Weekly Review
Newsletter - 11/28/2022

Week of November 21, 2022 in Review

A smorgasbord of news was released ahead of Thanksgiving, including an update on new home sales, jobless claims, the Fed and recession chatter. Read on for these stories:

  • New Home Sales Better Than Expected in October
  • Initial Jobless Claims Hit a Three-Month High
  • Will the Fed Slow Its Pace of Rate Hikes?
  • Should Strong Retail Sales Quiet Recession Chatter?

New Homes Sales Better Than Expected in October

New Home Sales, which measure signed contracts on new homes, rose 7.5% in October to a 632,000-unit annualized pace, coming in much better than the 5.5% decline that was expected. There was a negative revision to September’s sales that made…

539 Views, 0 Comments

 

With everything going on from Holiday parties to shopping and visits from the in-laws we know that it’s easy to turn away from listing and selling your home during the holidays. Plus, almost everyone says the market slows down in the Winter and you should just wait until Spring, right? WRONG!

While it’s true the market is usually slower around the holidays, the current market trends of constrained inventory and desperate buyers have in fact made the Holidays an excellent time to put your house up for sale. With fewer sellers listing during the Holiday period, buyers are left sitting around with pre-approval letters in-hand just starving for inventory!

Here are 5 TIPS FOR SELLING YOUR HOME AROUND THANKSGIVING

1. Make Curb Appeal a Top…

1167 Views, 0 Comments

Weekly Review
Newsletter - 11/21/2022

Week of November 14, 2022 in Review

Home sales and home construction cooled in October, while wholesale inflation data gave Bonds a boost. Here are the key headlines.

  • Low Housing Inventory Remains Supportive of Home Prices
  • Construction of Homes Continues to Slow
  • Builder Confidence Drops for Eleventh Consecutive Month
  • Wholesale Inflation Cooler Than Estimated
  • Continuing Jobless Claims Continue to Creep Higher

Low Housing Inventory Remains Supportive of Home Prices

Existing Home Sales fell 5.9% from September to October to a 4.43 million unit annualized pace, per the National Association of Realtors (NAR). This was slightly stronger than expectations looking for a 7% decline. Sales…

300 Views, 0 Comments

What a difference just a few months can make. As the year comes to a close, the red-hot housing market has been brought to its knees by soaring mortgage interest rates.

  •          “Seattle, Phoenix, San Francisco could all see 20% price drops.”
  •          Wolf, of Zonda, expects prices could fall by 15% nationally over the next year
  •          “A really important thing to remember is housing is cyclical,” says Wolf. “We came from a massive run-up in prices, sales, demand in the housing market, and now it’s contracting. This is not new.”
  •          Nationally, home list prices rose 40.6% in just over two years’ time
  •          So, a 10%, 15%, or even 20% drop over a two-year span isn’t as significant as it might seem at first.

It now…

539 Views, 0 Comments

Weekly Review
Newsletter - 11/14/2022

Week of November 7, 2022 in Review

October brought cooler than expected consumer inflation, which boosted both Stocks and Bonds when the data was reported on Thursday. Meanwhile, Jobless Claims continue to tick higher. Read on for these key headlines and more.

  • Consumer Inflation Cooler Than Estimated in October
  • Inflation Remained a Top Problem for Many Small Businesses Last Month
  • Rising Continuing Jobless Claims Suggests Slower Pace of Hiring
  • The Scoop on Key Auctions

Consumer Inflation Cooler Than Estimated in October

The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures inflation on the consumer level, showed that inflation increased by 0.4% in October, coming in lower than estimates. On an…

588 Views, 0 Comments

Weekly Review
Newsletter - 11/07/2022

Week of October 31, 2022 in Review

Even though the Fed hiked rates as expected, the markets were volatile after comments from Fed Chair Jerome Powell. In the labor sector, there was more to job growth in October than the headlines suggested.

  • Fed Hikes Rates as Expected, Yet Press Conference Roils Markets
  • Headline Jobs Number Not What It Seems
  • Private Sector Payrolls Beat Expectations, But Hiring “Not Broad Based”
  • Continuing Jobless Claims Continue to Rise
  • Home Price Forecasts Still Meaningful for Wealth Creation

Fed Hikes Rates as Expected, Yet Press Conference Roils Markets

As expected, the Fed hiked its benchmark Fed Funds Rate by an aggressive 75 basis points at its meeting last…

857 Views, 0 Comments

 

“As for the interest rate ‘elephant in the room,’ the time has come for buyers and sellers to revisit financing methods from previous markets,”

  •          “Mortgage programs are offering below-market rates with various buydown options – something we have not seen for years!”
  •          Buydowns, adjustable-rate loans, carrying back second deeds of trust, and closing cost allowances as possible options.
  •          Sellers need to be “laser focused on price and condition
  •          “What your neighbor’s house sold for six months ago has very little bearing on your home’s value today.”
  •          This is the new normal until interest rates go down.”

KIRKLAND, Washington (November 7, 2022) – Brokers with Northwest Multiple Listing…

345 Views, 0 Comments

Weekly Review
Newsletter - 10/31/2022

Week of October 24, 2022 in Review

Home sales continued to cool in September while consumer inflation needs to cool further. Find out more about these stories, along with the latest news on home price appreciation, GDP and Jobless Claims.

  • Consumer Inflation Needs Cooling
  • Signed Contracts on Existing Homes Fall for Fourth Consecutive Month
  • After August’s Uptick, September New Home Sales Fall
  • Annual Home Price Appreciation Declines But Remains Strong
  • GDP Turns Positive in the Third Quarter … For Now
  • Latest Jobless Claims Signal Slower Pace of Hirings

Consumer Inflation Needs Cooling

The Fed’s favorite measure of inflation, Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE), showed that headline…

1331 Views, 0 Comments