Housing News
Are we about to have another housing bubble?
After the housing market completely crashed, many of us remain braced for the next shoe to fall, but should we be freaked out or relaxed? Let’s look at the data.
Another housing bubble?
When you own a home or are considering owning a home, when you’ve read headlines for half a decade that the market has been decimated, you may be braced for another catastrophe, despite improving numbers. On all accounts, housing is on the rebound – sales are up, prices are up, building permits and starts are up, and confidence is also up.
But should we all be in the fetal position waiting for the next round of the sky falling?
Trulia doesn’t think so. In fact, their Chief Economist, Dr. Jed Kolko says that American housing is actually 3.0 percent undervalued, which means that in conjunction with a variety of other factors, the housing sector isn’t so hot that it’s a bubble – if homes were selling for well over their worth, we’d have a worry, but Dr. Kolko says we’re evening out and are not on the verge of another housing bubble.
The other good news from Trulia is that builders are not overbuilding, meaning there won’t be another glut of inventory that just sits there, dragging down the market. Further, lenders are not over-lending, meaning that the era of no-doc loans (aka “liar loans” wherein lenders took people at their word that they made X dollars) is officially over.
The National Association of Realtors continues to assert that lending remains too tight, and that may be true, but the difficulty for some people to get approved is another reason to feel safe that we’re not on the verge of another bubble, despite rising prices.
Doesn’t that mean prices will catch up?
If you’re home shopping, prices are rising, and while Trulia reports that price increases are not accelerating (a good sign, meaning no bubble), they are still slowly ticking up.
So with this three percent undervalued market, will prices catch up? Sure. Slowly, but surely. If you’re on the fence about buying, if you’re concerned about pricing, sooner is probably better for your wallet than better.
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Housing News
Average age of houses on the rise, so is it now better or worse to buy new?
With aging housing in America, are first-time buyers better off buying new or existing homes? The average age of a home is rising, as is the price of new housing, so a shift could be upon us.
The average home age is higher than ever
(REALUOSO.COM) – In a survey from the Department of Housing and Urban Development American Housing Survey (AHS), the median age of homes in the United States was 35 years old. In Texas, homes are a bit younger with the median age between 19 – 29 years. The northeast has the oldest homes, with the median age between 50 – 61 years. In 1985, the median age of a home was only 23 years.
With more houses around 40 years old, the National Association of Realtors asserts that homeowners will have to undertake remodeling and renovation projects before selling unless the home is sold as-is, in which case the buyer will be responsible to update their new residence. Even homeowners who aren’t selling will need to consider remodeling for structural and aesthetic reasons.
Prices of new homes on the rise
Newer homes cost more than they used to. The price differential between new homes and older homes has increased from 10 percent traditionally to around 37 percent in 2014. This is due to rising construction costs, scarcity of lots, and a low inventory of new homes that doesn’t meet the demand.
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Housing News
Are Realtors the real loser in the fight between Zillow Group and Move, Inc.?
The last year has been one of dramatic and rapid change in the real estate tech sector, but Realtors are vulnerable, and we’re worried.
Why Realtors are vulnerable to these rapid changes
(REALUOSO.COM) – Corporate warfare demands headlines in every industry, but in the real estate tech sector, a storm has been brewing for years, which in the last year has come to a head. Zillow Group and Move, Inc. (which is owned by News Corp. and operates ListHub, Realtor.com, TopProducer, and other brands) have been competing for a decade now, and the race has appeared to be an aggressive yet polite boxing match. Last year, the gloves came off, and now, they’ve drawn swords and appear to want blood.
Note: We’ll let you decide which company plays which role in the image above.
So how then, does any of this make Realtors the victims of this sword fight? Let’s get everyone up to speed, and then we’ll discuss.
1. Zillow poaches top talent, Move/NAR sues
It all started last year when the gloves came off – Move’s Chief Strategy Officer (who was also Realtor.com’s President), Errol Samuelson jumped ship and joined Zillow on the same day he phoned in his resignation without notice. He left under questionable circumstances, which has led to a lengthy legal battle (wherein Move and NAR have sued Zillow and Samuelson over allegations of breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and misappropriation of trade secrets), with the most recent motion being for contempt, which a judge granted to Move/NAR after the mysterious “Samuelson Memo” surfaced.
Salt was added to the wound when Move awarded Samuelson’s job to Move veteran, Curt Beardsley, who days after Samuelson left, also defected to Zillow. This too led to a lawsuit, with allegations including breach of contract, violation of corporations code, illegal dumping of stocks, and Move has sought restitution. These charges are extremely serious, but demanded slightly less attention than the ongoing lawsuit against Samuelson.
2. Two major media brands emerge
Last fall, the News Corp. acquisition of Move, Inc. was given the green light by the feds, and this month, Zillow finalized their acquisition of Trulia.
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