US Housing Market Data Response Case-Shiller House Prices (Q1) In seasonally-adjusted terms, the Case-Shiller national house price index reported its strongest quarterly gain for two-and-a-half years. And with the economic recovery now on firmer ground, we see no... 29th May 2012 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response RICS Lettings Survey (Apr.) The growth of tenant demand continued to ease at the start of 2012, but not by enough to slow the modest upward path of rents. Nevertheless, falling real pay points to rental value growth slowing... 25th May 2012 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response BBA Mortgage Lending (Apr.) Fears of further rises in mortgage interest rates appear to have prompted a rise in the number of households seeking to remortgage in May. But those same fears are doubtless contributing to the low... 24th May 2012 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response New Home Sales (Apr.) April’s 3.3% m/m rise in new home sales adds to the impression that homebuilders are starting to feel some of the benefits of improving housing market activity. Moreover, the rising proportion of new... 23rd May 2012 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update What does the moderation in London house price inflation mean? Last night’s Evening Standard headline, “House prices fall in London”, may have stretched the truth. Yet it does appear as though the pace of house price growth in London is at least beginning to slow... 23rd May 2012 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Focus The housing recovery will last the course The sheer extent of undervaluation in the housing market, combined with the prospect of a sustained if modest economic and labour market improvement, should ensure that the current, gradual housing... 21st May 2012 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response Housing Starts (Apr.) The 2.6% m/m rise in housing starts in April, alongside the big upward revisions to earlier data, supports our view that housing is in recovery mode. Driven in particular by the multi-family sector... 16th May 2012 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update What impact have rising mortgage interest rates had? Despite making the headlines in recent months, the impact of rising mortgage interest rates on affordability has so far been relatively modest. But with the economy back in recession and renewed fears... 15th May 2012 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Data Response CML Buy-To-Let Lending (Q1) The first fall in new buy-to-let mortgage volumes in five quarters suggests that the recession is taking its toll on landlords. Buy-to-let lending may well contract further later this year, although... 10th May 2012 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Chart Pack Plenty more home sales pending March’s further fall in home sales is a potentially worrying sign that the improvement in housing market activity is already petering out. But we are encouraged by the fact that pending home sales are... 9th May 2012 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Update Is new-build housing demand a sign of improving buyer sentiment? Demand in the new build sector has recently been stronger than for the market as a whole. This could be the first sign that buyer sentiment is improving. But it seems more likely that the data simply... 9th May 2012 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response CoreLogic House Prices (Mar.) House prices rose in March and based on leading indicators, the short-term trend could strengthen further in the coming months. Over the year as a whole, however, house prices are more likely to... 8th May 2012 · 1 min read
UK Housing Market Chart Pack Housing market headwinds strengthen The big picture of depressed demand, fragile confidence and an underlying house price trend which is, at best, flat, was little changed this month. But news that the economy has fallen back into... 4th May 2012 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Halifax House Prices (Apr.) April’s slump in the Halifax house price index must be taken with a large pinch of salt. The underlying trend in house prices is soft, and will almost certainly soften further. But, for now, it is... 4th May 2012 · 1 min read
UK Data Response Nationwide House Prices (Apr.) The underlying trend in house prices has softened notably in the past five months. That seems consistent with reports that mortgage credit conditions are tightening and that the economy is now back in... 3rd May 2012 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Data Response Mortgage Applications (Apr.) The further rise in mortgage applications for home purchase is an encouraging sign that mortgage-dependent buyers are beginning to contribute to the improvement in home sales. But with credit... 2nd May 2012 · 1 min read