Housing market shows first signs of trouble from pandemic
The housing market has taken a pause due to the uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic in an ever evolving climate. Stay home lockdown orders globally have changed the face of real estate to virtual showings no more physical open houses. There are new liability release disclosure forms signed by all parties involved to view a property by appointment only. Having a realtor you trust for a real need of housing becomes even more important. While deemed an essential service in California realtors must take precautions for all to continue assisting others with their need to find a home.
As a virtual digital agent as our physical Re/Max offices are presently closed in this technical age I'm able to continue serving others online being the local area expert in greater Los Angeles and the coast on the westside communities of Playa Del Rey, Marina Del Rey, Venice Beach, Santa Monica, Playa Vista, Culver City, and West LA. Many are on the fence to sell, buy, hold , move or lease as this pandemic is evolving. We are all in this together. Be well. Feel free to connect sandy@sandralew.com for any questions or maybe just a link to search the MLS (multiple listing service) for an up to date idea of the market.
Sandra Lew - Re/Max Estate Properties CalBRE# 01920376- Cell 310-963-1623
April 6, 2020 Jacob Passy - MSN Marketwatch
Housing market show first sign of trouble from pandemic.
March started out as a strong month for the U.S. housing market — but by
the second half of the month, the first indications that the
coronavirus pandemic would weigh on homeselling activity began to
emerge, according to a new report from Realtor.com.
In the weeks ending March 21 and March 28, the number of newly-listed
properties fell by 13.1% and 34% respectively when compared with the
same period a year ago, Realtor.com found. This is an indication that
home sellers may be holding off on listing their properties right now.
The pace of home-price growth also slowed notably in the latter half
of the month, according to the report. Home list prices were only up
3.3% year-over-year for the week ending March 21, and 2.5% for the
following week. This represented the slowest pace of listing price
growth since Realtor.com started tracking this data in 2013.
“Our
inventory and listing data can provide some early insight into how
housing markets may be impacted by COVID-19, but the situation and
reactions to it are still rapidly evolving,” Realtor.com chief economist
Danielle Hale wrote in the report.
“The U.S. housing market had a
good start to the year. Despite still-limited homes for sale, buyers
were buying and builders were building,” she wrote. “The pandemic and
virus-fighting measures appear to be disrupting that initial momentum as
both buyers and sellers adopt a more cautious posture.”
Real-estate
firms have taken steps to brace for the impact of the coronavirus
pandemic. So-called iBuyers including Zillow (ZG) and Redfin
(RDFN) that purchase homes from sellers and then sell them for a profit
had wound down their home-buying operations in anticipation of an
economic downturn. Real-estate brokers, incuding Redfin and Re/Max
(RMAX) , had also shifted toward virtual home tours as open houses
became verboten in the wake of social-distancing recommendations.
And other recent reports have shown additional signs of a slowdown in the housing market. LendingTree (TREE) released an analysis
of Google (GOOG) search data analyzing the popularity of the search
term “homes for sale” across the country’s 50 largest metro areas.
Searches for “homes for sale” have fallen across all 50 cities in the
study from their peak levels in 2020 thus far.
LendingTree estimated that these Google searches could drop some 63%
compared with last year if the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak remains
substantial for the next two months. A drop in web searches could
presage a decline in home sales.
Another
sign that home sales will slump this spring: Mortgage applications. The
volume of mortgage applications for loans used to purchase homes was
down 24% compared with a year ago for the week ending March 27,
according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association. That’s in spite
of mortgage rates being near historic lows. Comparatively, the volume
of refinance applications was 168% higher than a year ago.
Before
the coronavirus pandemic flared up, the U.S. housing market was on
relatively solid footing. While the number of homes for sale remained
low — constraining sales activity to an extent — demand among buyers was
still quite high. Low mortgage rates had fueled an early start to the
spring home-buying season, with homes selling four days faster in March
when compared with 2019 levels, Realtor.com found.
The jump in
jobless claims has stoked concerns of a repeat of the Great Recession
and the foreclosure crisis that preceded it. But housing economists
argue that this is unlikely to be the case.
“While housing led the
recession in 2008-2009, this time it may be poised to bring us out of
it,” Mark Fleming, chief economist for title insurance company First
American Financial Corporation (FAF) , wrote in a report this week.
Unlike
in the 2000s, the housing market in the U.S. is not overbuilt, Fleming
argued, making it less likely that a large swath of vacant properties
will crater the home values for homeowners.
Rising home values and
stricter lending standards have also meant that homeowners are sitting
on historically high amounts of home equity.
“The housing market
will not go unscathed, as consumer confidence and a strong labor market
are essential in the decision to purchase a home,” Fleming wrote. “Yet,
this time, housing is a casualty of a public health crisis turned
economic, not the cause of an economic crisis.”
Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/realestate/housing-market-shows-first-signs-of-trouble-from-pandemic/ar-BB1250Oq