Pending Home Sales Up Strongly
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Pending home sales activity surged as buyers took advantage of low home prices and affordable interest rates, according to the National Association of Realtors®.
The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in August, jumped 7.4 percent to 93.4 from an upwardly revised reading of 87.0 in July, and is 8.8 percent higher than August 2007 when it stood at 85.8. The index is at the highest level since June 2007 when it stood at 101.4.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said home buyers were responding to improved affordability. “What we’re seeing is the momentum of people taking advantage of low home prices, with pending home sales up strongly in California, Nevada, Arizona, Florida, Rhode Island and the Washington, D.C., region,” he said. "It’s unclear how much contract activity may be impacted by the credit disruptions on Wall Street, but we’re hopeful most of the increase will translate into closed existing-home sales.”
The PHSI in the West surged 18.4 percent to 109.5 in August and remains 37.8 percent above a year ago. In the Northeast the index jumped 8.4 percent to 79.8 and is 2.0 percent higher than August 2007. The index in the Midwest rose 3.6 percent to 84.5 in August and is 6.6 percent above a year ago. In the South, the index increased 2.3 percent to 96.0 but is 2.1 percent below August 2007.
Yun notes the unusual timing of contract activity in August. “Home buyers in July were hampered by overly stringent lending criteria in the months before the government takeover of Fannie and Freddie,” he said. “August shows some unleashing of pent-up demand before the credit crisis accelerated in September.”
He cautioned that the sampling size for pending home sales is smaller than the track on existing-home sales, so there is more volatility in the forward-looking series. “We need to see just how much of this gain holds up,” Yun said.
NAR President Richard F. Gaylord, a broker with RE/MAX Real Estate Specialists in Long Beach, Calif., said despite all the turmoil in world financial markets, home mortgages are available. “Mortgages have been harder to find, and availability and terms vary depending on credit score and location, but Realtors® can help buyers find reputable lenders while helping them navigate the transaction process,” he said. “The recently enacted economic stimulus package should help housing by gradually freeing the flow of credit.”
Yun now expects growth in the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) to contract for two consecutive quarters, in the fourth quarter of this year and the first quarter of 2009, before expanding in latter part of 2009 as the housing market begins a steady improvement.
Looking at middle-ground assumptions, existing-home sales are forecast at 5.04 million this year and 5.41 million in 2009. Following national declines of 5 to 8 percent in 2008, home prices are projected to increase 2 to 3 percent next year.
New-home sales should total around 503,000 this year and 471,000 in 2009. Housing starts, including multifamily units, are likely to fall 28.2 percent to 973,000 units this year, and come in around 843,000 in 2009 as builders continue to clear the accumulation in inventory.
The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage will probably average 6.1 percent in the fourth quarter and rise gradually to 6.6 percent by the end of 2009. NAR’s housing affordability index is expected to average 18 percentage points higher this year than in 2007.
The unemployment rate is projected to average 6.4 percent in the fourth quarter and then average 6.6 percent in 2009. Inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, is estimated at 4.0 percent for 2008 and 2.0 percent next year. Inflation-adjusted disposable personal income is forecast to grow 1.7 percent this year and 1.0 percent in 2009.
Reprinted from National Realty News:
http://nationalrealtynews.com/content/templates/standard.aspx?articleid=1278&zoneid=1
Monday, October 13, 2008
Saturday, October 11, 2008
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For more information, please visit our website: http://www.HedgeLender.com
That's right; unaffected. And that means full steam ahead for you and our other stock loan clients. We're ready today to assist small-to-medium-sized business directors, individual shareholders, or those with current financial dilemmas caused by the recent freeze in the credit markets.
Need some ideas? Here are two recent questions and our answers...
1) Enhance Your Down payment - A Mortgage-Rescue Stock Loan Solution
"I have a $10 million real estate project that's now in danger of halting because my bank is demanding a huge increase in the down payment, this despite my excellent credit rating! I do have stocks, but don't want to sell them because they've dropped like rocks with the falling stock market - valued at only about 50% less than what I paid for them a year ago. I'd hate to sell at a loss. Is there any other way to raise the down payment capital needed to release the loan funds for your project? HELP!"
The Stock Loan Solution: Relax, you are covered. By placing your stocks as guarantee for your Loan, you can get 85% - for good stocks even 90% - of the value of your portfolio today, when you need it, which should be more than enough to cover the needed additional down payment funds and still get the project moving. Best of all, you remain beneficial owner of the shares while they remain in lender custody. On a three year term, you can quickly close a NON-RECOURSE stock loan with no interest payments due until maturity, at which time the stocks will have a good chance of recovering their initial value, if not more. You can then exit your loan at maturity by asking the lender to sell enough shares to pay off the loan, and recoup the remaining profit in shares or cash. In such case you win around the board; your project gets funded, and you walk away "in the money" with stocks or cash. And if the stocks fall in value? Again, you're covered. It's a non-recourse loan, so you can walk away, and your project gets funded. Since you've suffered a loss on your stocks, you may even have a favorable tax result as well (consult only with a licensed tax professional for a precise determination of tax status).
2) Get Your IRA Off the Couch - Turbo-boost with an IRA Stock Loan
"As they say one man's misfortune is another man's opportunity. Looking at the massive drops in the stock market I have to think there are bargains galore for the stocks of otherwise soundly managed companies. I'd love to get into that but I want to stay protected. My IRA is worth about $500,000. What can I do with this?"
The Stock Solution: We'll place you into our IRA Stock Loan program and handle the stock loan side of the process while our partner firm (made up of licensed financial planners and insurance experts) will guide you to a temporary dissolution of your IRA, purchase of stocks, placement of stocks in to a Stock Loan, and re-purchase of annuities to re-stock your IRA within the statutory limit. Our firm provides the loan only; all other facets are handled 100% by licensed professionals in compliance with regulations.
The result? You'll have a healthy IRA producing annuity income (or building value) while remaining "in the market" as beneficial owner of your carefully selected 'bargain' stocks. By the time the loan term is up in 3-5 years, if you picked with care, your portfolio will be worth much more in a healthy economy and you can use that to have the lender sell enough shares to pay off the loan, while you recoup the upside profit as shares or stock, whatever you prefer. You've thus profited from the market, while retaining your IRA.
Quick funding – If your stocks are in "electronic form" already at your brokerage, and you can move them quickly, we can have your cash in hand in as few as 72 hours.
For more information, please visit our website: http://www.HedgeLender.com
Thank you for the opportunity to earn your business.
All the best,
--Branon A. Edwards
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