Recent Updates
- US: GDP (Q4-Advance), Advance Durable Goods (Dec)
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Economy in Brief
Kansas City Fed Manufacturing Index Improves in January
The Kansas City Fed reported that its manufacturing sector business activity index rose to 24 during January...
U.S. Durable Goods Orders Fell in December
Manufacturers’ new orders for durable goods fell 0.9% m/m (+15.6% y/y) in December...
U.S. Pending Home Sales Unexpectedly Decline in December
The Pending Home Sales Index fell 3.8% m/m to 117.7 in December (-6.9% y/y)...
U.S. Initial Unemployment Insurance Claims Decrease after Previous Week's Advance
Initial claims for unemployment insurance fell 30,000 in the week ended January 22 to 260,000 (-68.9% y/y)...
FOMC Will Further Lessen Liquidity and Raise Rates Soon
At today's FOMC meeting, the Fed indicated it will continue to reduce the stimulus...
Viewpoints
Commentaries are the opinions of the author and do not reflect the views of Haver Analytics.
by Tom Moeller February 14, 2020
The National Association of Realtors reported that its Fixed Rate Mortgage Housing Affordability Index fell 1.2% m/m (+10.4% y/y) to 161.8 in December from 163.7 in November. It was the lowest level of affordability since August and remained well below the all-time high of 213.3 reached in January 2013.
In December, monthly principal and interest payments increased to $1,030 from $1,016 in November.
and rose to 15.5% of income. The median sales price increased 8.0% y/y to $277,000. Median family income continued to increase, rising to $79,970, up 3.3% y/y. The effective mortgage interest rate edged up three basis points to 3.78% in December, but remained below the 4.99% recorded in November of 2018.
The Housing Affordability Index equals 100 when median family income qualifies for an 80% mortgage on a median-priced existing single-family home. A rising index indicates an increasing number of buyers can qualify for a mortgage to purchase the median-priced home. Data on Home Affordability can be found in Haver's REALTOR database. Interest rate data can be found in the WEEKLY and DAILY databases.
| Housing Affordability | Dec | Nov | Oct | Dec Y/Y | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed Rate Housing Affordability Index | 161.8 | 163.7 | 163.3 | 10.4% | 157.4 | 147.8 | 159.1 |
| Payment as a Percent of Income | 15.5 | 15.3 | 15.3 | 17.1 | 15.9 | 16.9 | 15.7 |
| Principal and Interest Payment | $1,030 | $1,016 | $1,013 | 8.0% | $1.044 | $1,079 | $967 |
| Median Sales Price (Existing Single Family Home) | $277,000 | $274,100 | $273,800 | $256,400 | $272,333 | $259,458 | $247,508 |
| Monthly Fixed Mortgage Rate | 3.78% | 3.75% | 3.74% | 4.99% | 4.04% | 4.72% | 4.20% |
| Median Family Income | $79,970 | $79,824 | $79,425 | 3.3% | 3.2% | $3.4% | 4.0% |
