Corelogic Said Its Analysis of the Largest 100 Metro Areas in the Country Found the Housing Stock in 34% of Them to Be Overvalued While 28% Undervalued
Of the top 50 markets, 46 percent were deemed overvalued, 16% were undervalued, and 8% were at value. Looking ahead, the CoreLogic HPI forecast indicates that home prices will increase by 5% on a year-over-year basis from July 2017 to July 2018.
“In July, home price growth in the Pacific Northwest and mountain states led the nation with the highest appreciation rates,” said Dr. Frank Nothaft, chief economist for CoreLogic. “The sharp increase in prices in Washington and Utah has been especially striking, with home price growth in both states accelerating by 3 percentage points since the beginning of this year.”
In other housing news, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) just released Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI) dropped 0.8% in July, which was 1.3% lower than the PHSI a year earlier and has now fallen year-over-year in three of the last four months (the West was the only region to show a slight gain).
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, continues to blame the weak market on the lack of homes for sale and called the inventory woes throughout the country “staggering.” “With the exception of a minimal gain in the West, pending sales were weaker in most areas in July as house hunters saw limited options for sale and highly competitive market conditions. The housing market remains stuck in a holding pattern with little signs of breaking through. The pace of new listings is not catching up with what’s being sold at an astonishing fast pace.”
According to Yun, the national median home sales price has risen 38% in the past five years, while hourly earnings have increased by less than a third of that, at 12%. The unsustainable trend is putting considerable pressure on affordability in some markets, especially first-time buyers, and is pricing out some buyers who would otherwise be looking to buy a home.
“The reality, therefore, is that sales in coming months will not break out unless supply miraculously improves. This seems unlikely given the inadequate pace of housing starts in recent months and the lack of interest from real estate investors looking to sell,” stated Yun.
Finally, how much money do you need to make to afford a median-priced home in the US? According to mortgage search company HSH, you’ll need a salary of $56,000 per the 2nd quarter data, which is up 10% from the previous quarter. (Based on 20% down, 30-year fixed mortgage, 4% interest with base cost including principle, interest, property tax, and homeowners insurance.)
Check out how much you would have to earn to purchase a median-priced home in these markets:
Seattle, WA – $93,853
San Francisco, CA – $181,341
San Jose, CA – $221,363
Dallas, TX – $61,039
Boston, MA – $98,518
New York City, NY – $99,136
Washington, DC – $88,664
Images Courtesy of Heliotrope Architects, Dovetail Construction, and Benjamin Benschneider
