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Housing Headlines

Housing Headlines

ECONOMIC NEWS

CNBC

Ignore the bad housing starts number. Builder optimism and buyer demand are high

Ignore the bad housing starts number. Some will blame the weather. Others will claim the figures are too volatile month to month. Bottom line, December's steep drop in single-family housing starts is not indicative of what is really going on at construction sites across the nation.

National Mortgage News

8 signs renters might start buying more homes

The homeownership rate has recovered somewhat from the post-crisis low of 62.9%, but still remains well below the peak of 69.1%. And as consumers are challenged by rising home prices and low inventory, some would-be buyers are continuing to rent longer than anticipated due to issues of affordability and demand.

National Mortgage News

Multifamily housing production finds stable ground in 2018

Though multifamily housing starts are projected to slightly moderate this year and in 2019, production levels are expected to remain in a steady range considered normal, with low supply actually contributing to this stabilization, according to the National Association of Home Builders. (Subscription may be required.)

Business Insider

The housing market still can't keep up with millennial demand even after its best year in a decade

By some measures, the housing market just had its best year in a decade.  On Thursday, the Census Bureau released its final report on new residential construction, completions, and building permits in 2017. All three rose to the highest levels since 2007.

MarketWatch

Amazon's HQ2 would have the biggest impact on real estate in these U.S. cities

Amazon has narrowed the contenders for its new headquarters down to 20 cities — but the property markets in some cities could do with a boost more than others.

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The Dallas Morning News

D-FW needs 20,000 more construction workers, Dallas Builders Association says

Last year Dallas-Fort Worth homebuilders started almost 34,000 homes. The construction total would have been even greater if builders could have rounded up more workers. The labor shortage that's hammered the U.S. housing industry continues to be one of the biggest worries for builders.

Washington Examiner

Immigrants held record share of US construction jobs in 2016

The National Association of Homebuilders said Monday that 24.4 percent of U.S. construction workers were immigrants in 2016, the highest share on record.

HousingWire

MBA: Mortgage apps continue increasing

Mortgage applications increased 4.1% from last week, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association's Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending January 12, 2017.

The Washington Post

Devastated by wildfire, a California city weighs rebuilding amid a housing crunch

A Christmas tree stands in what was once Jeff Okrepkie's foyer in Coffey Park, a few red and gold ornaments hanging from its damp branches.

 

 

 

 

HOUSING FINANCE NEWS

MarketWatch

As Fannie and Freddie reform talk heats up, their regulator speaks up

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should be reorganized as private, utility-like entities, and the government should provide an explicit guarantee for mortgages in order to preserve the popular 30-year fixed-rate loan, the regulator of the two government-sponsored mortgage enterprises said this week.

American Banker

FHFA breaks silence on housing finance reform

Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt finally detailed his views on housing finance reform, saying that the agency believes Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should be reincorporated as private entities and the government must provide an explicit guarantee for catastrophic losses in the secondary mortgage market. (Subscription may be required.)

National Mortgage News

Treasury, FHFA see eye to eye on housing finance reform, top official says

The Treasury Department mostly agrees with a housing finance reform plan put forward by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Mel Watt this week, according to Craig Phillips, a senior counselor to Secretary Steven Mnuchin. (Subscription may be required.)

 
 

 

 

 

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

The New York Times

Tax overhaul is a blow to affordable housing efforts

The last time that Congress approved a sweeping overhaul of the federal tax code, in 1986, it created a tax credit meant to encourage the private sector to invest in affordable housing. It has grown into a $9 billion-a-year social program that has funded the construction of some three million apartments for low-income residents.

HousingWire

Fannie Mae selects advisory panel for sustainable housing challenge

Fannie Mae announced today its formation of an expert advisory panel for its Sustainable Communities Innovation Challenge.

 

MULTIFAMILY

The Wall Street Journal

Houston's apartment market makes a comeback

The Houston rental apartment market is rebounding after years of pain caused by overbuilding and the weak energy sector. (Subscription may be required.)

The Wall Street Journal

That New York condo just got a lot more expensive

Apartment shoppers in Manhattan are taking a pause after a federal tax overhaul removed some key incentives for homeownership, brokers say. (Subscription may be required.)

 

REMODELING

MarketWatch

4 things consumers should think about before financing a home improvement

With Goldman Sachs' newest loan product, the money-center bank is making a smart bet.

 

TRENDS

The Atlantic

The great urban housing solution that has no good name

When Kol Peterson moved to Portland, Oregon, in 2010, affordable housing was a priority, as it was for many newcomers in this city's booming real-estate market. He looked at two frequently discussed options for high-cost cities—tiny houses on wheels and communal living—but decided on another option: accessory dwelling units, or ADUs—also known as "granny flats," or basement or garage apartments.