Households Ditch The Rear View Mirror

A rear view mirror of a car with trees in the background

Real estate is a notoriously inefficient asset class. One symptom of market inefficiency is price inertia, a hallmark of housing markets. However, a comparison of actual U.S. home value changes in the recent past to expected changes for the near future (see below chart) suggests that as households ride the road to real estate recovery,…

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Lower Expectations Dent Housing Confidence

A street sign that says bump in the middle of the road.

According to the vast majority of 10,000 heads of household who participated in the latest U.S. Housing Confidence Survey conducted by Pulsenomics, prevailing real estate market conditions are healthy, and in most major metropolitan areas, have continued to improve. However, expectations concerning the housing market–while still positive–have reversed course since the start of the year,…

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Great (and Quite Variable) Expectations

A gold background with the words great expectations

“I have been bent and broken, but – I hope – into a better shape.” – Charles Dickens, from Great Expectations The U.S. Housing Confidence Survey (HCS) includes several questions regarding expectations for future home values within the local market where each head of household respondent resides. We ask the questions and carefully monitor the…

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The Millennial Mindset re: Housing – An Update

A woman hugging another woman in front of a house.

The U.S. millennial generation–the group of people 18 to 34 years of age–is projected by The Census Bureau to exceed 75 million and surpass the baby boomers to become the largest generation this year. The attitudes and actions of members of this group will influence the health and dynamics of U.S. housing markets in the…

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Renter Aspirations Bottoming in Boston, Booming in L.A.

A person taking a picture of a house with their phone.

The level of housing confidence today can influence economic consumption, and supply & demand for residential real estate tomorrow. This is why it is essential to measure and monitor housing confidence. In any real estate market, aspirations for future homeownership among today’s renters are key indicators of housing confidence. The Homeownership Aspirations Index (HAI)–one component…

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Consumer Confidence in Housing is Building

A green sign that says " welcome to optimism."

As reported last week, The Zillow® U.S. Composite Housing Confidence Indexâ„¢ (ZHCI) rose to 67.4 in January, an increase of 3.2 points from its level six months earlier and up 3.6 points year-over-year, indicating continued growth in positive housing sentiment within local real estate markets across the country. Analysis of the indicator indices underlying the…

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Open House Mayhem: Will it Last?

A man with chains around his neck and holding onto an orange object.

Perhaps there are glimmers of hope for anxious would-be home buyers frustrated by the dearth of existing inventory in many real estate markets (consider this CNBC report today). The January 2015 U.S. Housing Confidence Survey (HCS)–the same survey cited in the CNBC report, and from which The Zillow Housing Confidence Index is derived–reveals that, in…

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Is Owning a Home Necessary to Live The American Dream?

A red white and blue poster with the words " american dream ".

The majority of households say “yes”, according to the latest U.S. Housing Confidence Survey. However, responses vary considerably by metro area as well as tenure type (i.e., homeowners vs. renters). “Some say that owning a home is necessary to live The Good Life and The American Dream. Do you agree? Or disagree?” (% of Households…

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Home Affordability Conundrum

A wooden house sitting on top of some puzzle pieces.

The latest U.S. Housing Confidence Survey finds that two-thirds (66%) of renters in 20 large metro areas are confident, or somewhat confident, that they will be able to afford to own a home in the future. This is encouraging–especially given the lack of real (inflation-adjusted) wage growth in recent years, tight mortgage credit market conditions,…

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Dream On: Renters Aspire to Buy Soon

A woman holding a microphone with the words " dream, dream, dream your dreams come."

U.S. Housing Confidence Survey: More than one-third (36%) of all renter respondents say they expect to buy a home within the next two years. Although their optimism is inspiring, the majority of these renters will travel a longer path to homeownership. The 36 percent figure extrapolated to the national level translates to an average of…

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