Daily Archives: January 11, 2018

Buying A Home More Affordable Than Renting In 54 Percent Of U.S. Housing Markets

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But 64 Percent of Population Live in Markets More Affordable to Rent Than Buy; Least Affordable Rental Markets Led by Counties in Northern California, DC, Brooklyn; Most Affordable Rental Markets in Alabama, Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee

Irvine, CA – Jan. 11, 2018 (PRNewswire) ATTOM Data Solutions, curator of the nation’s largest multi-sourced property database, today released its 2018 Rental Affordability Report, which shows that buying a median-priced home is more affordable than renting a three-bedroom property in 240 of 447 U.S. counties analyzed for the report — 54 percent.

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The analysis incorporated recently released fair market rent data for 2018 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics along with public record sales deed data from ATTOM Data Solutions in 447 U.S. counties with sufficient home sales data (see full methodology below).

“Although buying is still more affordable than renting in the majority of U.S. housing markets, that majority is shrinking as home price appreciation continues to outpace rental growth in most areas,” said Daren Blomquist, vice president at ATTOM Data Solutions. “Renting has clearly become the lesser of two housing affordability evils in many major population centers, with renting more affordable than buying in 76 percent of counties that have a population of 1 million or more. And when broken down by population rather than number of markets, this data shows that the majority of the U.S. population — 64 percent — live in markets that are more affordable to rent than to buy.”

Renting more affordable than buying in nation’s most populated counties
Counter to the overall trend, renting is more affordable than buying a home in the nation’s 14 most populated counties and in 30 of 39 counties with a population of 1 million or more (76 percent) — including Los Angeles County, California; Cook County (Chicago), Illinois; Harris County (Houston), Texas; Maricopa County (Phoenix), Arizona; and San Diego County, California.

Other markets with a population of more than 1 million where it is more affordable to rent than to buy a home included counties in Miami, New York City, Seattle, Las Vegas, San Jose, San Francisco and Boston.

“The thing about this data that concerns me the most is that it is now more affordable to rent in the greater Seattle area than buy. Even with solid income growth, the rapid rise in home prices is keeping many would-be buyers out of ownership,” said Matthew Gardner, chief economist with Windermere Real Estate, covering the Seattle market. “To make matters worse, rapid rental rate growth in the core King County market is forcing many renters to look farther out to find something they can afford. Seattle needs considerably more affordable housing for renters and home buyers alike. Unless something changes, the area will remain very expensive, pricing many buyers out of the market.”

Among the 39 U.S. counties analyzed in the report with a population of 1 million or more, the nine where it is more affordable to buy a home than rent included Tarrant County (Dallas), Texas; Broward County (Miami), Florida and Bexar County, (San Antonio) Texas.

Least affordable rental markets in Northern California, DC, Brooklyn
The report shows that renting a three-bedroom property requires an average of 38.8 percent of weekly wages across the 447 counties analyzed for the report.

The least affordable markets for renting were Marin County, California (79.5 percent of average wages to rent); Spotsylvania County (Washington, D.C. area), Virginia (75.5 percent) and Honolulu County, Hawaii (71.9 percent).

Most affordable rental markets in Alabama, Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee
The most affordable markets for renting were Madison County (Huntsville), Alabama (22.3 percent of average wages to rent); Tazewell County (Peoria), Illinois (23.6 percent); and Greene County (Dayton), Ohio (24.1 percent).

Rents rise faster than wages in 60 percent of markets
Average fair market rents rose faster than average weekly wages in 266 of the 447 counties analyzed in the report (60 percent), including Los Angeles County, California; Cook County, Illinois and Harris County, Texas.

Home prices rising faster than rents in 59 percent of markets
Median home prices rose faster than average fair market rents in 263 of the 447 counties analyzed in the report, including Los Angeles County, California; Cook County, Illinois and San Diego County, California.

Full Report & Methodology

About ATTOM Data Solutions
ATTOM Data Solutions is the curator of the ATTOM Data Warehouse, a multi-sourced national property database that blends property tax, deed, mortgage, foreclosure, environmental risk, natural hazard, health hazards, neighborhood characteristics and other property characteristic data for more than 150 million U.S. residential and commercial properties. The ATTOM Data Warehouse delivers actionable including bulk file licenses, APIs and customized reports.

Media:
Christine Stricker
714.873.4275
christine.stricker@attomdata.com

Data and Report Licensing:
949.502.8313
datareports@attomdata.com

Nearly One Quarter of 2017 U.S. Home Sales Were Above the Asking Price

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– On average, homes that sold above their list price went for $7,000 over the asking price

– The share of U.S. home sales that were above the listed price increased from 17.8 percent in 2012 to 24.1 percent in 2017.

– The typical price increase for homes that sold above the listed price was 3.1 percent.

– More than half of home sales in San Jose, San Francisco, Salt Lake City and Seattle went for more than the listed prices.

Seattle, WA – Jan. 11, 2018 (PRNewswire) Buyers paid more than the asking price in nearly one quarter (24 percent) of U.S. home sales in 2017, netting sellers an additional $7,000 each. Five years ago, 17.8 percent of final sale prices were higher than the asking price, according to a new Zillow® analysis(i).

Over the past year the American housing market has been struck by the combination of strong demand and limited supply. Young adult renters are increasingly feeling confident enough to buy, but they are entering a market with very few homes for sale, as inventory has been steadily declining for almost three years. Low interest rates have buoyed buyers’ budgets, raising the limits on what they can afford – and may be willing – to pay.

Homes sell quickly in such a competitive market, with the typical U.S. home selling in 80 days, including the time it takes to close on the sale. In San Jose, San Francisco and Seattle, the average home sells in less than 50 days. Fierce competition means buyers may not win a home on their first offer. The typical buyer spends more than four months home shopping and has to make multiple offers before an offer is accepted, according to the 2017 Zillow Group Consumer Housing Trends Report.

“Low interest rates and strong labor markets with high-paying jobs have allowed home buyers in some of the country’s priciest housing markets to bid well over asking price,” said Zillow Senior Economist Aaron Terrazas. “In the booming tech capitals of the California Bay Area and Pacific Northwest, paying above list price is now the norm. In the face of historically tight inventory, buyers have had to be more aggressive in their offers. We don’t expect this inventory crunch to ease meaningfully in 2018, meaning buyers will be facing many of the same struggles this year.”

In San Jose, Calif., San Francisco, Salt Lake City and Seattle, more than half of all homes sold last year went for above the list price. The average home sold above list in San Jose netted sellers an additional $62,000, the largest difference between list and sale price of the metros analyzed.

Over the past five years, Seattle saw the greatest increase in the share of sales that were above the asking price, from 20 percent of home sales in 2012 to 52 percent of sales in 2017. The amount over asking price grew as well, from 2.5 percent to 5.3 percent above the listed price.

Miami homes were least likely to sell for more than the listed price last year, followed by Virginia Beach and New Orleans.

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Zillow

Zillow is the leading real estate and rental marketplace dedicated to empowering consumers with data, inspiration and knowledge around the place they call home, and connecting them with the best local professionals who can help. In addition, Zillow operates an industry-leading economics and analytics bureau led by Zillow’s Chief Economist Dr. Svenja Gudell. Dr. Gudell and her team of economists and data analysts produce extensive housing data and research covering more than 450 markets at Zillow Real Estate Research. Zillow also sponsors the quarterly Zillow Home Price Expectations Survey, which asks more than 100 leading economists, real estate experts and investment and market strategists to predict the path of the Zillow Home Value Index over the next five years. Launched in 2006, Zillow is owned and operated by Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z and ZG), and headquartered in Seattle.