Denver, CO: 1 of the 5 Markets to Watch for Investors in 2015

As reported to the Daily Real Estate News in Realtor Mag on Monday October 23, 2014

Typical investor magnets like San Francisco, New York City, Boston, and Seattle are getting new competition from some rapidly growing markets. The coastal cities are no longer the top choices for investors: Other markets are stepping in as the ones to watch for 2015, according to Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2015, a report co-published by PwC US and the Urban Land Institute. The report is based on a survey of more than 1,000 leading real estate experts, including investors, fund managers, developers, property companies, lenders, brokers, advisers, and consultants.

Houston and Austin edged out San Francisco for the top spots this year, proving to be the top picks for real estate prospects in 2015. Charlotte, N.C., nabbed a seventh place spot on the ranking list, edging out Seattle and Boston; while Nashville, ranked No. 14, topped Manhattan.

“Investors are looking closely at opportunities beyond the core markets,” says ULI Global Chief Executive Officer Patrick L. Phillips. “These cities are positioning themselves as highly competitive, in terms of livability, employment offerings, and recreational and cultural amenities,”
The report ranked the following five markets as the ones “to watch in 2015”, based on survey respondents and their outlook on each market:

1. Houston: “Investors believe that the energy industry will continue to drive market growth and that will support real estate activity in 2015,” the report notes. “Houston was ranked number one in both investment and development expectations for next year; housing market expectations are ranked number two.”
2. Austin: “Interviewees like the industrial base, the appeal to the millennial generation, and the lower cost of doing business in Austin,” the report notes. “The market was a top choice for both the office sector and the single-family housing sector and the number two ranked market for retail.”
3. San Francisco: Falling from its No. 1 spot last year, survey participants note the city is still poised for growth but other cities are catching up. “The strong local economy and improved domestic and international travel have made San Francisco the number one choice for hotel investment in 2015,” the report notes. “Respondents ranked the office market number three and the retail market number four.”
4. Denver: Proving to be one of the most popular markets with the millennial generation, “Denver’s industry exposure to the technology and energy industries has also attracted investor interest,” according to the report. “The results of the survey put Denver retail at number five and office at number six.”
5. Dallas/Fort Worth: “The market continues to be attractive to real estate investors because of its strong job growth, which benefits from the low cost of living and doing business,” according to the report. “Single-family housing in the market is the highest ranked property sector – and it also has the highest ranked industrial sector (number four) among the top five markets from this year’s survey.”

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Fannie, Freddie Are Working on Deal to Loosen Up on Lending

 As reported to the Daily Real Estate News on Monday October 20, 2014

The regulator of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is reportedly working on a deal with the financing entities that will loosen up lending standards and make mortgages more affordable for those with less-than-perfect credit. The move is expected to expand home buyers’ access to financing, as tight credit the last few years has kept many sidelined.

The new rules reportedly will include a lower minimum down payment requirement (from 5 percent to 3 percent), in order for lenders to qualify to sell a loan to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. That would bring down payment in sync with the Federal Housing Administration, which insures loans made to lower-income borrowers and first-time buyers. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac guarantee about 59 percent of all mortgages written.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency, which regulates Fannie and Freddie, reportedly will include more safety measures to help lenders protect themselves from making bad loans. Lenders have faced numerous high-dollar settlements after issuing loans that later defaulted. The new agreement would give greater confidence to lenders so they won’t be penalized years after a loan is made, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The potential agreement “would allow credit to flow more freely to lower- and middle-income households,” Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, told The Wall Street Journal.

“That’s vital to getting the housing recovery moving forward.”

During the financial crisis, the financing giants faced steep losses as home loans defaulted. The spike was blamed on poor underwriting by lenders in ensuring that borrowers could afford their mortgages. In response, the companies, which were seized by the government in 2008, have had banks tighten their credit standards, which some critics say has gone too far and prevented many home buyers from qualifying for a home loan.

The Urban Institute has estimated that 1.2 million more mortgages would have been issued in 2012 alone if lending standards that were commonly used in 2001 were still in place.
"Understandably, after the [financial] crisis the pendulum of mortgage credit standards swung to a far extreme” Paul Leonard, California director of the Center for Responsible Lending, told the Los Angeles Times. “It's now working its way back to a more moderate position.”

The FHFA is expected to formally announce the plans later this week.

Source: “Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Reach Deal to Ease Mortgage Lending,” Los Angeles Times (Oct. 17, 2014) and “Mortgage Giants Set to Loosen Lending,” The Wall Street Journal (Oct. 17, 2014)

New Home-Price Highs in 9 States

As reported to the Daily Real Estate News on Tuesday, October 07, 2014

Home prices continue to rise nationwide, albeit at a slowing pace. Including distressed sales, home prices rose 6.4 percent year-over-year in August, according to CoreLogic's latest Home Price Index.

All 50 states showed year-over-year home price gains, with nine states soaring to new highs. Those states were:

• Alaska
• Colorado
• Iowa
• Louisiana
• Nebraska
• North Dakota
• Oklahoma
• Texas
• Wyoming

Nevertheless, "the pace of year-over-year appreciation continues to slow down as real estate markets find more balance," says Mark Fleming, chief economist at CoreLogic. "Home-price appreciation reached a peak of almost 12 percent year-over-year in October 2013 and has since subsided to the current pace of 6 percent. Continued moderation of home-price appreciation is a welcomed sign of more balanced real estate markets and less pressure on affordability for potential home buyers in the near future."

CoreLogic forecasters predict that home prices will rise 5.2 percent from August 2014 to August 2015.