Lesli's Blog

Builders & Realtors Agree: Real Estate Is Back When shelter-in-place orders brought the economy to a screeching halt earlier this year, many believed the residential housing market would follow suit. Countless analysts predicted buyer demand would disappear and home values would depreciate for the first time in almost a decade. That, however, didn’t happen. It appears the opposite is taking place. After the bottom fell out of the real estate market immediately following the shutdown, it has come roaring back – and seems to still be gaining steam. Here’s a look at two recent reports – one from the  National Association of Home Builders  (NAHB) and one from the  National Association of Realtors  (NAR) – showing this growing strength. Builder Confidence Hits All-Time High Last week, it was  reported  that applications for new home purchases with home builders were  39% higher than in July of 2019 . That has builder confidence soaring. Each month, NAHB releases its  Housing Market Inde

  In July, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell below 3% for the first time in history. 1 And while many Americans have rushed to take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity, others question the hype. Are today’s rates truly a bargain?   While average mortgage rates have drifted between 4% and 5% in recent years, they haven’t always been so low. Freddie Mac began tracking 30-year mortgage rates in 1971. At that time, the national average was 7.31%. 2 As the rate of inflation started to rise in the mid-1970s, mortgage rates surged. It’s hard to imagine now, but the average U.S. mortgage rate reached a high of 18.63% in 1981. 3   Fortunately for home buyers, inflation normalized by October 1982, which sent mortgage rates on a downward trajectory that would bring them as low as 3.31% in 2012. 3 Since 2012, 30-year fixed rates have risen modestly, with the daily average climbing as high as 4.94% in 2018. 4   So what’s causing today’s rates to sink to unprecedented lows? Econ