Keep in mind that we still face obstacles. The European debt crisis is in the headlines every day and the fear is that a meltdown in Europe will be felt at home. Congress seems to be getting nowhere with regard to deficit reduction while state and local governments have been laying off workers for the better part of two years. The shadow inventory of foreclosures is holding the important real estate sector back. Where does that leave us? We need the consumer to lead the recovery right now. If consumer spending continues to be strong then the housing recovery will follow more quickly. Companies which are flush with cash will be more likely to hire. The November employment report to be released early in December will be a good gauge of business optimism going into the Holiday season. Our best hope? Everyone has a great Holiday season and gets the gifts they want and we have momentum going into the New Year.

Several locals showed an increase in sales volume while Eastern Thumb, Emmet, Grand Rapids and West Central all showed an increase in number of sales of 15% or more.

Key Statistics:
$107,941 – 2011 average sales price, YTD
88,774 – 2011 single family units sold, YTD
$ 9,582,354,334- 2011 total sales volume, YTD

Monthly housing statistics for MAR are reported by participating Michigan REALTOR® local boards and associations.

View the October Housing Statistics in Michigan

The Homeowner Vacancy Rate declined slightly in the third quarter while vacancies rose in rental housing according to information reported today by the U.S. Census Bureau.  Rental vacancies are currently at 9.8 percent, up from 9.2 percent in the second quarter but 0.5 percent lower than one year earlier.  Rental vacancies peaked in the third quarter of 2009 at 11.1 percent.

What are termed homeowner vacancies, i.e. the proportion of the homeowner inventory that is vacant for sale, fell to 2.4 percent from 2.5 percent in both the second quarter and Q3 of 2010.  This vacancy number has remained relatively stable throughout the housing crises.

There were 132.4 million housing units counted in the third quarter, an increase of 519,000 since Q3 2010.  Of that number, 113.5 million were occupied, an increase of 644,000 units.  75.2 million of those units were owner occupied (-244,000) and 38299 were rental units (904,000).   A total of 14.2 percent of the housing stock is vacant.  10.9 percent of all properties are vacant year-round properties, 3.2 percent are for rent, 1.4 percent are for sale, and 5.4 percent are being held off of the market.

Rental vacancies are slightly higher in principal cities (10.4 percent) than in the suburbs (9.1 percent) and were lower in the third quarter of 2011 than in the corresponding quarter of 2010 (10.5 percent.)  The change in the suburbs was more dramatic with vacancies dropping to 9.1 percent from 10.1 percent year over year.  Vacancies inside of MSAs decreased from 10.3 percent to 9.8.  Homeowner vacancies ranged from 2.3 percent outside of MSAs to 2.6 percent in principal cities and all rates were slightly lower than the corresponding numbers in Q3 2010.

There was a wide variation among both rental and homeowner vacancies rates on a regional basis, and more definitive rates of change.  In the Northeast the rental rate was 8.0 percent, up from 7.4 percent year-over-year and the homeowner rate was 2.2 (compared to 1.6 percent.)  The Midwest rental rate was 10.5 percent (down from 11.5 percent) and 2.4 percent for homeowner properties (down from 2.6 percent.)  The rental and homeowner rates were 12.2 percent and 2.5 percent in the South compared to 12.9 percent and 2.8 percent in 2010, and in the West the rates were 7.3 percent and 2.3 percent compared to 8.1 percent and 2.6 percent.

The median asking price for vacant rental housing units in the U.S. is $700, up slightly from Q2.  Median rents peaked in mid-2009 at around $725.  The median asking price for a vacant home for sale is approximately $140,000 down slightly from Q2 but well below the pre-crisis peak of $200,000 in early 2007.

The current homeownership rate is 66.3 percent compared to 65.9 percent in Q2 and 66.9 percent one year earlier.  The rate is highest in the Midwest (70.3 percent) and lowest in the West (60.7 percent).  Demographically, the rate rises steadily through each age group, from 38.0 percent among those under 35 years to a peak of 81.1 percent among persons 65 years of age and older.  Non-Hispanic Whites have a rate of 73.8 percent Blacks 45.6 percent, Hispanics 47.6 percent and all other races 56.4 percent.   Not surprisingly, households with a family income equal to or greater than the median have a homeownership rate of 81.3 percent compared to a rate of 51.3 percent among household with less than a median family income.

Read full article here.

Today’s report probably comes as a relief to many: a double dip no longer appears to be imminent. But that doesn’t mean the U.S. recovery is suddenly strong and enduring. At this point, it’s neither.

While 2.5% growth is better than a weaker result, it isn’t enough to count on a much brisker rate of hiring. After the U.S. grew at the same pace in the third quarter of 2010, jobs were added at the pace of just 139,000 per month in the fourth quarter. That isn’t enough to make a significant dent in the unemployment rate. As a means of comparison, when unemployment dropped from 9.2% to 8.3% in the fourth quarter of 1983, GDP growth was 8.1% in the third quarter.

Other obstacles also remain firmly in place for the U.S. economy. Consumer confidence continues to struggle. In the third quarter, Americans’ spending was responsible for most of the growth we saw. If it suddenly slows due to gloomy consumers, then GDP growth will fade as well. Although we’re seeing some progress in Europe, its problems are not yet entirely solved. Of course, it’s also important to remember that this is just the first estimate of third quarter growth. We’ll get two more revisions over the next two months.

We should be cautiously optimistic about today’s growth estimate. The proper response is an it-could-have-been-worse attitude about the quarter’s measure of economic activity. While it appears to show that the U.S. isn’t headed into another recession, it doesn’t indicate that the nation’s troubles are entirely behind it.

Read the full article here.

Can’t meet the minimum repair amount for an FHA 203(k)?

The JAMCO 7 can help your buyers! John Adams Mortgage will allow your buyer to close on the purchase of their home that is in need of minor repair.
A repair escrow of up to 1.5x the repair amount is required.

Repairs and final inspection must be completed no more than 7 days after closing.

RESTRICTIONS INCLUDE:

• Bank owned properties only
• Underwriter has final determination for borrower’s eligibility
• Repairs not eligible for JAMCO 7:
  - Mold Remediation
  - Lead Paint
  - VA Loans
  - Foundation repair

• Is the buyer pre-qualified/approved? You may not want to risk a deal falling through because the buyer wasn’t pre-qualified for a loan. Note: We would like to add that a pre-approval is the only standard for a qualified buyer as a “pre-qualification” is not binding. If you need help getting pre-approved or getting potential buyers pre-approved, please contact us.
• Do you need to move quickly? If you need to move quickly–due to a job relocation or to avoid foreclosure–you may need to accept an offer that is less than what you want.
• Can you accept a loss? Be sure to take closing costs into consideration too as you weigh whether you can even afford to agree to the buyer’s offer.

Realty Times also suggests sellers take into account how long their home has been on the market and the number of showings. Such considerations also can help sellers determine whether getting a better offer soon is realistic and would be worth the wait. Source: Realty Times