US Housing Market Update Foreclosure rate headed for a small bump With the vast majority of mortgage borrowers protected by fixed rates, it is not a surprise that the early delinquency rate has risen only marginally since the start of the year. And our forecasts for... 24th August 2022 · 3 mins read
US Housing Market Update Higher rates to prevent rise in homeownership The odds are stacking up against first-time buyers (FTBs), an important demographic for homeownership. A very limited number of starter homes on the market, higher interest rates, tight credit... 5th August 2022 · 3 mins read
US Housing Market Update Tight supply limits threat from rising construction The current surge in homes under construction has few parallels with the building boom that preceded the house price crash in the late 2000s. The build-up of homes under construction has largely been... 29th July 2022 · 3 mins read
US Housing Market Update The anatomy of a housing market downturn Measures of housing market activity and prices tend to follow a predictable sequence in downturns. In this Update we highlight the key US and UK variables that clients should follow to track the... 24th June 2022 · 4 mins read
US Housing Market Update Surge in mortgage rates makes house price falls likely We have previously argued that a mortgage rate of above 6% represents the threshold at which house price falls become likely. With rates recently rising above that level, we are therefore revising... 20th June 2022 · 3 mins read
US Housing Market Update Existing home sales set for a sharper fall Leading indicators are pointing to a large fall in existing home sales. For example, the recent sharp decline in the NAR buyer traffic balance is consistent with a fall in sales to 4.5m annualised... 14th June 2022 · 3 mins read
US Housing Market Update Is remote work responsible for the house price boom? By increasing the demand for accommodation and boosting rents, the shift to remote work will have put some upward pressure on house prices. But while rents have seen an above-trend increase since the... 1st June 2022 · 3 mins read
US Housing Market Update NYC apartment rental growth will cool rapidly Rental growth in NYC reached 22% y/y in Q1 2022, one of the fastest rates in the country. But we expect growth to cool rapidly from here and underperform other cities. The past surge in rents largely... 25th May 2022 · 3 mins read
US Housing Market Update Mortgage debt service ratio to remain low The surge in mortgage rates has led to a sharp deterioration in home affordability. But that doesn’t mean the mortgage debt service ratio, the share of disposable income spent on mortgage payments... 19th May 2022 · 3 mins read
US Housing Market Update Rise in rates to bring more vacant homes to market Homebuyers looking for more space were contending with low numbers of larger homes for sale in the first quarter, not helped by an apparent rise in investor demand for bigger properties. But rising... 5th May 2022 · 3 mins read
US Housing Market Update Can cash buyers keep house prices booming? Rising mortgage interest rates and tight credit conditions pushed the cash buyer share of existing home sales to a six-year high in March. But while the cash buyer share and house price growth are... 21st April 2022 · 3 mins read
US Housing Market Update Desperate buyers give home sales and prices a boost The surge in mortgage rates means home buyers with a mortgage preapproval from late January will see a rise in mortgage payments of 15% if they can’t find a home before their approval expires at the... 13th April 2022 · 3 mins read
US Housing Market Update Will mortgage spreads keep rising? The jump in the spread between mortgage rates and the 10-year Treasury yield primarily reflects a rise in the credit risk premium as investors react to a slowing economy, surging inflation, and the... 23rd March 2022 · 3 mins read
US Housing Market Update Are housing valuations reaching dangerous highs? House price-to-earnings ratios are approaching the peak hit just before the global financial crisis, and another year of strong house price growth would send them above that level. But while mortgage... 1st March 2022 · 3 mins read
US Housing Market Update Shift to South helps homes get bigger Working from home has increased the demand for larger properties, and in response the median size of new homes started at the end of last year was the largest since the start of 2019. Supporting that... 18th February 2022 · 3 mins read
US Housing Market Update Do not conflate real assets with inflation hedges We believe the link between real estate cashflows and inflation to be overplayed, a view that is backed up by the evidence of the last 44 years. But there are exceptions. One of which is low vacancy... 10th February 2022 · 4 mins read
