Even as some factors causing current affordability challenges show signs of easing, a new study points to how high a barrier many aspiring buyers still have to get over to achieve homeownership. To afford a typical U.S. home currently priced at $367,969, households earning today’s median salary would need an additional $17,670 in annual income […]
Buyers need up to $250K more in income in some cities Read More »
Enjoy complimentary access to top ideas and insights — selected by our editors. During testimony to the House Financial Services Committee, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Jerome Powell repeatedly evaded questions from members of both parties about the impact of monetary policy on housing. Rep. Rashida Tlaib D-Minn. seemed perplexed or confused by Powell’s assertion that
The Fed chose Treasury markets over housing sanity Read More »
Enjoy complimentary access to top ideas and insights — selected by our editors. Condominiums have historically been our most affordable site-built homeownership option. However, escalating insurance costs, concerns about the structural integrity of condos, and more stringent underwriting requirements threaten to undermine the advantages of this critical home purchase option. Is there a way forward that
Condo rules need reform to keep homes affordable Read More »
As student debt levels keep rising, a new study spotlights the extent to which they are changing homeownership demographics and hampering financial opportunities for younger generations. Every $1,000 in student debt decreases the likelihood of homeownership by 1.8%, according to analysis conducted by commercial collection agency The Kaplan Group. Researchers looked through data between 2007
How student loan debt is changing the housing market Read More »
As federal budget negotiations intensify, some policymakers have floated deep cuts to the Housing Choice Voucher Program, better known as Section 8. For those in favor of reducing funding for the program, it’s simply a line item to trim. But for those of us in housing finance, it’s a structural pillar. Gutting this program would
Why Section 8 cuts are a mortgage market threat Read More »