Dec 5, 2017Low Inventory, Sluggish Building Defined Housing in 2017; Expect 2018 to Look SimilarPersistently low inventory of homes for sale, and low levels of single-family home building activity in particular, proved the most surprising housing trends to a majority of experts in 2017 — and they say neither is particularly likely to reverse course in 2018, nor is homeownership expected to rise much. …Real Estate3 min read
Oct 13, 2017Proposed Health Care Changes: Short-Term Gains, Long-Term Pains?If federal agencies follow through on President Donald Trump’s recent executive order intended to expand access to less expensive health insurance than currently offered by the Affordable Care Act, the impact on low- and middle-income families could be significant — both on the up and the down side. Many low-income…Healthcare3 min read
Sep 29, 2017Under Proposed Tax Changes, the Mortgage Interest Deduction Would Be Worthwhile on Only 5% of U.S. HomesCurrently, a little less than a third (29 percent) of all U.S. homes are valuable enough to make taking the Mortgage Interest Deduction (MID) worthwhile for tax filers. Under recently proposed tax changes, that number would fall to just 5 percent. Tax reform proposals currently being circulated by the Trump…Taxes3 min read
Sep 26, 2017Even Fixer-Uppers Are Flying Off the MarketThe real estate market has gotten so hot that even fixer-uppers are flying off the market, in many cases as quickly as other listings. …Real Estate2 min read
Sep 7, 2017Hurricanes Harvey & Irma: What They Could Mean for HousingIn the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, and ahead of the huge potential for danger and destruction still to come from Hurricane Irma, there remains much uncertainty and fear about estimated and actual damage to housing markets in Texas and the Southeast. …Climate Change5 min read
Aug 31, 2017Rising Rents Mean Larger Homeless PopulationWhen Orlando Ward was homeless in Los Angeles, his “street hustle” was unloading trucks in the produce district at night. “The night drivers pay $40 to $50 to unload trucks, and that was good money,” he said. Another benefit was not getting kicked in the face. “It may be easy…Homeless9 min read
Jun 29, 2017Name of the Game: Who Owns the Most Valuable Homes?Ah, to be a Stuart or an Alison, a Peter or an Alexandra, a Geoffrey or a Marc, a Salvatore or an Anne. People with those first names have an edge in the homeownership arena, boasting the highest median home values nationwide. Only 14 first names — as they appear…Home4 min read
Jun 19, 2017Living Near Whole Foods Can Boost Your Home’s ValueAmazon’s plan to buy Whole Foods got us reminiscing about research from last year showing what a boon proximity to Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s can be for home values: We’ve already shown that homes near Starbucks locations appreciate faster than both the typical U.S. home and homes located near…Amazon3 min read
Jun 1, 2017Home Values Are Back, Except Where They’re NotTen long years after climbing to a frenzied housing-bubble peak of $196,600, then crashing into the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, the median U.S. home value finally has passed that earlier peak — in March, the Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) reached $197,100. …Housing4 min read
May 24, 2017An Inventory Quandary: Three Theories for Why People Are Moving LessAmericans are moving far less than they used to, but why? We explored three possibilities — an aging population, negative equity and the shift from owning to renting single-family homes — and came up with some surprising findings. The shift from single-family homes being owned to being rented has likely been an important contributing factor to low turnover. As rental homes, these properties are put up for sale less frequently — creating more options for renters and fewer for buyers.Housing1 min read
