Daily Archives: July 30, 2015

Condos gaining popularity in Greenwich real estate market | Katonah Real Estate

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Greenwich is traditionally known for its sprawling multi-million dollar estates and a community that provides escape from the compact living associated with nearby Manhattan.

But what happens when those expansive single-family homes are no longer the preferred abode for Greenwich elite?

Jonathan Miller, president of Miller Samuel Real Estate Appraisers and Consultants, said an influx of luxury condos on the market — and a rush of city dwellers seeking homes with little upkeep in the suburbs — is changing the way people think about Greenwich real estate.

“We’re seeing this in Westchester, we’re seeing this in the Hamptons … where the development is luxury condo products,” Miller said. “We’re seeing this city-to-suburban path where people coming from the city are used to this —not having to take care of the exterior of the property, etc. — and we’re seeing this pop up in a lot of New York City metropolitan area suburbs, including Greenwich.”

Miller prepares an independent quarterly report for real estate firm Douglas Elliman, which recently entered the Greenwich market. The Elliman Report details the changing trends in the region, particularly as it relates condominium and townhouse sales to single-family homes. The first quarter report showed the ongoing change in the Greenwich real estate market — mansions were struggling to sell while condos with less upkeep (and a lower price tag) were more popular among buyers.

 

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http://www.greenwichtime.com/business/article/Condos-gaining-popularity-in-Greenwich-real-6413253.php

Pending Home Sales Dip in June | Bedford Hills Real Estate

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After five consecutive months of increases, pending home sales slipped in June but remained near May’s level, which was the highest in over nine years, according to the National Association of Realtors®. Modest gains in the Northeast and West were offset by larger declines in the Midwest and South.

The Pending Home Sales Index,* a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, fell 1.8 percent to 110.3 in June but is still 8.2 percent above June 2014 (101.9). Despite last month’s decline, the index is the third highest reading of 2015 and has now increased year-over-year for ten consecutive months.

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, says although pending sales decreased in June, the overall trend in recent months supports a solid pace of home sales this summer. “Competition for existing houses on the market remained stiff last month, as low inventories in many markets reduced choices and pushed prices above some buyers’ comfort level,” he said. “The demand is there for more sales, but the determining factor will be whether or not some of these buyers decide to hold off even longer until supply improves and price growth slows.”

According to Yun, existing-home sales are up considerably compared to a year ago despite the share of first-time buyers only modestly improving1. The reason is that the boost in sales is mostly coming from pent-up sellers realizing their equity gains from recent years.

“Strong price appreciation and an improving economy is finally giving some homeowners the incentive and financial capability to sell and trade up or down,” adds Yun. “Unfortunately, because nearly all of these sellers are likely buying another home, there isn’t a net increase in inventory. A combination of homebuilders ramping up construction and even more homeowners listing their properties on the market is needed to tame price growth and give all buyers more options.”

The PHSI in the Northeast inched 0.4 percent to 94.3 in June, and is now 12.0 percent above a year ago. In the Midwest the index declined 3.0 percent to 108.1 in June, but is still 5.0 percent above June 2014.

Pending home sales in the South also decreased 3.0 percent to an index of 123.5 in June but are still 7.8 percent above last June. The index in the West increased 0.5 percent in June to 104.4, and is now 10.4 percent above a year ago.

The national median existing-home price for all housing types in 2015 is expected to increase around 6.5 percent to $221,900, which would match the record high set in 2006. Total existing-home sales this year are forecast to increase 6.6 percent to around 5.27 million, about 25 percent below the prior peak set in 2005 (7.08 million).

 

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http://www.realtor.org/news-releases/2015/07/pending-home-sales-dip-in-june

Mortgage Rates drop to 3.98% | Bedford Real Estate

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Freddie Mac (OTCQB: FMCC) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), showing average fixed mortgage rates moving down with the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate ducking just under four percent.

News Facts

  • 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.98 percent with an average 0.6 point for the week ending July 30, 2015, down from last week when it averaged 4.04 percent. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 4.12 percent.
  • 15-year FRM this week averaged 3.17 percent with an average 0.6 point, down from last week when it averaged 3.21 percent. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 3.23 percent.
  • 1-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 2.52 percent this week with an average 0.3 point, down from last week when it averaged 2.54 percent. At this time last year, the 1-year ARM averaged 2.38 percent.

Average commitment rates should be reported along with average fees and points to reflect the total upfront cost of obtaining the mortgage. Visit the following links for theRegional and National Mortgage Rate Details and Definitions. Borrowers may still pay closing costs which are not included in the survey.

Quote
Attributed to Sean Becketti, chief economist, Freddie Mac.

“Monday’s 8 percent decline in Chinese stock prices triggered similar — though smaller — sell-offs in global equity markets. The associated flight to quality drove U.S. Treasury yields down nearly 5 basis points. Accordingly, 30-year fixed-rate mortgages fell 6 basis points to 3.98 percent. The mortgage rate has bounced between 3.98 and 4.09 percent since the first full week of June, falling a bit when events overseas take a turn for the worse and rising when the clouds appear ready to part. With no clear direction coming from the Fed this afternoon, we expect more of the same in coming weeks.

“Recent housing data exhibited the same good news/bad news pattern as overseas developments. Coming into this week, existing home sales for June and the latest FHFA house price measures both suggested a stronger tone in the housing market. However this week brought nothing but bad — or at least weaker-than-expected — news. New homes salesand pending home sales both weakened and the Case-Shiller house price indices, while positive, fell below the lower end of expectations. Finally, the inadvertent release of Fedstaff projections increased uncertainty over the timing of future Fed rate moves.”