With more buyers than sellers nationally, what we're seeing is a natural pressure on home prices as buyers compete to bid on available properties. Fortunately, the historically low cost of debt service on a home purchase means that we have a comfortable buffer in most of the country because the typical family can afford to buy a home well above the median price. |
With mortgage interest rates projected to rise slightly to around 7.3 percent during the second half of the year and some expected sluggishness in the general economy, month-to-month home sales should trend down from these high marks, ... However, we expect a total of 5.15 million existing-home sales in 2001, making this year the second highest on record. |
With mortgage interest rates projected to rise slightly to around 7.3 percent during the second half of the year and some expected sluggishness in the general economy, month-to-month home sales should trend down from these high marks. However, we expect a total of 5.15 million existing-home sales in 2001, making this year the second highest on record. |
You take all of these factors together and you've got a very healthy housing market, |
You want to make sure homes are affordable; when they start to increase at lofty rates, you start to worry about affordability, ... But certainly, right now, the fundamentals are so good in housing that if we have a drop-off in price gains, it's still going to be at healthy levels. |
You're going to be taking away from Middle America. Everyone, whether you use the mortgage interest deduction or not, the value goes down. You've just reduced the retirement nest egg for everyone. |