in mortgage backed securities with little to no capital. Second, as the safety and soundness regulator, he intends to take steps to reverse that situation.
National Mortgage News
FHA premium reduction remains on hold: Carson
The financial condition of the Federal Housing Administration's mortgage insurance fund has "stabilized," according to Housing Secretary Ben Carson. But that does not mean he's ready to cut FHA premiums again. (Subscription may be required.)
DODD-FRANK
USA Today
Dodd-Frank debate: Here's how the House could change financial legislation
President Trump's agenda to deregulate the financial industry could take a big leap forward this week.
HousingWire
House votes to abolish Dodd-Frank
The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Thursday to pass the Republican-led Financial CHOICE Act, H.R. 10, which would abolish the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
USA Today
Worker-friendly rules scrapped by Labor Dept
Expanded worker protections on pay and benefits were rolled back by the Trump Administration Wednesday in a first step of what is expected to be a broader effort to reinstate policies that favor employers.
MULTIFAMILY
The New York Times
Developers lure buyers to cities, even as prices stall
Peter Fader, a professor of marketing at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, has long yearned for the city life. For 20 years, though, he and his wife, Mina, have deferred that dream, living in a Philadelphia suburb to raise their two children in a 3,500-square-foot home.
OSHA
The New York Times
Under Trump, worker protections are viewed with new skepticism
There's a relaxation in the approach to occupational safety and business is getting a bigger voice, while hard-won victories for safety advocates are being reversed.
NFIP
As the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season officially starts, the national weather agency in charge of tracking hurricanes says it could be another "above-normal" season, even as a federal flood insurance program that's the only option for many homeowners will expire in September if Congress doesn't take action.
INDUSTRY TRENDS
Construction Dive
Moving up: How builders can address the needs of multigenerational households
Living with mom and dad it is trending. That is, whether due to financial, health or other circumstances, young adults are moving back home after college and older adults are moving in with their children later in life, bringing multigenerational households to the forefront once again.
