A Swimming Pool Isn’t Always a Goldmine

Pools can be a selling point for some homes—but sometimes they can be a detriment. Many American homeowners may find owning a pool a little too risky and expensive, according to a new survey from ValuePenguin, an insurance resource.

More than one in 10 Americans who have a pool on their property now say it’s not worth the trouble. Their biggest gripes are the expense and liability; homeowners say they spend nearly $1,500 a year to maintain their pool. Safety around the pool—such as from slipping and falling on the pool deck—is also a big concern. Thirty-two percent of pool owners say a safety-related incident has happened at their pool.

“It’s important to identify potential liabilities and make necessary improvements to your pool,” says Divya Sangameshwar, ValuePenguin’s Home Insurance research analyst. “Alarms, for instance, will notify homeowners if someone is trying to access their pool unauthorized, or if a child or pet fell into the pool, and allow them to render aid in a timely manner.”

Source: “As Summer Approaches, 17% of Americans Don’t Know How to Swim, While Almost 40% Wouldn’t Feel Comfortable Saving a Struggling Swimmer,” ValuePenguin (May 16, 2022)

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Reprinted with permission

Home Builders Feel Less Confident

Builder confidence posted a significant drop in May as affordability challenges dimmed expectations. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, which measures builder sentiment, fell in May for the fifth consecutive month and dropped to its lowest reading since June 2020.

Rising mortgage rates and higher building costs are taking most of the blame. Building material costs are up 19% compared to a year ago, the National Association of Home Builders reports. Buyers are concerned by borrowing costs—the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5.3% last week, up 2.94% from a year ago, according to Freddie Mac. The monthly mortgage payment has increased by about $520 since the first week of January, when rates averaged 3.2%, according to a recent blog post at the National Association of REALTORS®.

Entry-level and first-time buyers who do not have another home to leverage for a new home may be feeling the impact of rising costs the most, builders say.

Home builder sentiment dropped across the board in May on measures of current single-family home sales, sales expectations for the next six months, and prospective buyer traffic.

“The housing market is facing growing challenges,” says Robert Dietz, chief economist of the National Association of Home Builders. “Based on current affordability conditions, less than 50% of new- and existing-home sales are affordable for a typical family.” Source: “Builder Confidence Plunges on Rising Interest Rates, Growing Affordability Woes,” National Association of Home Builders’ Eye on Housing blog (May 17, 2022) and National Association of Home Builders

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Many home sellers are making a profit on their sale. But if that profit is high enough, they may be on the hook for capital gains taxes.

Capital gains taxes kick in when profits exceed $250,000 for single sellers or $500,000 for married couples who file together.

As home prices have soared, longtime homeowners may be more likely to see a tax bill.

“It’s become a huge part of the conversation now,” John Schultz, a certified public accountant and partner at Genske, Mulder & Co. in Ontario, Calif., told CNBC. Profits from the sale of a home are considered capital gains, but the rate at which they are taxed depends on the filer’s taxable income. The current rates are 0%, 15%, and 20%, CNBC reports.

Many rules affect the rate. For example, sellers must own and use the home as their primary residence for two of the five years preceding the sale, but those two years don’t have to be consecutive.

Some homeowners are converting a rental property to a primary residence for two years to get a partial exclusion. Certain home improvements can also affect the rate, Schultz told CNBC. For example, home additions, patios, swimming pools, or other improvements may qualify for exclusions if they can be shown to add value. Homeowners will need to keep detailed records.

CNBC recently highlighted other considerations for homeowners who are selling at a profit and are at risk of facing a steep tax bill. Source: “How to Sidestep a Tax Bomb When Selling Your Home,” CNBC (May 17, 2022)

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Reprinted with permission

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Top Commercial Real Estate Markets

Florida has five of the hottest commercial real estate metro markets in the first quarter: Orlando, Miami, Palm Beach Fort Lauderdale, and Fort Myers, according to new research from the National Association of REALTORS®.

NAR’s Commercial Real Estate Market Conditions Index is calculated by factoring in 25 variables that reflect a metro area’s economic conditions, demographics, and employment, such as job growth, wage increases, and population growth, as well as market conditions on vacancy rates, absorption, rent growth, cap rates, and more.

Overall, the South boasts the most booming commercial markets, with 11 of the top markets.

NAR’s index identified the following 16 markets as the hottest in commercial real estate in the first quarter. (Learn more about each of these markets at NAR’s Economists’ Outlook blog.)

• Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Fla.
• Miami-Miami Beach-Kendall, Fla.
• West Palm Beach-Boca Raton-Delray Beach, Fla.
• Fort Lauderdale-Pompano Beach-Deerfield Beach, Fla.
• Fort Myers, Fla.
• Savannah, Ga.
• Austin, Texas
• Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, Mass.
• Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario (Inland Empire), Calif.
• Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, Ga.
• Asheville, N.C.
• Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nev.
• Bend-Redmond, Ore.
• Charleston-North Charleston, S.C.
• Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, Tenn.
• Provo-Orem, Utah

 “First Quarter 2022 Commercial Real Estate Metro Market Reports: Florida Has Top 5 Hottest Markets,” National Association of REALTORS® Economists’ Outlook blog (May 11, 2022)

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Rental Costs Squeeze College Grads

College grads are getting ready to start their careers, but they’re finding soaring rental costs could quickly zap away most of their newly earned paychecks.

In 2020, the average starting salary for college graduates was about $55,000, up more than 14% about a decade ago, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers’ most recent complete data.

But rents are rising faster than paychecks. The median apartment rent has jumped more than 16% in the past year alone. Rents are up 28% since January 2017, according to Apartment List data.

“That’s pretty astronomical rent growth,’ Chris Salviati, a housing economist at Apartment List, told The Wall Street Journal. “When we’re talking about recent grads entering the market right now, in many cases these are folks who are going to be struggling more than those who graduated just a couple years ago.”

Financial advisers often suggest that consumers not spend more than 30% of their monthly income on rent. But in many places, college grads find that nearly impossible. For example, in the Nashville metro area, the median rental price for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,264, which on a $55,000 salary means rent takes up 28% of pretax earnings, The Wall Street Journal reports. Apartment List cites 20 large metros that are much more expensive than Nashville.

Many renters also are now facing increased competition for rental units as demand outstrips supply in many large markets. Read more: Renters Facing Bidding Wars

Many college grads may turn to living with roommates to try to lower costs. The housemate-finding platform Roomster has seen roommate queries jump about 40% over one year in cities like Nashville, Tenn.; Austin, Texas; and Atlanta, The Wall Street Journal reports.

But even with a roommate, renters also must show property owners that they can afford the rent. Property owners often want to see cash savings, lengthy and stable work histories, and previous work experience, which new college grads typically lack, The Wall Street Journal reports. Some renters may be asked to have a guarantor, a person who will agree to take responsibility for lease obligations in case the renter is unable to pay. Source: “The Biggest Problem for Recent College Grads: A Surge in Rent Prices,” The Wall Street Journal (May 13, 2022) [Log-in required.]

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Reprinted with permission

Most Popular Spaces to Remodel

Since the pandemic began, homeowners have been eager to spruce up their spaces. Even recently, homeowners are spending more on home improvement projects than they have—due partially to higher building material costs, but also to a desire to widen the scope of their projects.

Kitchens and bathrooms continue to be the most popular areas to renovate, according to the 2022 U.S. Houzz & Home Study. The median spend in 2021 on a kitchen remodel was $15,000, a 25% increase from 2020. A guest bathroom expenditure costs a median of $4,400, a 38% year-over-year increase, according to Houzz’s report.

According to the Houzz survey, among remodeling homeowners, paint is by far the most common purchase. Sixty-five percent said their home renovation included paint, followed by new light fixtures (51%), faucets and showerheads (46%), and lawn and garden supplies (45%). Source: “Here Are the Most Popular Remodeling Projects,” Houzz.com (May 11, 2022)

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Building Materials Press Even Higher

New-home buyers are facing higher prices, and a big reason is escalating building costs. Building material prices are up 19% over a year ago, according to a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Material costs have jumped by about 36% just since the pandemic began. Many builders are passing on those higher costs to home buyers.

The price of a new home continues to climb and reached a median sales price of $436,700 in March. That is up 21% compared to a year ago, according to the Commerce Department. Only 14% of new-home sales in March were priced below $300,000. A year ago, it was 34%. Builders have cited higher development costs and materials as the main reasons for the price jumps.

The rises in material costs continue even as softwood lumber prices take a pause from recent record highs. Read more: Lumber Prices Tumble to Lowest Level of 2022

But the costs of other products necessary to build a home continue to soar, such as steel mill products, ready-mix concrete, and gypsum products, which are used for drywall.

Source: “Building Materials Prices Move Higher, Up 19% Year Over Year,” National Association of Home Builders’ Eye on Housing blog (May 12, 2022)

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Cities With the Most Older, Newer Homes

What’s better: a brand-new home or an older home? While buyers may have preferences, costs can be a factor. Some real estate experts say selling costs are up to 30% lower for older homes compared to newer ones. But others argue that older homes can require repairs that may skew the true costs.

Whatever the preference, each market has its balance of new and older homes. Point2 Homes, an online real estate marketplace, measured the current inventory of old and new homes for sale in the nation’s largest cities to find the highest concentration of homes that are more than 50 years old compared with the cities that have the most homes for sale that were built in the past 10 years. The study defined an older home as those built no later than 1970. New homes were considered built in or after 2012.

Detroit and Baltimore have the oldest homes for sale in the country, the study finds. Ninety-two percent of homes for sale in Detroit are considered older and built prior to 1970. In Baltimore, 83% of the current housing stock for sale is at least 50 years old.  

Meanwhile, newer homes abound more in the South, led by El Paso, Texas. El Paso is the only city in the study that passes the 50% mark for newer home listings.   Source: “In With the New or In With the Old? Top U.S. Cities With Largest Shares of Old and New Homes for Sale,” Point2homes.com (May 11, 2022) Comment

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Reprinted with permission

Buyers Resilient Against Rising Rates

Mortgage rates continue to push higher, but home buyers aren’t spooked. Mortgage applications for home purchases moved 5% higher last week compared to the previous week, and buyer competition remains elevated in many markets.

Even as costs rise, buyers remain focused on their homeownership aspirations. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to a 5.30% average last week, up from 2.94% just a year ago, Freddie Mac reports.

High inflation and the Fed’s tightening policy are the main drivers behind rising rates, Nadia Evangelou, National Association of REALTORS®’ senior economist and director of forecasting, writes on the association’s blog.

Mortgage rates have risen more than 2 percentage points since the beginning of the year. The monthly mortgage payment has increased by about $520 since the first week of January, when rates averaged 3.2%, Evangelou notes.

Still, “home buyers continue to show resilience even though rising mortgage rates are causing monthly payments to increase by about one-third as compared to a year ago,” says Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “Several factors are contributing to this dynamic, including the large wave of first-time home buyers looking to realize the dream of homeownership. In the months ahead, we expect monetary policy and inflation to discourage many consumers, weakening purchase demand and decelerating home price growth.”

Freddie Mac reports the following national averages with mortgage rates for the week ending May 12:

• 30-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 5.30%, with an average 0.9 point, up from last week’s 5.27% average. Last year at this time, 30-year rates averaged 2.94%.
• 15-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 4.48%, with an average 0.9 point, dropping from last week’s 4.52% average. A year ago, 15-year rates averaged 2.26%.
• 5-year adjustable-rate mortgages: averaged 3.98%, with an average 0.3 point, rising from last week’s 3.96% average. A year ago, 5-year ARMs averaged 2.59%.

Freddie Mac reports commitment rates along with average points to better reflect the total upfront cost of obtaining the mortgage. Source: Freddie Mac and “Instant Reaction: Mortgage Rates, May 12, 2022,” National Association of REALTORS®’ Economists Outlook

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