US Housing Market Update Drop in multifamily starts will support rental growth Developers have responded quickly to signs that rental vacancy rates in multifamily buildings are edging up, with starts over the past three months reaching their lowest level in four years. That... 18th August 2017 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Update What can inventory tell us about state-level house prices? In the absence of state-level data on the months’ supply of unsold homes, a comparison of inventory levels in each state to their long-run average has, in the past, proved a reasonable leading... 31st July 2017 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Update Non-residents buy more homes despite strong dollar Even with a strong dollar pushing up the price of US homes for most foreign buyers, in the year to March non-resident buyers increased their spending on residential property by 72%. We suspect fears... 20th July 2017 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Update Cautious appraisals holding down house price growth Experience suggests that with housing market conditions so tight, house prices should be rising considerably faster than their current rate of around 6% y/y. One reason why they are not may be that... 14th July 2017 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Update Distressed sales are still distorting house prices The Case-Shiller index has reported a sharp easing in seasonally-adjusted house price growth in the early stages of this year. But there are good reasons to think that the legacy of the surge in... 7th July 2017 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Update Will smaller footprints give a lift to new home sales? The drop in the average floor area of new homes started in the first quarter suggests builders are now moving towards constructing more affordable homes. And, given that a lack of cheaper homes has... 28th June 2017 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Update Rise in selling sentiment won’t cure low inventory levels The share of households seeing now as a good time to sell has exceeded the share seeing now as a good to buy for the first time since records began in 2010. But, past rises in selling sentiment have... 14th June 2017 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Update Why is confidence in the housing market relatively subdued? Survey evidence which points to relatively subdued levels of confidence in the housing market is not a sign that households are unduly worried about the prospect of rising interest rates. Rather, it... 17th May 2017 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Update Does slowing rental growth pose a risk for house prices? Affordability constraints have weighed on rental growth in recent months which, in theory, could lead to slower house price gains. However, the large number of variables which influence house prices... 11th May 2017 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Update Explaining the divergence between pending and existing sales The gap that has developed between pending and existing home sales looks to be one more consequence of very low inventory levels. With such limited choice, buyers are increasingly reluctant to pull... 28th April 2017 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Update Has the shift to single-family starts stalled? Following a dip towards the end of last year, the share of multifamily starts has recovered and builders have become more optimistic towards the sector. Our expectation for a shift toward single... 20th April 2017 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Update Where will new single-family homes be built? For the most part, states with strong income growth and low homeowner vacancy rates will see the largest gains in single-family housing starts. The majority of those are in the West, although Florida... 12th April 2017 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Update Housing in energy-producing states not yet out of the woods As oil prices have seen a modest pick-up, so has employment growth in many energy-producing states. But, given the lags between changes in the labour market and its impact on the housing market, as... 6th April 2017 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Update Will rolling-back regulations help increase housing starts? The executive order requiring a review of the Waters of the United States rule has pushed homebuilder confidence to a 12-year high. However, the rule has been suspended since its introduction in 2015... 30th March 2017 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Update How will the rental market react to rising interest rates? Other things equal, higher Treasury yields means investors will require a higher return from property. Some investors may therefore start easing back on acquisitions, putting downward pressure on... 16th March 2017 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Update Can rising interest rates boost the housing inventory? Low interest rates help to explain the rising the number of vacant homes and the steady fall in the housing inventory in recent years. Rebuilding the inventory will take time, but higher interest... 9th March 2017 · 1 min read
