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Market Studies

HAMP’s Redefault Rate at 27% and Likely to Rise

Over the life of the government's Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP), 1.25 million homeowners have received permanent HAMP modifications, and 27 percent of those have later redefaulted on their loans, according to a quarterly report to Congress from the TARP special inspector general. The inspector general expressed concern as far back as April that HAMP redefaults were ""increasing at an alarming rate.""

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FHA Program Offers Financing Solution for Stock of Aging Homes

Seventy-one percent of single-family homes in the United States were built before 1990, according to a new industry report. So far this year, 60 percent of residential transactions involved homes built prior to 1990. This older housing stock comes with less competition from other buyers and lower price points, and the Federal Housing Administration's 203(k) program allows owner-occupants to roll the cost of minor and major renovations into the financing for a home purchase or a mortgage refinancing.

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Serious Delinquencies Hit Five-Year Milestone

Mortgage delinquencies are on the decline, according to a report from Equifax. Home finance write-offs so far this year total $96.3 billion, down 22 percent from last year. The balance of mortgages in severe delinquency--those 90 or more days past due--is less than $300 million for the first time in five years, and Equifax's Amy Crews Cutts says current trends suggest we'll be at pre-recession levels of severe delinquencies by the end of 2014.

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Commentary: Investors Still Flooding the National Housing Market

Both large institutional and smaller ""mom and pop"" investors have been very active purchasing homes at a steep discount, primarily in housing-bust markets. Industry reports attribute anywhere from 33 to 49 percent of September's home purchases to investors. Whether one-third or nearly one-half of the market, investors are the key force driving home prices, which could signal volatility in coming quarters.

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August’s Annual Home Price Gains Set Post-Crisis Record

Home prices are well above their year-ago levels, as evidenced by the latest S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices. In fact, according to the report, the annual gain recorded in August was the fastest rate of growth since February 2006--up 12.8 percent from August last year. The monthly pace of appreciation, however, continues to slow. With prices rising just 1.3 percent from July to August, S&P says we may be approaching a plateau.

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Rising Rates and Prices, Static Incomes Lower Housing Affordability

Over the past year, home prices have risen 16 percent and mortgage rates have climbed from 3.7 percent to 4.43 percent, all while incomes have risen by just 3 percent, according to Bankrate's Interest.com website. These diverging trends have led to a decline in affordability across the nation. In all of the nation's 25 largest metros, it's less likely buyers can afford a home this year compared to last year.

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Slow Quarter Ahead Judging from Pending Home Sales

September's pending home sales point to a slow quarter during the final three months of the year. The National Association of Realtors says the numbers show buyers are struggling with declining levels of housing affordability. The trade group's pending sales index is a forward-looking indicator that's based on contract signings, not closings, and it has now fallen for four straight months.

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Investors’ Home Purchases Total $1 Trillion Since 2011

Since 2011, investors have purchased more than 950,000 homes; and with 370,000 purchases so far this year, they have already surpassed the number of purchases they made in either of the past two years, according to a new report from RealtyTrac. In total, investors have spent $1 trillion acquiring single-family residences since 2011.

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Housing Trends Settle for Cold Months, Inventory Decline Slows

According to RE/MAX's National Housing Report for September, closed transactions fell 18.5 percent month-over-month, in line with the typical trend as summer passes into autumn. Year-over-year, however sales increased 10.7 percent, making September the 27th consecutive month in which sales rose on an annual basis. The company also reported a slowdown in the rate of inventory decline.

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