Single-Family Home Sales Race to a 10-Month High

New U.S. single-family home sales race to a 10-month high

New U.S. single-family home sales surged in December to their highest level in 10 months, the latest indication that the housing sector remains on a firmer footing despite a massive stock market sell-off and slowing economic growth.

The Commerce Department said on Wednesday sales rose 10.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 544,000 units, the highest level since February 2015. Sales last month were likely buoyed by unseasonably mild weather and a rise in the supply of homes on the market, which increased choices for buyers.

New home sales soared 14.5 percent in 2015, the highest level since 2007. Economists had forecast new home sales, which account for about 9.1 percent of the housing market, edging upward to 500,000 units.

In another promising sign, a separate report from the Mortgage Bankers Association showed applications for home purchase loans increased 8.8 percent last week from a week earlier. Mortgage rates remain low by historical standards, even after the Fed’s recent rate hike.

Many national economists feel this is a promising sign for the housing market as we move into 2016. They expect the strong increase in new home sales to continue as the fundamentals in the housing market remain strong and new vintage homes are in short supply.

A firmer housing sector should put a floor under the economy, which has been battered by the headwinds of a strong dollar, spending cuts by energy firms stung by lower oil prices and sluggish global demand. Efforts by businesses to whittle down an inventory bloat have also been a drag on growth.

This month’s stock market sell-off, which has seen a more than 7-percent plunge in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index, is also adding to the pain. But with housing boosting household wealth, the drag on consumer spending from falling stock market values could be minimal.

The government is expected to report that fourth-quarter gross domestic product increased at a 0.8 percent annual rate, according to a Reuters Survey of economists, slowing sharply from the third quarter’s 2 percent.

In December, new home sales jumped 20.8 percent in the Northeast and gained 0.4 percent in the populous South. They advanced 31.6 percent in the Midwest and shot up 21.0 percent here in the West.

With new home developers and builders constructing beautiful new homes here in Visalia, Tulare and Porterville, now is the time to contact your favorite lender and get prequalified to purchase the home of your dreams. Wouldn’t that make a nice Valentine’s Day gift for the family?

Jeremy Engle

Country Club Mortgage
559.734.5000 Central Valley Phone 805.544.2775 Central Coast Phone Email: jeremy@jeremyengle.com 
400 E. Main St. Suite 120 Visalia, CA 93291  6795 N. Palm, Suite 101 Fresno CA 93711  4211 Spring Tree Ln. Bakersfield CA 93314  1204 Nipomo St. San Luis Obispo CA 93401  888.330.2272 fax  NMLS # 293517 | DRE # 01474957  Apply online 24/7 @ www.jeremyengle.com

MORTGAGE CREDIT AVAILABILITY - Mortgage Update From Jeremy Engle

MORTGAGE CREDIT AVAILABILITY

 DECREASED IN DECEMBER

Mortgage credit availability decreased in December, according to the Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI) from the Mortgage Bankers Association. The MCAI decreased 2.4 percent to 124.3 in December.

A decline in the MCAI indicates that lending standards are tightening, while loosening credit. The index was benchmarked to 100 in March 2012. Of the four component indices, the Conventional MCAI saw the greatest tightening (down 4.8 percent) over the month followed by the Jumbo MCAI (down 4.2 percent), and the Government MCAI (down 0.6 percent). The Conforming MCAI increased 0.1 percent over the month.

These confusing numbers are all the reason a person needs to contact your favorite lender here in Visalia, Tulare or Porterville. Your local lender can go into a detailed explanation. The best thing anyone can do is set up a payment schedule to pay off your plastic debt and increase your FICO score to achieve a better credit rating. This will make borrowing money to finance a house very simple.

There is good news in the world of refinance recently. Fannie Mae announced that it has helped more than two million American households save money, reduce their interest rates, move into more stable loans or shorten their loan terms by refinancing their mortgages under the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP).

By refinancing through HARP, those households have been able to save an average of nearly $200 a month since the program’s inception in 2009.

Last year, the HARP program was extended through the end of 2016, giving homeowners who have not refinanced additional time to take advantage of lower mortgage rates. Fannie Mae estimates that tens of thousands of households across the U.S. could still be eligible to refinance under HARP.

Another piece of good news in the housing sector, foreclosure inventory declined 21.8 percent and completed foreclosures declined 18.8 percent in November compared with the previous year, according to Corelogic’s November 2015 National Foreclosure Report. The number of completed foreclosures in November was down 71.6 percent from the peak of 117,657 in September 2010.

The foreclosure inventory represents the number of homes at some stage of the foreclosure process and completed foreclosures reflect the total number of homes lost to foreclosure.

The November 2015 foreclosure inventory rate is the lowest for any month since November 2007. California ranked fourth with 24,000 in a list of states with the highest number of completed foreclosures for the 12 months ending in 2015. Only Florida (83,000), Michigan (51,000) and Texas (28,000) finished higher.

Jeremy Engle

Country Club Mortgage 
559.734.5000 Central Valley Phone
805.544.2775 Central Coast Phone 
Email: jeremy@jeremyengle.com 
400 E. Main St. Suite 120 Visalia, CA 93291 
6795 N. Palm, Suite 101 Fresno CA 93711 
4211 Spring Tree Ln. Bakersfield CA 93314 
1204 Nipomo St. San Luis Obispo CA 93401 
888.330.2272 fax 
NMLS # 293517 | DRE # 01474957 
Apply online 24/7 @ www.jeremyengle.com

Jeremy Engle is a Senior Loan Officer with Country Club Mortgage, a locally owned Mortgage Firm with offices in Visalia, Tulare, Porterville and the Central Coast. He can be reached at his email Jeremy@JeremyEngle.com.

U.S. Housing Data Signals Strength - Mortgage Update From Jeremy Engle

U.S. HOUSING DATA SIGNALS STRENGTH

 WHILE STOCK MARKET PLUNGES

As 2015 drew to a close, the Commerce Department reported that building permits in November vaulted 11 percent to a 1.29 million-unit rate, the highest level since June.

Groundbreaking jumped 10.5 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 1.17 million units. With permits running ahead of starts, home building is likely to remain supported in the months ahead.

This is good news at a time that the stock market is plunging in triple digits one day and jumping back up the next. With this unstable fiscal situation on Wall Street Americans especially Californians are turning to the housing market for more stability.

November marked the eighth straight month that housing starts remained above 1 million units, the longest stretch since 2007. Even with the recent slight increase in mortgage rates with a quarter point raise, Valley home buyers are still moving to purchase new homes in steady numbers.

Here in Visalia, Tulare and Porterville inventories remain steady now and are expected to increase as springtime nears.

Overall California pending home sales retreated in November primarily due to seasonal factors and delayed escrow closings caused by new loan disclosure rules, according to the California Association of Realtors (CAR).

On an annual basis, California pending home sales remained strong and continued to improve from 2014 with double digit gains. Statewide pending sales were up 13.6 percent from the recorded index in November 2014. Pending sales have been increasing on a year-over-year basis since November 2014.

Regionally, pending sales were higher on a year-over-year basis in all areas, with the Central Valley, Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area all increasing at a double-digit rate.

Mortgage rates are remaining steady and with the volatility in the stock market home buyers are moving into the real estate market here in the Valley knowing that real estate is a safer long term investment.

With home prices leveling off in recent months, more sellers are adjusting their listing price to become more in line with buyers expectations. About one-third of properties had price reductions in November.

Your local lender can help you get the mortgage rate best for you and your family. Don’t wait, now is the time to call your local lender to get prequalified before you talk to a Realtor and start the search for the home of your dreams.

Jeremy Engle
Country Club Mortgage
559.734.5000 Central Valley Phone
805.544.2775 Central Coast Phone 
Email: jeremy@jeremyengle.com 
400 E. Main St. Suite 120 Visalia, CA 93291
6795 N. Palm, Suite 101 Fresno CA 93711
4211 Spring Tree Ln. Bakersfield CA 93314
1204 Nipomo St. San Luis Obispo CA 93401
888.330.2272 fax
NMLS # 293517 | DRE # 01474957
Apply online 24/7 @ www.jeremyengle.com