Housing Research, Investment Services, M&A Advisory | Zelman & Associates

A Single-Family Buy-Versus-Rent Comparison Like Never Before

May 25, 2021 by Dennis McGill & Alan Ratner

Historically, buy-versus-rent calculations have been widely utilized to assess housing affordability, but we have always struggled with the limitations around real world comparability. Data constraints have led many to compare different asset classes (single-family versus multi-family), different vintages (old versus new homes) and different geographies (new construction often in less dense sub-markets). The calculations often miss how consumers actually approach the market. Until now.

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affordability build-for-rent new home sales single-family rental

Revisiting History as Mortgage Rates Climb Higher

April 01, 2021 by Ivy Zelman & Dennis McGill

No discussion about the health of, and future outlook for, the housing market would be complete without consideration of the mortgage rate environment. During our September 2020 Virtual Housing Summit presentation, we spent considerable time dissecting the various catalysts...

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affordability interest rates macro housing mortgage mortgage rates

High-End Housing is Back, and For Now, It’s Outperforming

December 17, 2020 by Ryan McKeveny & Dennis McGill

Alongside the broad-based 2H20 surge in homes sales, home prices and housing demand more generally, a notable undertone has been relative outperformance within the high-end segment of the market. What had easily been the most subdued piece of the housing puzzle in 2018 and 2019 has shifted to an outsized contributor of growth...

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affordability existing home sales home pricing homeownership mortgage rates real estate services

Home Price Increases Starting to Overcome Low Mortgage Rate Benefit

October 21, 2020 by Zelman & Associates

In 2019, the median and average new home cost $321,500 and $383,900, according to the Census Bureau. However, with almost 95% of purchases financed with a mortgage, it is not the total cost, but rather the monthly payment...

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affordability home pricing macro housing mortgage rates survey

Contrary to Perception, Little Difference Between Young and Old DTI Ratios

September 06, 2019 by Zelman & Associates

Earlier this week, Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data for 2018 was released. The annual dataset is enormous and serves as the primary baseline for most analyses of the mortgage market and its participants. This year also includes numerous ...

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affordability mortgage

Alarming Increase in Mortgage Debt-to-Income Ratios Reverses Course

July 26, 2019 by Zelman & Associates

Late last year, the average mortgage debt accumulated by homebuyers relative to their income was quickly rising, which was attributable to home price appreciation outpacing income growth, spiking mortgage rates and more lenient underwriting ...

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affordability mortgage

As “Crisis” Calls Mount, an Eye-Opening Spin on Affordability

July 12, 2019 by Zelman & Associates

From 2011-18, national existing home prices and apartment rents have climbed by 50-55% and 35-40%, respectively, easily outpacing 17% income growth for non-supervisory and production employees that represent the vast majority of the employment ...

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affordability demographics

A Fair Premium for New Homes Versus Existing Stock a Complicated Topic

June 14, 2019 by Zelman & Associates

Earlier this week, Redfin, the technology-enabled real estate brokerage, published a study on the valuation premium associated with a garage versus a similar property without one. Across its national analysis, the average premium realized for ...

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affordability existing home sales new home sales

Warning Lights Flashing Red for Healthcare Costs and Housing Affordability

April 05, 2019 by Zelman & Associates

According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), personal consumption expenditures totaled $13.9 trillion in 2018, up 4.7% year over year versus a 5.0% increase in disposable income, which was aided by wage growth and tax reform. The BEA ...

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affordability macro housing

A New Analysis of Homebuyer Leverage Ratios and Entry-Level Implications

February 08, 2019 by Zelman & Associates

In 2018, we estimate that the monthly payment for a typical entry-level homebuyer increased 11% year over year, inclusive of principal, interest and mortgage insurance. The spike was driven by an approximate 40 basis point increase in 30-year ...

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affordability entry-level mortgage